Genoveva Dimova's debut novel, Foul Days, takes place over a twelve-day period known in Bulgarian culture as the "Unclean Days," "Dirty Days" – or, indeed, "Foul Days." In the first chapter, in a pub on a dark, wintry New Year's Eve, one of the characters explains: "The Foul Days have begun. The New Year was born, but it hasn't been baptised yet. The monsters roam the streets freely. … They are only allowed to come here during the Foul Days, when the boundary between our world and theirs is hair-thin."
In Bulgarian folklore, the Foul Days occur over the twelve days between Christmas Day (25th December) and St. Yordan's Day, also known as Epiphany (6th January). During this period of transition from the old year to the new, it is believed that monstrous beings can cross over into the mortal world, bringing with them great danger, darkness, and chaos. Among these monsters are creatures of Slavic legend, such as karakonjuls, similar to the half-human, half-horse centaurs of...