Invited by Georgeta Drăghici to appear on Revista Literară Radio, a programme broadcast by Radio România Cultural, Doina Ruști spoke about her latest novels, Ferenike and My Bulgarian Nose, two books connected both by the history of a family and by the theme of identity.
The conversation begins with the relationship between biography and fiction. Although My Bulgarian Nose continues chronologically the world of Ferenike, the novel does not remain within the realm of memoir, nor does it merely pursue a nostalgic recovery of the past. Lived experience is transformed into story, while biography enters the fabulatory territory of fiction.
“I believe in story, I believe in emotion, and so the story encompasses biography, it encompasses life as it was directly lived,” says Doina Ruști. While Ferenike is built around the demon of death, My Bulgarian Nose begins with the demon of love. The romantic adventure becomes a form of self-discovery and a return to one’s ancestors, genealogy, and national identity.
Published by Humanitas in 2026, My Bulgarian Nose follows the years of adolescence and formation, continuing the chronicle begun in Ferenike while opening it towards a broader reflection on love, memory, and belonging.
My Bulgarian Nose also includes eleven Balkan stories connected with the meanings of love.
The full interview is available in Revista Literară Radio, a programme produced by Georgeta Drăghici.
