romanian bodies

"The Vanishing Point That Whistles" - An Anthology of Contemporary Romanian Poetry

2012-01-03T04:27:00.003+02:00

Book launch organized by RCINY. The anthology represents a joint effort to bring one of the most significant recent Eastern European literary phenomena - Romanian post-communist poetry - to U.S. readers. Published by Talisman House, with funding from RCI's Translation and Publication Support Program, the anthology coordinated by Doru Paul Mugur gathers more than 40 contemporary Romanian poets. With this new anthology, Talisman House continues in 2012 its line of publishing Romanian authors in translation.

The poetry included in this volume reflects the alienation and the crisis of communication brought by the so-called "transition" period of the last twenty years in Romania from the beginning of the post-communist period in 1990 to the close of the first decade of the twenty-first century. This twenty-year span was defined not only by uncertainty and fears, social inequities and misery, but also by both an enthusiasm and a hope for the future that the recent inclusion of Romania in the European Union made real.

—from the introduction by Paul Doru Mugur

The Poets: Cristian Popescu, Ioan Es. Pop, Mihail Gălăţanu, Daniel Bănulescu, Floarea Ţuţuianu, Radu Andriescu, Simona Popescu, Emilian Galaicu-Păun, Ruxandra Cesereanu, O. Nimigean, Constantin Acosmei, Nicolae Coande, Mihai Ignat, Marius Ianuş, Dumitru Crudu, Adina Dabija, Ştefan Bălan, Teodor Dună, Ruxandra Novac, Mugur Grosu, George Vasilievici, Ioana Nicolaie, Radu Vancu, Andrei Peniuc, Dan Sociu, Adrian Urmanov, Răzvan Ţupa, Claudiu Komartin, Elena Vlădăreanu, Dan Coman, Miruna Vlada, V. Leac, Svetlana Cârstean, T.S. Khasis, Gabi Eftimie, Marius Conkan, Andrei Gamarţ, Michel Martin, Aida Hancer, Anonymous.

Most of the translations were prepared specifically for this edition by Adam J. Sorkin and Claudia Serea, with biographical notes and essays by the authors, Adam J. Sorkin and Mona Momescu.

Collaborative translations are by Adam J. Sorkin and Radu Andriescu, Ştefan Bălan, Cristina Cîrstea, Gabi Eftimie, Mihail Gălăţanu, Irma Giannetti, Mugur Grosu, Petru Iamandi, Ioana Ieronim, Claudiu Komartin, Michel Martin, Alina Miron, David Morley, Paul Doru Mugur, Roxana Muscă, Mihaela Niţă, Alina Savin, Dan Sociu , Saviana Stănescu, Bogdan Ştefănescu, Aura Ţeudan, Răzvan Ţupa, Adrian Urmanov, Radu Vancu, Lidia Vianu, Oana Zamfirache.

February 8, 6.30 pm
RCINY Auditorium
200 East 38th Street, New York, NY 10016

FREE ADMISSION

This Romanian poetry arrives in the 21st century like a much needed remedy for the excessive stylistic inventions that seem to accompany what is soon becoming an almost universal postmodern aesthetic. It's a book that I'd want my graduate students of poetry and literary translation to read. --Roger Sedarat

Waking up from a familiar nightmare into an unknown reality is not for the faint-hearted. More than two decades after the world and the poetry that buzzed in it shattered, Romanian poets are putting on lab coats, turning on recording devices, scouring the web they broadcast on, photoshopping bits and pieces of shards and routine, and questioning the tragic undertone of the hardwired lament in a culture that questions itself incessantly. Anyone able to hear the sound this poetry makes will be rewarded with a sharpening of their own tools of perception. --Andrei Codrescu

While reading Vanishing Point That Whistles, the Latin word 'artus' came to mind: related to anatomy, it indicates a joint; symbolically the word refers to strength or power (and, poetically, to the limbs). My feeling is that this anthology of new Romanian poetry exists as an important 'artus' point: a place where one historical/literary tradition bends into another. At the same time it's a locus of strength, with a natural ability to reach powerfully outward. Even more, though, it's a source of pure reading pleasure from one of the world's most poetic places. If you haven't yet gotten acquainted with the brilliance of contemporary Romanian poetry, enter here. --Sharon Mesmer

Romanian Poetry on Screens

2011-09-25T22:00:00.003+03:00

As a part of 100 thousand poets for change, 2011 poetry was put on screen in the middle of Bucharest on 24th of September.
This is a first video (not the official one yet) fot the event we had in Bucharest with poetry on the biggest media facade in Continental Europe (560 square meters/6,205 sq. ft.). It was the first time ever, when Romanian poetry was presented on this surface.
It included poetry by classical, modern, and contemporary Romanian poets selected to illustrate the idea of change.

a galery of images from the event can be seen here

Romanian Writers on Writing

2011-09-14T22:25:00.004+03:00

"Romanian Writers on Writing"was published very recently by Trinity University Press

The collection Manea has edited of Romanian Writers on Writing (2011) is one of those books that opens up a whole world that overflows the banks of the present nation of Romania. It’s a world previously unavailable to all who must wait for translations into English. We have had bright flashes of that world in the amazing work of those who left Romania during the twentieth century and found readers and audiences elsewhere—driven out or voluntarily withdrawing from that oppressed place—including Paul Celan, E. M. Cioran, Eugene Ionesco, Mircea Eliade, Andrei Codrescu, and Manea himself (to say nothing of the artists Constantin Brancusi and Saul Steinberg, the pianists Dinu Lupati and Radu Lupu, the composer Georges Enescu). Only a few Romanian poets have been translated into English, among them Tudor Arghezi, Ion Caraion, and Benjamin Fondane (who wrote in French). Now Manea’s edited collection of Romanian writings on writing give us a fuller sense of how much we are missing. from The Center for the Writing Arts

Norman Manea (editor)
Sanda Cordoş (editor)
Carla Baricz (translator)
Raluca Manea (translator)

Trinity University Press

Series: The Writer’s World | Publication Date: 2011 | 336 p. in 8º

ISBN-10: 1595340823 | ISBN-13: 978-1595340825

Vanity doubled by vitality, vulnerability mixed in with force, and the fear of dissolution intimately linked with the desperate pride of defeating historical time confer upon Romanian literature a special tension, born from wandering and threat. The 81 writers gathered in Romanian Writers on Writing explore this unsettling tension and exemplify the powerful, polyphonic voice of their country’s complex literature. The Writer’s World series features writers from around the globe discussing what it means to write, and to be a writer, in other countries. The series collects a broad range of material and provides access for the first time to a body of work never before gathered in English, or, perhaps, in any language.

Table of Contents

Preface

Norman Manea

Introduction

(7)

Sanda Cordos

"The Personality of the Creator"

(1)

Mihai Eminescu

"To My Critics"

(3)

From "Some Opinions"

(6)

Ion Luca Caragiale

From "Letter"

(2)

Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu

(2)

From "Autobiography"

Tudor Arghezi

"Cuts on the Arm of the Pen"

(3)

"Gloss"

(1)

George Bacovia

"Enough"

(2)

From Adrian Zografi

(4)

Panait Istrati

From "Remember"

(3)

Mateiu I. Caragiale

From "Confessions"

(4)

Liviu Rebreanu

From Procrustes' Bed

(4)

Camil Petrescu

"To My Readers"

(1)

Lucian Blaga

"Self-Portrait"

(1)

"Biography"

(2)

"Notes from a Literary Confession"

(3)

Ion Barbu

"It Evenings"

(1)

Tristan Tzara

"Introduction to Don Quixote"

(2)

From "A Few Wild Words"

(6)

Benjamin Fundoianu

Benjamin Fondane

"On Writing and Writers"

(5)

Mircea Eliade

From "The Curse of Writing"

(4)

Mihail Sebastian

From The Lucent Den

(5)

Max Blecher

From "An Inner Daimon"

(3)

Octav Sulutiu

From "When I Write"

(5)

Eugene Ionesco

Eugen Ionescu

From "Advantages of Exile"

(4)

E.M. Cioran

"Tragedies That Must Occur"

(3)

Gherasim Luca

From White of the Bone

(2)

Gellu Naum

From God Was Born in Exile

(3)

Vintila Horia

"Not to forget ..."

