NOSTALGIA AND RESILIENCE: A PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDY OF TIME SHELTER BY GEORGI GOSPODINOV

Abstract

This study explores Gospodinov’s Time Shelter (2020) through the lens of nostalgia as a therapeutic tool, aiming to demonstrate how does the novel’s narrative structure reframe nostalgia as an active mechanism for trauma recovery and resilience. This study analyzes the psychological and literary dimensions of nostalgia in the text, employing nostalgia to serve as a coping strategy and the underlying psychological mechanisms and their significance in the process of  resilience and recapitulation. The study uses Routledge’s psychological framework drawn from Nostalgia: A Psychological Resource & Past Forward published in 2015 and 2023 respectively to examine the protagonist’s engagement with memory both as a sanctuary and as a catalyst for agency. It reveals that nostalgia in Time Shelter operates as a tripartite phenomenon: a mode of escapism from present trauma, a tool for emotional regulation through curated historical spaces, and an anchor for identity continuity, enabling characters to reclaim agency. By situating these results within contemporary trauma studies, the research highlights the novel’s unique contribution by revealing that nostalgia is not merely regressive but generative, offering a blueprint for resilience. The significance of this study lies in its interdisciplinary approach, bridging literary theory and psychology to challenge deterministic views of memory’s hold over the present.