Iovana, or the Birth of the Hero

In her novel, Travelling in the Direction of the Shadow, Bulgarian writer Iana Boukova foreshadows the devastating effects of a sudden plague on a single family, resembling the COVID-19 pandemic that would later unfold. Written in 2009, the book takes place on the Baltic in the 19^th century and centers around Damyan, the second-youngest son of Iovana. In the first chapter, Damyan, in a fit of anger, flees their home, while Iovana unknowingly provides shelter to an infected man. The village promptly responds by sealing off the family and resorting to violence against those attempting to escape, mirroring the initial confusion and panic of early pandemic protocols. As the story progresses, the plague intensifies, and with it the slow horror of witnessing the pandemic unfold. Damyan’s realization that “something was wrong” and his subsequent cries capture the helplessness individuals face against the virus and the stagnant existence of quarantine. Iovana’s paralysis upon discovering the plague’s infiltration into her home underscores the profound consequences of a pandemic, extending beyond sickness and profoundly altering the community’s trajectory. Although fictional, the reader can observe the author’s play with first names, as I(ov)ana bears striking resemblance to the author’s own name. Translated and excerpted in the “Voices from the Pandemic” series by Words Without Borders during the initial COVID-19 wave, “Iovana, or the Birth of the Hero” emphasizes the destructive powerlessness that accompanies disease, setting the stage for the hero’s journey and portraying the extensive impact of the pandemic on a community’s existence.