(4)

Ion D. Sirbu

"Partisan of the Erotical Absolute"

(1)

Paul Celan

"Perhaps One Day"

(3)

"Assyriology (The Library of Clay Books)"

(5)

Alexandru Sever

From "The Writer and the Word"

(4)

Marin Preda

From The Syllable Hatter

103

(3)

Ion Caraion

From "The Team Passing through the World"

106

(5)

Constantin Toiu

"The Immigration Department"

111

(3)

Nina Cassian

"Cognitio Incogniti"

114

(7)

Petru Dumitriu

"The Noble Fool of Totality"

121

(3)

Leonid Dimov

"The Second Love"

124

(2)

Octavian Paler

"Ill from Unwritten Books"

126

(3)

Radu Petrescu

From "Wanda, or the Interpretation Syndrome"

129

(5)

Mircea Horia Simionescu

From "My Art Was Born from Fear"

134

(2)

Radu Cosasu

From "The Text Writes Itself"

136

(3)

Mircea Ivanescu

From "My Soul, Psyche"

139

(2)

Nichita Stanescu

"The Poet, Like the Soldier"

141

(3)

"Prisoner or Master of Language?"

144

(5)

Nora Iuga

"Why Do I Write? What Do I Believe In?"

149

(5)

Nicolae Breban

From Writing and Reading or Vice Versa

154

(5)

Matei Calinescu

"Stanzas"

159

(1)

Florin Mugur

"The Dance with the Book"

160

(1)

"That Which Remains"

161

(2)

From "The Colors of the Rainbow"

163

(2)

Paul Goma

From "The Raft on the Crest of the Wave"

165

(4)

George Balaita

"How to Be a Fakir"

169

(1)

Marin Sorescu

"House under Surveillance"

170

(2)

"Praise of the Anonymous"

172

(3)

Dumitru Tepeneag

From "Existence Starts to Gain Density"

175

(2)

Cezar Baltag

From Letter to Lucian Raicu

177

(3)

Emil Brumaru

From "The Story of a Title"

180

(3)

Virgil Duda

From "Fear of Literature"

183

(4)

Ana Blandiana

From "Literature as Religion and Fear"

187

(2)

Gabriela Adamesteanu

"preface"

189

(1)

Virgil Mazilescu

"honey on the tongue"

190

(2)

From "To Write"

192

(6)

Gabriela Melinescu

"Bi-lingual"

198

(1)

Andrei Codrescu

From "Toward a Liberal Grammar"

199

(3)

Stefan Agopian

"Horizontal Man"

202

(3)

Mircea Nedelciu

"Night"

205

(4)

Ioan Petru Culianu

From "I Am Always Behind"

209

(3)

Alexandra Vlad

From The Body Knows More

212

(3)

Gheorghe Craciun

"The Art of Seduction"

215

(1)

Floarea Tutuianu

"La femme poison"

216

(2)

"The Poetry of the Everyday"

218

(4)

Alexandra Musina

"The Ladder"

222

(1)

Marta Petreu

"Night Letter to Tame My Beloved"

222

(4)

"Life Undone by Poetry"

226

(1)

Ion Muresan

"The Poem That Cannot Be Understood"

226

(3)

"I Am Not So Sure"

229

(5)

Magda Carneci

"Kitty (or the Great Fear has come)"

234

(2)

Mariana Marin

"A Giant Drop of Water Reflecting a Chimera"

236

(4)

Mircea Cartarescu

"To Write in Despair"

240

(3)

Razvan Petrescu

"The Falling Crumbs"

243

(1)

Matei Visniec

"Like Clothes Grown Too Large"

243

(3)

From "The Power of Words"

246

(4)

Carmen Firan

"`Madness' and the Art of Writing"

250

(4)

Bogdan Ghiu

From "Gruelingly Squeezed Light"

254

(4)

Cristian Popescu

"The Flooded Submarine"

258

(2)

Ruxandra Cesereanu

"The Pact with Yourself: Opus or Life?"

260

(2)

Simona Popescu

"Writing and the Culinary Predilections of My Grandfather"

262

(6)

Filip Florian

"How Should I Write?"

268

(3)

Florina Ilis

"The Path to the Other"

271

(5)

Doina Ioanid

"How I Did Not Become a Genius"

276

(4)

Dan Lungu

From "The Secret Code: Notes for a Literary Confession"

280

(7)

Bogdan Suceava

"Our Special Envoy"

287

(5)

Florin Lazarescu

"A Sort of Jogging"

292

(3)

Ana Maria Sandu

"Character"

295

(8)

Lucian Dan Teodorovici

Literary Crossroads - New Scene Romania: poetry

2011-03-20T21:31:00.004+02:00

Literarische Crossroads - New Scene Romania: poetry

Reading and discussion

New Romanian Poetry - 20 years after the change: change in perspective, different priorities, new forms of language. Between commitment and aestheticism: Razvan Tupa and Gabriel H. Decuble, two representatives of the younger Romanian literary scene in reading and discussion with Ulf Stolterfoht.
...
Chair: Corina Bernic

25th March 2011, 19 clock, artists Edenkoben

28th March 2011, 19 clock, bookshop Himmelheber, Heidelberg

More info can be found HERE.

"New Romanian Scene: Poetry" is the first stage of the project "Crossroads of Literature ", which will extend until the end of September, and present new poetry, prose and photography from Romania and Moldova to German audience with the help of German-known authors. The second stage of the project (fall 2011) is devoted to new fiction from Romania and Moldova and its visual transmission in photography (the reading of three authors from these countries will form the prelude to a photo exhibition)

This project was conceived by Corina Bernic, cultural manager from Romania and funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

New Romanian Poetry - 20 years after the change: change in perspective, different priorities, new forms of language. Between commitment and aestheticism: Razvan Tupa and Gabriel H. Decuble, two representatives of the new Romanian literary scene in reading and discussion with Ulf Stolterfoht. Chair: Corina Bernic

Razvan Tupa (b. 1975) - poet, cultural manager. Since 2005 he has hosted the weekly reading series poetics of the quotidian in Bucharest, Club A, which he developed in 2009 in the relational poetics. He published articles in Romanian newspapers and magazines (Evenimentul Zilei, Prezent, Max, Suplimentul de Cultura). Between 2005 and 2007, he was chief editor of Versus-versum, then from 2006 to 2008 editor of cultural magazine Cuvantul. He attended readings in Rome, Paris, New York, Berlin, Prague, Chisinau, Bratislava and Budapest. 2009, he released together with the poet Andrei Ruse the poetry film “Poezie.puterea” (Poetry.The Power) with 24 Romanian poets. He published “fetis” (2001) and “corpuri romanesti” (2005). Lives and works in Bucharest.

Gabriel H. Decuble (b. 1968) - poet, essayist, literary critic, translator. Decuble studied the Germanic and classical philology in Jassy, Freiburg and Paris. Lecturer at the Germanic-Chair of the University of Bucharest University. Editor and co-author of the extensive memoirs of younger Romanian writers Pink Book of Communism (2004). Latest book of poetry : “Eclectica”, Bucharest (2007) German Language Publications: “inter alia Poetry” (Berlin Anthology, 2010) and theoretical writings. He translated works of world literature and philosophy from German (Meister Eckhart, Goethe, Schopenhauer, Adorno, Handke, etc.), English and French .

Ulf Stolterfoht (1963). Author, translator. In the spring of 2000. Ulf Stolterfoht has published numerous volumes of poetry and translations. His work has won many awards, including Anna Seghers Prize (2005), Christine Lavant Prize, Peter Huchel Prize (2008). He was Fellow of the Villa Massimo in Rome in 2007. Since 2008 He is visiting Professor at the German Literature Institute in Leipzig. Editor: Christoph Buchwald Yearbook of poetry (Fischer 2008). Among the new releases (selected): “wood smoke on Heslach. Poems” (Urs Engeler Editor, 2007), “technical language XXVIII-XXXVI. Poems” (2009), “the Nomentano-manifest” (2009) “ammengespräche. rough books” (2010).

