The phenomenon of the “Professorenroman” in Bulgarian literature
The phenomenon of the “Professorenroman” in Bulgarian literature

Summary/Abstract: This article, based on the author’s previous research in Bulgarian, presents a phenomenon that until now has not been the subject of systematic study: the Bulgarian Professorenroman (literally “professor’s novel”). Tracing the development of Bulgarian academic fiction over the last three decades, it brings out the presence of a relatively homogeneous group of works that share common literary characteristics and ways of communicating with readers. The present analysis defines several common features shared by approximately a dozen novels by contemporary Bulgarian writers, all of them university professors. The phenomenon of the Professorenroman is examined briefly in the historical context of its emergence in the 19th century, and in more detail as an effect and consequence of the development of postmodernism in Bulgaria since the late 20th century. It is complemented by a more detailed reading of four recent novels.

• Details
• Contents