On May 19, 2026, in the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS), the writer Teodora Dimova was a special guest at the meeting dedicated to totalitarianism in the Balkans within the framework of the scientific project "Conversations on Literature and the Peninsula".
Established in 2013, the project develops as a forum for the exchange of ideas and for understanding the processes in the literary space of Southeast Europe. Over the past decades, the institute has proven itself as a leading factor in historical, political and cultural analyses of the region, and these traditional meetings complement and enrich the interpretations with its literary perspective. Understanding the totalitarian period and the years of transition through the focus of fiction is among the key priorities of the project and the visit of a writer and intellectual with a remarkable contribution to the topic such as Teodora Dimova attracted the deserved attention of the scientific and reading community. Various manifestations of the traumatic experience in cultural memory and the possibilities for dialogue beyond the language of pain and alienation, hostility and envy were commented on. Having just returned from participating in the Thessaloniki International Book Fair, Teodora Dimova shared her excellent impressions of the high level of the event and the hospitality of the hosts.
Although the totalitarian topic has deservedly received increasing attention in academic circles in recent years, its constant interpretation is a matter of ethical and scientific commitment that should not be abandoned. In 2024, Teodora Dimova was elected a corresponding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the development of contemporary Bulgarian literature.
The topic about totalitarian experience occupies a key place in the fiction and dramaturgy of Teodora Dimova. The traces of the communist regime on the psychological world of the Bulgarian are dramatically shown in one of her first novels, "The Mothers", which establishes her as one of the most talented European writers of our time. The deep wounds in the souls of mothers and their children are caused by the systematic policy of the communist state towards the destruction of the traditional Christian family and close friendships and family ties, and as the author shows, the consequences for the entire society are tragic.
Teodora Dimova delves even more deeply into the psychology of totalitarianism with her novels "The Defeated" and "I Don't Know You." These novels establish her as one of the most important voices in our literature, helping to articulate the traumas of the communist era that are so difficult to comprehend.
A year after the start of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, Teodora Dimova published her essay book "Prayer for Ukraine". As she writes, "Our generations grew up in peace, we knew about the war only from books and films. We could not admit that there could be war in Europe. The heroism of the Ukrainian people inspires admiration, but the pain of the suffering they have suffered is much stronger. Compassion is the impetus for me to write the texts collected in this book. If I had to repeat the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, I have a dream, my dream is that one day writers will write in such a way and have such an influence in society that they will not allow anyone to start a war anymore."
Sharing these thoughts of Teodora Dimova, let us add that there is no reason for science not to support this dream.