This project was conceived by Corina Bernic, cultural manager from Romania and funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Admission: 7 €, reduced 4 €

Mihail Galatanu in English

2011-03-16T03:55:00.003+02:00

Mihail Gălățanu was born in 1963 in the Romanian city of Galaţi. He published his first book of poems,Stiri despre mine (News About Me, Bucharest: Litera) in 1987, his second, Scrîşnind în pumni (Keeping My Fists Tight, Galaţi, Romania: Porto Franco, 1993), six years later, and since then, the equivalent of a book of poetry or prose each year. Among recent poetry titles are Mormîntul meu se sapă singur (My Grave Digs Itself, Bucharest: Vinea, 2003) and, from the same publisher, Burta înstelată(The Starry Womb, 2005), from which these poems derive. Gălățanu was editor-in-chief of Playboy Romanian and a glossy monthly magazine, Flacăra; he currently edits a financial publication. (from Diode)

Deceiver's World

Mihail Gălăţanu

Prologue
A Church of Chalk
(My Mother)

(...)

5. My Birth Is Endless

I never suffered claustrophobia. I never felt the least claustrophobic in my mother's womb. Neither lonely nor downcast. How can you feel lonely when you're inside another, a woman?
When another being takes you in, contains you?
At most, you can be
happy.
I never was a claustrophobe.
My life had a happy ending.
Birth.
And my birth is endless.

(...)

(The entire poem can be read translated from the Romanian by Adam J. Sorkin and Petru Iamandi for Asymptote Journal)

Contemporary Romanian Poets: Denisa Comănescu in London

2011-03-07T21:06:00.007+02:00

Poet in the City announced the first meeting from the project that is to bring Romanian contemporary poets in London this year. The first event in an exciting series of six poetry events held in collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute exploring contemporary Romanian culture through the eyes of its most accomplished poets, taking place in London between April and November 2011.

Denisa Comănescu, a poet, editor, and translator, was born in Romania in 1954. She is author of five volumes of poetry, including Banishment from Paradise which won the Romanian Writers Union Debut Prize in 1979, and has worked on an extended anthology of Romanian Women’s Poetry from 1960 to 2002. Reflecting the evocative landscapes and ghosts of people and relationships, Denisa’s poetry has been included in anthologies in more than fifteen countries. She will attend the meeting in London on 14th April 2011 at Romanian Cultural Institute (1 Belgrave Square).

This event will be hosted by Amanda Hopkinson, Reader at the School of Literature at the University of East Anglia, who will provide an English introduction and will place the poets in context for the English-speaking members of the audience. Poetry in Romanian will also be read and performed in English translation.
All events in the series will start promptly at 7.00pm.
This event is free but booking is essential!
RSVP
If you would like to see one or more of the events in Contemporary Romanian Poets series please RSVP
as soon as possible to the Romanian Cultural Institute:
Call 020 7752 0134
Email office@icr-london.co.uk
Or write to Contemporary Romanian Poets, Romanian
Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH.
The other poets in the series are Claudiu Komartin, Bogdan Ghiu, Miruna Vlada, Andrei Bodiu and Vasile Gârneţ

Original Romanian Literature with a Contemporary Visual Edge

2011-03-01T01:59:00.005+02:00

The University of Plymouth Press runs a project of publishing major Romanian from past century. The books look good, sound good, there is a good chance that they would be surprising.
You can already find the poems of Ioan Es Pop and those of Mircea Ivanescu, two of the most influent poets for the Romanian poetry after 2000 in Romania. Pop is published with No Way Out of Hadesburg and Other Poems translated by Adam J Sorkin and Lidia Vianu.

Like a huge, bitter seabird
misfortune hovers over the block of flats
at no.15 olteț street.

only those like us live in these rooms. no families. here
life gets wigged down, death forgotten.

and no one ever knows who or whom, who with
whom, when or what for.
sometimes the wind blows the smell of smoke and the tumult of battle
from the catalonian plain.
(...)

from No.15 Olteț Street, Room 305

Also, a very peculiar style of poetry can be found in Lines, Poems, Poetry, by Mircea Ivanescu, a poet that had been ignored even in Romania for about 30 years until he was re-descovered by the recent three generations of poets.
I add here a whole poem.

is poetry different?
you mustn't tell stories in poetry - i read
this advice to a young poet - so i won't tell
how she'd awaken very early in the morning and, sitting up in bed,
wait to catch her breath, her face hidden in her hands -
i won't say anything about her weary look
that made her shoulders droop before the mirror, when
slowly she combed her hair. i won't confess my fears
beside her estranged face, turned away from me.
i won't walk anywhere with my lines in my hands as if holding a mirror
to reflect those mornings with their pale grey light
moments before dawn. poetry - so it's written - mustn't
be representation, a succession of images. poetry
must be inward speech. thus, should i
be speaking again about her drowned face, her gasps
for breath? but that would be only my way of speaking
about her face, about her freeze-frame movements fixed
between layers of turbid regret, of thoughts solely mine,
about her image - it would be only a mask, an image -
while she - her true self, what about that?

Twenty of Romania's most influential and award-winning authors are launched by UPP in a new series 20 Romanian Writers. Romanian arts have long been unknown in the West and this series aims to make a lasting contribution to the canon of Eastern European literature.

These works have been translated into English for the first time; the collection captures Romania's rich cultural diversity and artistic heritage. Selected by an independent Romanian jury of editors, academics and publishers, the series showcases the most notable Romanian novels, essays, poetry, short prose and philosophy of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Each volume is edited and comes with a substantial introduction which contextualises the work not only within Romanian, but Eastern European and Anglo-American traditions. Texts are complemented with a 16 page full colour supplement provided by some of Romania's leading contemporary visual artists. 20 Romanian Writers is a landmark collection of the very best writing, which has come from Romania during the past 100 years. More info and all the titles chosen for the project at UPP page.

There are some other good books of prose and more poetry is announced to be launced soon in the collection. The prose includes a book by M.Blecher, who died in 1928, maybe the worst known of the most powefull writers that have ever written in Romanian.

Of Gentle Wolves: An Anthology of Romanian Poetry

2011-02-28T05:26:00.000+02:00

Release Date: June 2011
Poetry | Translation

Translated by Martin Woodside

Amidst a history of upheaval, from Roman subjugation to the fall of communism in 1989, Romania’s fostered a persevering spirit and a strong poetic tradition. “Every Romanian is born a poet,” goes a popular idiom, and Of Gentle Wolves: An Anthology of Romanian Poetry aims to bring the very best of the country’s contemporary poets together in a single volume.

About the Translator: Martin Woodside’s poetry chapbook Stationary Landscapes came out in 2009 (Pudding House Press), and he spent 2009-10 on a Fulbright in Romania. He lives with his family in Philadelphia where he’s pursuing a PhD in Childhood Studies at Rutgers-Camden.
from Calypso editions

NY romanian Contemporary poetry walk

2011-01-19T13:55:00.000+02:00

Romanian Poetry in New York Slideshow: Razvan’s trip from Bucharest, Romania to New York City, New York, United States was created by TripAdvisor. See another New York City slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

Romanian Poetry in Berlin, long night and relational poetics

2010-12-13T18:30:00.001+02:00

Relational Poetics in 2009 And Long Romanian Poetry Night Slideshow: Razvan’s trip from Bucharest, Romania to Berlin, Germany was created by TripAdvisor. See another Berlin slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.

The atelierelational developes it's concept

2010-11-27T02:49:00.006+02:00

Every Saturday at 17.00, Café Dalles (entrance by bookshop) hosted workshops, guest speakers, screenings, discussions and creative exercises. The last event in November this Saturday is the last in this location. The Atelierelational will be organised in December and January at Diverta Bookshop in Plaza

Which are the main directions of poetic creativity today, contemporary themes for poetry, what kind of relationship poetry keeps with reality, expressions of poetry in 2010 are some themes that our weekley meetings are relating to.

You are invited to participate in debates and to chose the next books of poetry to be published in late May 2011.

Since May 2005, Razvan Tupa coordinated the poetics of the quotidian event. Most of the 140 meetings of PoQ held by June 2010 took place in unconventional venues from Bucharest(Club A, Peasant Museum club, Other Side Club, Suburbia, S.A.L.T. pub). A series of workshops poetics were organised in Timisoara and Constanta in 2009.

