Hristo Karastoyanov

Hristo Karastoyanov (22 February 1950 – 23 January 2024) was a contemporary Bulgarian novelist.

Born in Topolovgrad, he studied Bulgarian Philology at Plovdiv University and made his debut in 1981 with the "Cracked Asphalt" stories.

He is the author of 26 books – fiction, political journalism, and poetry. His novel, Autopia: The Other Road to Hell, (2003), is in the list of the first five books nominated for the Vick Foundation award. Other books of his (Nefertiti in a Dark Night, 2001, Death Is of Preference, 2003, Consequences, 2005, Resistance.net, 2008, and The Spider, 2008) have been nominated for the award of Helikon Bookstores. These include his latest novel The Name, 2012.

He has been awarded a number of literary prizes, among which was the first prize in the unpublished novel contest of Razvitie Corporation (for his novel Death is of Preference, 2003), the award of the Bulgarian Writers’ Union for Notes on Historical Naiveté, 1999, the “Golden Chainlet” short-story award of Trud Daily, and the national “Chudomir” award for humorous story.

His book, Kocama Karı Arıyorum (in Turkish Wanted: A Wife for My Husband), “Janet 45” Publishing house, 2006, was presented at the 25th Istanbul Book Fair (2006).

He was a member of the professional Bulgarian Writers’ Union. He worked and lived in Yambol. Hristo Karastoyanov is survived by his wife, Sofia and son, Todor.

Books

T for Tashkent, novel, 2021 Dodder, novel, 2020 Life has no second half, novel, 2018 The Same Night Awaits Us All: Diary of a Novel, novel, (in English in the US), 2018 Postscript, novel, 2016 The Same Night Awaits Us All: Diary of a Novel, novel, 2014 Teufelszwirn, Roman in drei Büchern. Aus dem Bulgarischen von Andreas Tretner. Dittrich Verlag GmbH, Berlin 2012 The Name, novel, 2012 The Spider, novel, 2009, reprint 2011 Resistance.net, novel, 2008 Parallel Paranoias, stories, (two volumes – ID: The Year of the Tiger and 2007: Extant Memories), 2008 Atlantis: Acts, novel, (bilingual: Bulgarian and English), 2008 Kocama Karı Arıyorum, stories, in Turkish (“Wanted: A Wife for My Husband”) 2006 Consequences, stories, 2005 La Vie En Rose and Others of That Type, stories, 2004 Death Is of Preference, novel, 2003 Autopia: The Other Road to Hell, novel, 2003 Nefertiti in a Winter Night, stories, 2001 ID: The Year of the Tiger, stories, (co-writer: Lyubomir Kotev), 2000 Notes on Historical Naiveté, political journalism, 1999 The Death of Sancho Panzo, poetry, 1997 Life: The Third Lie, stories, 1996 Dusty Summer, novel, 1995 Notes from the Times When the Future Was Bright, stories, 1993 Dodder (trilogy: Perpetuum Mobile, Dodder and Mixed Up Chronicle), 1990 and 2001 Ripe Taste, stories, 1989 Mixed Up Chronicle, novel, 1987 This Eternal Land, political journalism, 1985 Perpetuum Mobile, novel, 1984 Matvei Valev, literary critical essay, 1982 Cracked Asphalt, stories, 1981