Imago

The working title of the book was Fragments. The final title Imago comes from Latin and means image. In psychology, it refers to the subconscious prototype of our relationships with others, which is formed in childhood. In entomology, the word is the name of the final stage of development of some insects, when they are formed as adults and can reproduce. The meaning that the title of my prose carries is stuck between these two definitions. I wrote Imago in 2001 when I was 19 years old. Fate had torn apart the magical cocoon of my childhood, and I left behind the streets of Plovdiv to live in Student City in Sofia. It was there that I first became aware of the true dimensions of the emotional impotence that permeates our post-communist society. I had to fight against the clichés of upbringing that simply didn't work for me. And I wasn't alone. We were all struggling to discover ourselves without an adequate starting point. The prose Imago was inspired by this period and provoked by the reality in which we existed, but refused to accept. The completion of this work is a snapshot of emotions that have already faded, a desire to break free from a rough style and evolve into something else, probably no less flawed. In my opinion, it is the revelation that is the real challenge. That is why I must mention that the text is naive and heavy, inspired by the primary vanity, clichés, depressions, and some realized complexes.