Also in 2009 the first meetings of the poetics of the quotidian reached outside Romania in Prague and Berlin. In 2010, Razvan Tupa coordinated a PoQ projects in Chisinau as a mapping project of the Capital city of Moldavia.

Since September, daily poetics turns relational. The concept of the meetings is now devoted to opening up completely to general public through a series of weekly workshops. The new concept offers to the public the opportunity to participate actively both in reading and the development of poetic texts, but also to choose the most important enterprises in poetry today. In Romania, relational poetics is mainly a way of reading poetry.

Relational Tools

- Poetic action;

- Reconciliation of opinions;

- Debate;

- Exercise;

- Dynamic formulation;

- Investigation;

- Meeting;

- Game;

- Reading;

- Visual projection;

- Verbal repetition;

- Writing and its forms;

- Challenge the tradition of poetry.

The ar poet in residence is a programme dedicated to poets that can offer a 4 sessions project for 10 minutes presentations of poetry (his text and texts that he considers important for contemporary poetry)

Atelierelational - performing poetry in Bucharest, Romania

2010-11-27T02:44:00.002+02:00

Atelierelational are weekly meetings that organized in order to promote the active involvement of the public in reading the poetic text.

It is now open to the public in Dalles Café in Bucharest, every Saturday at 17.00, since September 11, 2010.

A meeting lasts for approximately 2 hours.

Each meeting will have several guests announced in advance. Entrance is free, active participation is required but the involvement in the workshop is not compulsory.

Each meeting in introduced with video projections at the theme previously announced.

The moderator shall explain their relevance to the topic in question.

The public is invited to note the impressions in the Relational Workshops Notebooks and suggest exercises for the meeting.

The Notebooks are published monthly, including the theoretical and practical workshop guidelines offered to the participants and providing space for personal notes.

Each meeting includes a discussion about new book releases and various trends identified by participants in contemporary poetry.

A special emphasis will be placed on performing poetic texts. The public can perform free for each meeting, the only condition being to enlist 5 minutes before the beginning of any atelierelational session.

atelierelational [ar] is an relational poetics [rp] involvement

We will post here the description of each event

poetry in soccer legends

2010-06-26T21:57:00.004+03:00

How do legends move?
I had chosen scenes with soccer legends and a friend told me to compare it with contemporary poets.
The soccer show can be paralleled with language show found in poetry. For each decade I found poets contemporary with the legendary soccer actions.

~2000 Zidane - as from lines by Billy Collins (n.1941) / Suheir Hammad (n.1973)/ Yehuda Amichai (1924 - 2000)

anii 80-90 Maradona with all kind of precious moves as from Nimah Nawwab (n.1966)/ Michael Ondaatje (n.1954) or from classics Vasko Popa (1922-1991)/ Jorge Luis Borges (1899 - 1986)

anii 70 Johann Cruyff with direct executions as Jacques Prévert (1900-1977)/Pasolini (1922-1975)

anii 60 Pele in pain and fantasy as from Paul Celan (1920-1970)/ Ginsberg (1926-1997)

anii 50 Lev Iasin, a goalkeeper that became the best european player in 1962 calls for contemporary poetic performances by T.S.Eliot (1888–1965)/ Pablo Neruda (1904–1973)/ Nazim Hikmet (1902–1963)

anii 30 Puskas dramatic and historical as Esenin (1895-1925)/ Cavafy (1863-1933)/ Jozsef Attila (1905–1937)

a letter to Rotterdam International Poetry Festival in it's 41st year of existence

2010-06-07T03:36:00.002+03:00

Congratulations for managing to build an entire network of contemporary poetry around your Festival. PIW is one of the first refferance tools I use when I investigate the contemporary poetry.

I am writing you in order to express my deep concern regarding the condition of poetry today. And my intention is not to signal an other crisis. But on the contrary to point at a shift in today's poetic conscience.

More than ever, poetry seems to keep an important meaning only for those that write it. Actually the fact that poetry still held a powerfull part was allways explained by the opposition it meet. Even than this year was announced the murder of Iraqi young poet Zardasht Osman because of his writing. I live in Romania and here, since August 2009, already two of the most well known young poets already died in strange suicides.

Poetry not only atracts but searches opposition and this opposition is not necesarly violent. The opposition that gives strengh to poetry today can be also indiferent.

But the main opposition is not outside poetry but, as ever inside it. Because the same who write it too many times forget to consider their art with a profesional standard that should be at least corect.

The opportunities for financing and supporting poetry tend to be oriented toward poetry that is either unhamrful or is deprived of any interest in investigating the poetic potential of our time.

This will bring today's poetry to the spectacular overtrone of academic values. Of course this shouldn't be something new, but, given the global acces to internet and curent means of comunication, this might be a very fast change in the means of poetry.

As your efort was allways to promote poetry, please consider this call as an argument to develope and use tools that can connect the poetry that has been writen fo the last 150 years with the poetic posibilities of today. We still do not have a map of contemporary poetic tendences and I haven't heard even an intention of developing anything close to this.

best wishes

"poetry. the power" a doccumentary with 24 young Romanian poets is now free online to watch

2010-05-10T13:48:00.000+03:00

Now you can watch the full lengh interviews I've made with young Romanian poets regarding the pouwer of poetry today with subtitles in English here http://fdl.ro/poezie-puterea/ 24 young writers explain literature where it comes from and where it goes.

Some may swear that prose is poetry's mother, others think it is a pyramid, a form of communication, or rage, a beeline for rock celebrity. "poetry. the power" is a documentary that takes the pulse of Romanian contemporary poetry, of its public an its indecency: an hour with new poets and their special powers. http://romanianbodies.blogspot.com/2009/08/poetry-power-in-prague-and-berlin.html see you

Relational poetics. poetic practice

2010-05-03T20:31:00.001+03:00

I. Policy. Performances

a) the poetic relationship

Looking at the vitality of art reshaping it’s object in the last 20 years, we realize that literature might seem an fancy old lady, who purchases fashionable gadgets occasionally but only in her apartment decorated with lace is where she feels best. Sometimes one suspects she’s not even watching TV either.

b) emotional pornography

It's almost an automatism to speak about lost generations, shattered illusions, betrayed ideals, etc. And who could dear challenge God knows what individual that is beaten. How would one hit people that had fallen?!

There is no difficulty to realize that for two hundred years there has been only people who have lost. Who said that won anything since Napoleon?! Only dictators, and there was just propaganda. Even revolutions are not meant anymore as symbols of victory.

c. cultural entertainment & political dada

The illusion that the speech was ever any other than defect is more obvious when you realize that the media machine simply assumes the traditional role of the artist, of visual and orality artisan to provide a consumer version for the Odes of Pindar (for example).

Assertiveness is the quality that makes the events to be suspicious.
The poet does not produce anything concrete. Ironically, no other occupation is not in a position as immaterial as that of the poet.

With one exception: here comes the irony: the politician.

4. poetic organization

Political power builds its strength on the organization and management of network resources set behind its symbolic value. What keeps eccentric the poetry is quite the opposite of political power: isolation, discrediting groups and encouraging a lack of responsibility. And this is exactly what we should not accept. Here can begin poetry

Short stories

May, 2009

As a preface for the 100 anniversary Poetics of the Quotidian meetings we had prepared a debate on how poetry is perceived and written today. This text is an adaptation of a conference designed during January to May 2009 for the space of art and contemporary culture Unicredit Pavilion in Bucharest.

Compared to contemporary art, literature (especially the Romanian one) remains much quieter. Any output to a wide audience is automatically suspected of cheap commercialism. Surprisingly or not, aesthetic tendencies raised by Nicolas Bourriaud in 2002 with his famous series of comments over contemporary artists can be found in a basic XIXth century text, where Romanticism was described by F. Schlegel.
In this way we can recover a literary consciousness that puts forward the effectiveness of poetic approach in contemporary society, beyond the traditional aesthetics and stubbornness of dwelling exclusively an aesthetic autonomy.

This text aims to pursue a number of genuine poetic elements identified as functional in the various areas of social life and politics today.

Whether metaphorical scrap, rhetoric performances more or less cheap, economic models, political discourse, media are all based on elements and even structures specific to poetry. In the end, anarchy and rigid conservatorism both assume victimization as a personal process.

