site.btaRomanian Translator Sees Bulgarian Literature as a Bridge between Cultures

Mariana Mangiulea Jatop, one of the most prominent translators of contemporary Bulgarian literature into Romanian, sees her work as a mission to introduce Romanian readers to Bulgarian authors. Ahead of Bulgaria’s participation as guest of honour at the Bookfest 2026 International Book Fair, she said that literary translation serves as a bridge between peoples, cultures and generations.

Jatop has translated works by writers including Georgi Gospodinov, Emil Andreev, Ivan Stankov, Joanna Elmy and Elena Alexieva. She noted that literary exchanges between Bulgaria and Romania have intensified since the early 2000s after a period of decline following the political changes of 1989.

According to Jatop, Romanian interest in contemporary Bulgarian literature has grown significantly since Gospodinov’s novel Time Shelter won the International Booker Prize. She believes Romanian readers are drawn to Bulgarian authors because of the two countries’ shared historical and social experiences, particularly themes related to memory, identity and the communist past.

Commenting on Gospodinov’s latest novel, Death and the Gardener, which will be presented in Romanian at the bookfest, Jatop described it as an emotional and deeply human work that offers comfort and reflects on the value of life rather than death.

Born to a Romanian father and a Bulgarian mother, Jatop said Bulgaria has remained an important part of her personal and professional life. A graduate in Bulgarian and English philology from the University of Bucharest, she spent more than three decades teaching Bulgarian language and culture and has authored several academic works and Romanian-Bulgarian language guides. She said that despite specializing in linguistics, she has never lost her connection with literature.