The Last Dolphin Hunter

About the book

Literary/Historical Fiction · Dual Timeline · 70,000 words
Complete English translation by Booker Prize-winning translator Angela Rodel

While researching archival footage for an American feature film about the saving of Bulgarian Jews in WW2, the narrator stumbles upon documentary of a Black Sea dolphin hunt in the 50s and recognizes one of the hunters as his own grandfather, a man he knew almost nothing about except that he had died in prison.

Drawn into the mystery of his grandfather’s life, he uncovers a hidden family history shaped by war, communist terror and decades of silence. Along the way, he meets Darina, a young marine biologist researching whether dolphins possess a collective memory. As their relationship gradually deepens, her work begins to illuminate his own search for truth and the ways memory survives across generations.

Blending archival documents, historical fact, and myth, The Last Dolphin Hunter spans the Second World War, the rise of the communist regime, and the present day. It is a novel about family, tyranny, salvation, and the stories we inherit, and how discovering the truth can change the course of a life.

Editions and facts

• Ciela, 2025. Hardcover and paperback.
• Complete English translation by Angela Rodel.