Poetic relationship

All you know about figures of speech, fixed forms or concepts that the universe poetic, lyrical feeling you can find raised in literary criticism or school textbooks that have selected poems published in the last 10 years, but implementation of these elements can no longer work.

As a reader, without any pretensions of art criticism, I see relational aesthetics as one of the most important tests of theoretical approach to recovery original art in social magnitude.

I was asked many times how a specialized field in forging lines of force of the word has not offered no theoretical formulation that can compare to a conceptual ruptures of the art or music in the last half century.

It is a surprise to find a correlation between the formulations of the theory of art that changed the essential perspective on today's artistic act and the different ways that the poetic act was identified over time.

One of the biggest problems for a contemporary reader is the inaccuracy of synthetic formulations in literary history. Usually, the specific elements listed for any literary movements are only a few features that could provide arguments in an approach aimed to differentiate artificially between historical moments.

When it is mentioned Western medieval poetry literary history states the resignation from the poet's creative position and focuses on the song, the verse as word craft, it is only a simplification of reality.

The studies in medieval poetics (the transition from poetry to poetics is perhaps best illustrated in this moment - WTH Jackson Medieval Literature: A History and a Guide) insists ovet the meeting between poetry (written in Latin scholastic era in obligatory relationship with Christian vision) and vernacular poetry. However, when you read verses like

Who's that I hear?—It's me—Who?—Your heart
Hanging on by the thinnest thread
I lose all my strength, substance, and fluid
When I see you withdrawn this way all alone
Like a whipped cur sulking in the corner
Is it due to your mad hedonism?—
What's it to you?—I have to suffer for it—
Leave me alone—Why?—I'll think about it—
When will you do that?—When I've grown up—
I've nothing more to tell you—I'll survive without it—

(The Debate Between Villon And His Heart by François Villon translated by Galway Kinnell) .

you can understand that the vitality of the poetic language goes far beyond the intentions of poetic theories. The same happens with any poetic moment that you may choose. Texts that founded literary movements had more nuances than historic simplifications can address.
Only when we find the theoretical formulations signed by Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829) we can see that a historic perspective overlooks the very vitality poetics at a certain moment. “All art has been contemporary” states a work by Maurizio Nannucci at the entrance of Alte Museum in Berlin. That quality which have to be contemporary poetics in relation to vital principles of their time in a lose sight of the man approaches: „Romantic poetry is a progressive, universal poetry. Its aim isn’t merely to reunite all the separate species of poetry and put poetry in touch with philosophy and rhetoric. It tries to and should mix and fuse poetry and prose, inspiration and criticism, the poetry of art and the poetry of nature; and make poetry lively and social, and life and society poetical; poeticize wit and fill and saturate the forms of art with every kind of good, solid matter for instruction, and animate them with the pulsations of humor.“ (here)

I am not sure when you thought last time about romantic poetry but I am almost certain you haven’t included humor and the clash between the society and aesthetics. Yet it is a quote signed by F. Schlegel and one of the birth acts of Romanticism.

To conclude our introduction I will add the indication offered by a French art critic in order to determine the mutation targeted in relational aesthetics: Art begins to aim rather the sphere of human interactions and its social context than the affirmation of self and private symbolic space (Nicolas Bourriaud-Relational Aesthetics 1998).
As the theoretical formulation of relational aesthetics were caused by lack of effectiveness of the concepts required in the critical art of the 60’s and by the search for functional criteria to address contemporary artistic approaches we can recognize the same moment where poetry criticism is blocked today.

II. Poetics

June, 2009

My first relational poetry event was a grid poem online. After a few months I repeated the experience as a preface to a workshop in Constanta (Eastern Romania). At some point I realized that it showed up quite a few events in this area and maybe it's time to see how they stay together.

Right after I staged poem scale experiment in Bratislava, where, the audience chose one letter from each of the 5 poems that I read, and in the end, all the letters were dictated to be written in a hopscotch in form of the Slovak word basen (poem). Sure, relational poetics is anything (or can be). and yet ...

... Where we come from

It’s no need to claim we invented the wheel. I've heard before about relational poetics. In 2005 a number of Fascicle publication, Alan Gilbert concludes his dialogue with Dale Smith talking exactly about the relational poetics: "a sensitivity to relationship and context, an understanding of language and even consciousness as ongoing negotiation, an emphasis on listening, all of which are accompanied by the inevitable failures you mention, are at the heart of my sense of an aesthetics and an ethics that is neither an aesthetics nor an ethics, but are part of a larger critical and creative reevaluation of these categories."

Since 1990 Édouard Glissant has published essays on poetry in the volume "Poetique de la relation" (Gallimard). Later he lectured on his concept with Tunisian poet Amina Said. His concept is based on the specific problems of poetry in Antilles (where Glissant originates, in fact) and emphasizes individual identity issues, language and society.

I would be even more radical, because the forms of poetry in their change have drawn changes concerning the role of poetry, but basically something persisted. And it is not rhymes, or rhythm and meter ... and not even the written text that persists.

If you had read Homer or Pindar than you realize that not even the poet’s self is customary in the poem. So we are left to formulate a specific "to be together" as the poet Constantin Acosmei would say in “poezie.puterea” documentary film, "with people from different places, from different times”. And from here ...

... Where we have seen each other

As I said erlier, the first workshop of relational poetics that I was invited to perform was in Timisoara, in the days of “Save Student House” campaign. What emerged was a spectacular map, edited by Ana Toma in a one copy hand-made volume. Instead of streets, the rule was to name poets and quotes from poems related to Timisoara.

Also in Timisoara was organized and first public meeting of relational poetics. In the Cărtureşti bookshop tea-house from Timisoara readers took a line willing to have a poem written especially for each of them by the invited poets. This time, the poets spoke in turn with each reader and wrote poetry or prose turned from what they were told by the public.

The series of workshops from Timisoara ended with YourPoeticMap at Sand Book Bookshop. This time the workshop completed a series of 5 pages for each participant. Each page represented aspects of poetic perception of the participant.

Then, the project was developed in Constanta. And there are still things to be done about editing YourPoeticMap. Not that it would be of great difficulty, but it introduces some terms into question as...

... a manifesto

Last year (2008), Ian Irvine has launched a transpersonal-relational poetics manifesto changing the focus theory of poetry to the development of a non-oppressive language. The theory calls for experiments with language forms and uses references to experiments with alienated forms of language and moves the whole story in a social area.

It is still an opportunity to emphasize some theoretical historical landmarks: Oulipean techniques associated with 'Constraints Based' writing (though with minimal emphasis on mathematical concepts), various 'Language' poetry techniques, non-Western techniques related to anti-colonialist/ethno poetic insights, as well as a range of revised and up-dated 20th century avant-garde techniques / concepts eg: 'Writing as Process', 'chance operations', 'deconstructive appropriation' etc.. Certain TRP techniques might also be described as original. The interactivity (and process / relational possibilities) offered by the WWW is also under exploration by TPR writers. Another area of interest is creativity in relation to personal healing and political activism. In this sense some concepts drawn from 'narrative therapy' is also relevant to the TRP perspectives and praxis."

"Poetics of relation" is the concept provided by Edouard Glissant (Galimard, 1990, University of Michigan, 1997). The writer born in French Antilles invokes as first poets of relation Victor Segalen, Raymond Roussel and Henri Rousseau. Glissant considers them the first creators to prove the kickbak that an event from a remote culture can have over the life of an individual in modernity (op cit, p. 27). As the unexplored territories geographically shrank the act of discovering the other is replaced by the „understanding” of the other as a foreign civilization. But this understanding has a aggressive meaning. The events that take place in a remote space have a bigger importance for an individual than personal and familial events ever can.

Glissant sorts a vocal language and a practical one and calls for a need for de- colonization of creoles languages by a „conspiracy of hiding sense”. The release from conventional forms of transparency in the language, the deliberate use of linguistic opacity is used as an instrument of poetic politics. In the history of literature, the same case can be considered regarding Dante’s choice for vernacular Italian instead of imperial Latin («Patke, Rajeev S., in Postcolonial Poetry in English », Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 98).

When theorizing of the 80’s Romanian textualism, Marin Mincu insisted on how the authors “cut” aspects of reality to provide their text. Relational Poetics is an invitation to record cuts that authors and readers prefer for these partially un-textual poems that we currently call living.

III. Practice. poets, readers, speakers = inhabitants

By mid 2008, a series of events held in Bucharest, Timisoara, Constanta, Bratislava, Prague and Paris had been transformed in practice for these considerations, using poetry as a tool for communication, documentation and response to immediaty reality. If for Prague and Paris, projects for which we worked with Claudiu Komartin and Ana Maria Sandu were held so far only in the virtual environment, for all other events are documented in order to restore and indicate the stages of each workshops.

I added some notes relating to Poetics of the Quotidian meetings, which, in 2005, was a continuous exercise and relationship with literature.

personalPOETICmapping

(Timisoara, May 2009)

For each of us the world looks different. Sand Book Bookshop invited readers to Poetics of the Quotidian for mapping their poetic world.

Razvan Tupa and Moni Stănilă prepared writing instruments for each of those who wished to participate in this workshop.

WORKSHOP DURATION: 80-120 min

CONDUCT:
-Each participant will have 5 (five) pages of A4 paper and writing instruments.
The name of your poetic map is your name.

- Choose a sign to represent you and you use it on every page of the workshop. Put the sign on each of the five pages.

- It is important that each participant to use each of the five pages in the order they will show that coordinate the workshop.

- The workshop has five stages (one for each of the five pages of the participants)

- At the end of each stage, your sheet is photographed.

- The end of the workshop is marked by setting up an image in two ways:

1: by joining all the drawings with the same number (all 1 then every 2 etc.) to present a horizontal map.

2: the alignment of all pages (from 1 to 5 each time) and repeat the full presentation for each participant.

You
In front of you is world
Behind you is the world
In your left is the world
The world is your right
Above is your world
Below is your world
Before you is the world and
After you is world
When is your world

Carried:
Page 1
1: Think about the strongest feeling: - 5 min
If it is a taste - description of the area into the brain (cerebral cortex) / write on the edge of the sheet.
If it is an odor-limbic system (brain center) write in the center of the sheet
If it is related to touch - sensory cortex - the left half of sheet
If it is related to hearing - temporal lobe - the right half of sheet.

2: What would make you happy (s): - 5 min

3: When finished, ask someone to read

Page 2
4: Places: important for you (in the center of the page) 6 min
Geographical or emotional
5: items specific for you in these places (sounds, people, buildings) 4 min
6: Ask someone to read

Page 3
7: How you see others - write about them - 5 min
8: How do others see you. give them your sheet to write - 5 min
9: Ask someone to read

Page 4
10: dream write / drawing - 10 minutes
11: choose another person in the room and, if you have writen your dream, ask him/her to draw it on your sheet. If you've drawn your dream, you ask them to write what you drew on your sheet. 5 min

Page 5
12: Words-strings-order-words that do order. Your labels: sharing the world - 10 min

End
Each participant receives their pages bonded in a cover as a book-manuscript in a single copy.

POET RELATION
reader and writer of poetry
do things in words
Relational Poetics is only one meeting between poetry and poetry, between poetry and ways of seeing, especially the ways to affirm the presence of real dimensions of poetry.
Relational Poetics is not a discovery.
Relational Poetics is not an invention.
Relational Poetics is a meeting and, moreover, growing sense that already attend this meeting.
What do you do with poetry
On one hand this is what you do with poetry.
What is poetry to you
E point where we must face cards. We are interested if poetry or something to say in that form of expression. Yes, and more: It's good that the poem is reduced to poetry?
What we have in common
If poetry is a medium, an area where something happens, they are landmarks that look?
Who says
you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you

Poetics of the Quotidian poll
2005-2009

1. What was the most unexpected reaction that you had from a reader?
2. How do you want your writing not to be read?
3. With what writer don’t you want in any circumstances to be confused? Why?
4. Where do you think is best to be read what you write?
5. If you were just a reader, what would you believe about what you write?
6. What has changed in your writing from the first publication until now? What caused this change?
7. What would change about your writing if you would live somewhere else? (where and why?)
8. What is your relationship with different literary genres?
9. If you choose a single piece of what you wrote what would it be?
10. Who influenced you mostly? How?

Relational Poetics

2010-03-24T22:42:00.002+02:00

Poezine # 5 Relational Poetry preview

Poe/zine #5- Relational Poetics in Prague and Berlin

2009-10-26T05:01:00.000+02:00

Poe-zine #5 presents Poetics of the quotidian in Bucharest, Prague and Berlin, with schedule, participations and photos. Also it has info on Wordexpress, a literary project of British Council and Literature without Frontiers. The main theme is Relational Poetry, with the English version of "poetic practice" presentation published in Romanian by Stare de Urgenta magazine from Chisinau last August. you can see the most recent poe/zine here>

5 Poezine Relational Poetics (English) preview

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relational poetics

2009-10-18T05:58:00.000+03:00

notes 1

je vois un homme épouvanté qui me ressemble et qui me fuit.

"poetics of relation" is the concept provided by Edouard Glissant (Galimard, 1990, University of Michigan, 1997). The writer born in French Antilles invokes as first poets of relation Victor Segalen, Raymond Roussel and Henri Rousseau. Glissant considers them the first creators to prove the kickbak that an event from a remote culture can have over the life of an individual in modernity (op cit, p. 27). As the unexplored territories geographically shrank the act of discovering the other is replaced by the „understanding” of the other as a foreign civilization. But this understanding has a aggressive meaning. The events that take place in a remote space have a bigger importance for an individual than personal and familial events ever can.
Glissant sorts a vocal language and a practical one and calls for a need for de- colonization of creoles languages by a „conspiracy of hiding sense”. The release from conventional forms of transparency in the language, the deliberate use of linguistic opacity is used as an instrument of poetic politics. In the history of literature, the same case can be considered regarding Dante’s choice for vernacular Italian instead of imperial Latin («Patke, Rajeev S., in Postcolonial Poetry in English », Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 98).
The sense is hidden because the sense is aimed to be reoriented by the great colonization processes.

Romanian Poetry in Prague and Berlin

2009-09-24T02:50:00.001+03:00

Poe-zine #4 Republica Poetica

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Two Romanian poetry events for the autumn of 2009

in Prague
September 30th
Krásný ztráty Cafe (Náprstkova 10, Praha 1, Staré Město)
17.00 – 20.00
Krasny Ztraty Cafe
Oana Ninu, Domnica Drumea, Mugur Grosu, Cosmin Perta, Răzvan Ţupa

in Berlin
Friday October 30th 22:00
Live Poesie
LiteraturWerkstatt
Ioana Nicolaie, Sorin Ghergut, Rita Chirian, Svetlana Carstean, Gabriela Eftimie, Constantin Acosmei, Stefan Manasia, Vasile Leac and Vlad Moldovan, with a video selection by Andrei Ruse
introduced by Razvan Tupa

republica poetica constitution (in progress)

2009-09-22T06:07:00.000+03:00

We, the people of poetry, to assert sincere confidence, the expression of calm fascination, the clear joy, the burst of limpid passion, the organization of diurnal intensity of approach, the ussage of quiet rustling-touch, and full breath, decide and define this

Constitution of Republica Poetica

1. Poetic status

a) The poet is the state of trans-sovereign state, independent unitary and indivisible

b) Form of government-state status is poetic republic.

c) The poetica is an aesthetic, social and democratic state where human dignity, rights and freedoms of citizens, the free development of personality, justice and poetic pluralism is supreme and guaranteed values.

2. Sovereignty

a) Trans-national sovereignty belongs to the poetic state that exercise it through formulation and delimitation carried by explicit language.

b) No group or person may exercise sovereignty on their own.

3. Territory

a) The Poetic territory is primarily an inner territory.

b) State borders are established by textual definition, respecting the principles and generally accepted rules of untextual poetics.

c) The territory is organized administratively in poems, poets and poetry. Some poets are declared laureate.

d) Throughout poetic territory don t live persons but their states.
4. Unity and equality

a) The state foundation is poetic unity of states.

b) The poetic is the common and indivisible state of all attitudes irrespective of race, nationality, ethnic origin, language, religion, sex, opinion, political adherence, property or social origin.

5. Citizenship

a) Poetic citizenship is acquired, retained or lost in conditions of dynamic poetry.

b) Citizenship may not be withdrawn to anyone and is assumed by own responsibility. Poetics citizens are resposable towards themselves and can be made liable only for the acts of those around them.

6. Right to identity

a) Republica Poetica recognizes and guarantees the right to preserve and develop emotional and expression of their cultural, linguistic and religious to persons belonging poetic minorities.

b) The protection measures taken to preserve the republic and emotional expression of minorities' must comply with the principles of equality and discrimination in relation to other citizens poetry.

7. Poetics abroad

a) The Republic supports the strengthening of links with poetics outside the borders of the country and working to preserve, develop and express their ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity in compliance with the laws of the State whose citizens they are.

8. Pluralism in poetic society
a) Pluralism in society is a poetic condition and safeguard Constitutional democracy.

c) Poetics are constituted and operate in conditions of absolute freedom. They help defining and expressing the will of citizens, respecting national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principles of poetic democracy poetic.

9. Transnational Relations

a) Poetics maintain and develop peaceful relations with all countries and, in this context, relations of good aesthetical neighborhood, based on poetry and the other principles generally accepted in contemporary society.
11. Contemporary society

a) The Poetic State undertakes to fulfill in good faith its obligations in poetic and aesthetic treaties to which it is a part.

b) Treaties ratified by the inner court are part of private poetic.

12. Poetic Symbols

a) The poetic flag is a language flag. Its distinctive signs mean assuming responsibility of poetic discourse.

b) Transnational day of poetry is / can be any day.

c) Transnational anthem of poetry is the poem.

d) The coat of arms of the country and seal are established by poetic forms.

13. Official language
Any language used in communication between people and even the natural or invented languages are official languages in the Republic of poetics.

14. Capital

Poetics Capital is internal, personal and multiple external manifestations.

15.Diplomacy

Embassy of poetry in France is at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris.

Poetics of the Quotidian: From "literatures in motion" to "republica poetica"

2009-09-15T04:17:00.002+03:00

poetics of the quotidian

after 4 years

From literatures in motion to republica poetica

Initiated as an event intended to promote contemporary literature to a non-specialized public, the Poetics of the Quotidian become after 4 years of weekly meetings an original literary event involving its own idea over literature: relational poetics.

Until June 2009 event used the formula literatures in motion. Our aim was to present literature by the means of lve interviews and performances as work in progress and moving image of the author.

This year, the new format of Poetics of the quotidian is Republica poetica. Republica poetica is a project aimed to present the contemporary manifestations of poetry, it’s power and effectivness. Public readings, debates, live interviews are presented in the new format in order to present at least two guests for a meeting.

Each edition of the 105 of the poetics of the quotidian meetings invited writers to prezent their works and their positions regarding the most close actuality.

Most of these meetings were held in Club A, one of the clubs imposible to avoid when one intends to adress the history of Bucharest underground in the last 30 years.

A series of poetics of the quotidian workshops developed the concept of relational poetics in 2009 in Timișoara (Cărturești and Cartea de Nisip bookshops) and Constanța (Fishzila pub). This concept involves researching the poetic data and potential of any individual starting with writing exercises, elaborating poetic personal and general maps and interacting.

2005- I-XVI - 16 editions

The first season of meetings included inviting a writer and a music band on stage, reading, performance and a live interview on literature and poetic attitudes.

This first series of Poetics of the quotidian was appreciated as a public event open for non specialists.

Since 2005, The PoQ has become a habitual presence for the Bucharest literary display.

2006- XVII-XLII- 26 editions

In 2006, the “poetics of the quotidian” included visual pojects, different performances and experiments, being invited to bring colour to the meetings that continued to involve readings and live interviews.

Season 3 (spring) and 4 (autumn) created a real stir by bringing in club A many writers from all over Romania. Since 2006, The Poetics of the quotidian became a meeting point for fresh literature in display.

2007- XLIII-LVII-15 editions

In 2007, the “poetics of the quotidian” had guests who were less popular at the moment of their debate at PoQ. Gradually, the central aim of the meetings changed from dynamic presentation to a debate and oral presentation of the guests and, mainly, of the works that gathered the audience for this events.

Season 5 (spring) and 6 (autumn) managed to introduce many writers from Timisoara or Cluj Napoca in club A. For The Poetics of the quotidian 2007 was a hard year, the fact that we already had rised an interest for the meetings bringing the necesity of a more attentive selection of the guests.

2008- LVIII- LXXXIV-27 editions

In 2008, the “poetics of the quotidian” introduced guests that were already known as writers or cultural projects managers. The core purpose of the meetings of PoQ bechame more organic in using different means (artistic and technical as well) to present an eloquent side of contemporary literature.

In 2008, for the first time, PoQ was opened for writers who would decide to meet the public. For 10 minutes before the begining of the evening, anyone who would be curious to see the reaction of an audince, could sign in for 5 minutes of performing their own writing.

2009- LXXXV-CVI- 21 editions

After almost four years, the Poetics of the Quotidian transformed the initial efort of promoting contemporary literature into a scene for debating and presenting dynamic projects.

Contemporary writers answer to questions from the audience and present a personal aproach for their own work and for the poetry, prose and theories that had influenced their writing.

The new format of Poetics of the Quotidian include a section of open mic for anyone who would perform their own writing or the poems that are important for their development.

The tenth season of PoQ can be followed from here

The Re:Verse workshop in JAK Camp

2009-09-02T12:11:00.002+03:00

Last week me and other two Romanian poets toghether with three Hungarian poets attented the workshop organised at Szegleget by JAK.

Apart from the best time and good poetry we've aknowledged we have now this second issue of poe-zine

POE-zine #02

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poetry. the power in Prague and Berlin

2009-08-10T01:25:00.002+03:00

"poetry. the power" is an hour of interviews and readings with 24 new Romanian poets.

in September and October "poetry. the power" will be shown in Prague and Berlin.

24 young writers explain literature where it comes from and where it goes. Some may swear that prose is poetry's mother, others think it is a pyramid, a form of communication, or rage, a beeline for rock celebrity.

"poetry. the power" is a documentary that takes the pulse of Romanian contemporary poetry, of its public an its indecency: an hour with new poets and their special powers.

Constantin Acosmei, Şerban Axinte, Constantin Virgil Bănescu, Cătălina Cadinoiu, Dan Coman, Tudor Creţu, Sorin Despot, Cosmin Dragomir, Ana Dragu, Teodor Dună, Aida Hancer, Marin Mălaicu Hondrari, Marius Ianuş, Vasile Leac, Oana Cătălina Ninu, Florin Partene, Denisa Pişcu, Cosmin Perţa, Andra Rotaru, George Serediuc, Stoian G. Bogdan, Olga Ştefan, Adriana Teodorescu, Mihai Vakulovski
a movie by Andrei Ruse and Razvan Tupa

so, poetics in Berlin

2008-12-25T10:12:00.003+02:00

till January 6th I will be in Berlin with some friends.

Except Dan Sociu who would be our host, there will be other poets&writers: constantin vica, cristian neagoe, dan sociu, miron ghiu, vlad tausance, maybe vera ion and who know who.

keep in touch maybe you'll get a Po-e-zine Romanian Berlin or even a Berlin Poem with them.

ROOMS by George Vasilievici

2008-11-14T12:56:00.002+02:00

I enter this silence of a body out-loud.
The lights are off. The doors are locked.
Dwellers sleep, their dreams pulled o’er eyes so light doesn’t disturb them. It’s a good build.
I heard, as well, that they sell flats ‘round
Here.
That it’s a good ‘hood. Very close to the
Heart.
Just open the door and meet her face to face.
Love, that is.

When she was little, she rang the doorbells and ran. Until they called the cops. ‘Cause we work here, we don’t love.

She was tripping every time and falling down the stairs.
I would take her home in my body and
Bandage her.

I was singing to her, swinging her on my feet.
I was puting her to bed.
She enjoyed staying over through the night.
She was feeling safe.
I was covering her.

Come morning, she was minding her own.
She loved taking the lift at departure.
The lift in our new building only goes up, though
To heaven, and it’s busy most of the time.

It’s the main tourist attraction of the city.

When she grew up,my body grew too small for her.

And some part of hers were left outside me.

She sensed me better than I could sense her.
At every entry she would come to meet me.

I couldn’t get out of her anymore.

Then I became just a tiny summerdress.
Then a pair of underwear
Then a silk stocking
Then a daily pad.
Then just a head
band.
Then an internal tampon.
Then toilet paper.

After a while, I became a tatoo.
Until, only recently, I was allowed
To rest forever on her lips,becoming the shine in her smile.

Translated by Nic Ion Sarbu

from Medana Festival 2006

Ars Poetica 2008

2008-10-13T02:32:00.003+03:00

I just found photos from the Ars Poetica Festival 2008 in Bratislava. I was honored to be invited but there wouldn't be any way I would be there if it wouldn't be the support of UNILEVER. This are the photos .

Relational poetics

2008-10-13T01:51:00.002+03:00

My project of relational poetics started like this:

1. Tell something you had dreamed (at most 10 lines)

2. Name/forename (optional)

3. place/country/city

4. 3 words on (1) country (2) city (3) you

5. 2 words you prefere

6. 1 word you can't stand

7. HELLO

And here I go for Ars Poetica in Bratislava

2008-10-08T01:35:00.002+03:00

From October 8th till 12th I will be in Bratislava for the Ars Poetica festival.
I will read on Saturday 11.10 at 19.00 Večer poézie / A4

Andreas Neumeister / DE

Maria Galina / RUS

Andrej Hablák / SK

Arkadij Shtypel / RUS

Rãzvan Ţupa / RO

Ulrikka Gernes / DEN

Carolyn Forché / USA

from Festival's press kit:

"ARS POETICA 2008 sets out to mix the performances of recognized contemporary poets with concerts by independent bands and performers, as well as feature films, experimental and cartoon films. The festival also offers accompanying events, such as creative writing workshops or European round-tables dedicated to publishing and translating poetry.

This year the festival will present 30 authors from 15 countries from around the world (the US, Germany, Austria, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Russia, Slovenia, Romania, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia). Their poems were translated by young, recognized Slovak translators: Marián Andričík, Zuzana Drábeková, Mária Ferenčuhová, Mila Haugová, Stanislava Chrobáková Repar, Valerij Kupka, Ivana Kupková, Katarína Laučíková, Pavol Lukáč, Gabriela Magová, Katarína Motyková, Jitka Rožňová, Martin Solotruk, Pavol Štubňa, Eva Ťapajnová-Kenderessyová, Milan Žitný, and others.

The translations will be read by the popular young actors Marek Majeský and Jana Majeská. The authorial performances will be enhanced by VJ sets from Zdeno Hlinka, who will use a visual language to interpret the atmosphere of every poem.

An invitation to ARS POETICA 2008 has been accepted by one of the most celebrated of American authors, Carolyn Forché, who this year was awarded the prestigious Golden Rose Award, traditionally accorded to authors with a momentous creative contribution to poetry, (The award has previously gone to poets such as Robert Frost, Seamus Heaney, Czeslaw Milosz, Robert Creeley, Robert Pinsky and Lawrence Ferlinghetti)."

relational poetics

2008-10-05T12:09:00.002+03:00

1. tell a dream (10 lines at most)
2. Name/forname (optional)
3. place country/ event (10 lines at most)
4. 3 words on (1) country (2) city (3) you
5. 2 words you prefere
6. 1 word that you hate
7. HELLO

The Second Edition of The International Poetry Festival “Oskar Pastior”, Sibiu, 2008

2008-09-29T11:34:00.002+03:00

20 authors from 11 countries shall participate, between 2-5 October 2008, in the Second Edition of the International Poetry Festival „Oskar Pastior” in Sibiu.

The Romanian audience will have the opportunity to attend readings and debates held by Urs Allemann (Switzerland), Petr Borkovec (The Czech Republic), Inger Christensen (Denmark), Franz Josef Czernin (Austria), Jean Daive (France), Mircea Dinescu (Romania), Erwin Einzinger (Austria), Elke Erb (Germany), Antanas Gailius (Lithuania), Mugur Grosu (Romania), Mariusz Grzebalski (Poland), Christian Hawkey (USA), Felix Philipp Ingold (Switzerland), Andrzej Kopacki (Poland), Vasile Leac (Romania), Herta Müller (Germany), Monika Rinck (Germany), Ana Ristovic (Serbia), Ulf Stolterfoht (Germany), Uljana Wolf (Germany). The festival will end with a double concert held by M. A. Numminen (Finland) and Ada Milea (Romania).

With the second edition of the festival will be released the anthology of last year’s festival, published by Art Publishing House, which includes the authors invited to the 2007 edition: Urs Allemann (Switzerland), Mircea Cărtărescu (Romania), Bora Čosič (Croatia), Caius Dobrescu (Romania), Oswald Egger (Austria), Nora Iuga (Romania), Mirela Ivanova (Bulgaria), Michael Donhauser (Austria), Bodo Hell (Austria), Ryszard Krynicki (Poland), Ulf Stolterfoht (Germany), Matthew Sweeney (Ireland), Aleš Šteger (Slovenia), Michèle Métail (France), Herta Müller (Germany), Raphael Urweider (Switzerland) and Otto Tolnái (Hungary/Serbia).
The anthology is bilingual (Romanian/German), it includes introductory texts signed by Horia-Roman Patapievici, Herta Müller and Ernest Wichner and is edited by Corina Bernic.

Organisers: Literaturhaus Berlin and Institutul Cultural Român

Partners: Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD, The German Cultural Centre Sibiu, Kunstrådet Danmark, Österreichisches Kulturforum, Schweizer Kulturstiftung Pro Helvetia, Stiftung Preußische Seehandlung, The Polish Institute in Bucharest.

With the support of the German Ministry of Culture and the Berlin City Hall and Senate

"Suplimentul de Cultura" published a very good introduction for the guests of this edition (in Romanian).

Bucuresti, comunismul in ruine

2008-09-14T19:50:00.004+03:00

A cazut balconul de la care a aplaudat Ceausescu ultima defilare de 23 August. Balconul se afla pe fatada Casei Radio, ramasa in ruina dupa ce nimeni nu a mai finalizat lucrarile uriasei cladiri de la Eroilor.

Zilele astea niste utilaje vrednice au taiat in doua constructia, in care mi se pare ca s-au filmat si niste scene din Nemuritorul eN-shpe. Fatada darmata includea si balconul in care in august 1989, steaguri si lozinci au mascat starea cladirii.

asa a fost si nu mai e. pa 23 august 89

Romanian literature as new

2008-09-10T15:39:00.003+03:00

The issue for August of Polish magazine lampa published new literature from Romania. The index of the issue can be read here.
Matei Branea prepared comics for this issue.
One can read poems by CLAUDIU KOMARTIN, OCTAVIAN SOVIANY, IOAN ES. POP, ELENA VLĂDĂREANU, MIRUNA VLADA, SIMONA POPESCU, OVIDIU NIMIGEAN

and prose by DANIELA RAŢIU, ION MANOLESCU, T.O. BOBE, ŞTEFANIA MIHALACHE, IOANA NICOLAIE, FLORINA ILIS, RĂZVAN RĂDULESCU, ŞTEFAN BAŞTOVOI, LUCIAN DAN TEODOROVICI, IOAN T. MORAR, HORIA URSU, DANIEL VIGHI, RADU PARASCHIVESCU.

Something poetic about romanian airlines Tarom

2008-09-04T15:04:00.003+03:00

The Romanian airlines only crash cars. Today a Romanian pasennger aircraft of Tarom was hit by a car on Barcelona Airport. As you can see here it is something that Tarom is very god at. Nobody was ever harmed in this events.

Cultural hints in Bucharest June 20-26th, 2008- for ERIN

2008-06-15T19:09:00.010+03:00

I tried to find the hotest spots in cultural Bucharest between June 20 and 26-th, as you told me that then you will be in Bucharest.
So I'll put here what I think you should see just to have a flavour of what is dynamic in Bucharest.

Best at this point is, of course, Bucharest Biennale of Contemporary Art (3). It would be best if you could meet Razvan Ion or Eugen Radescu who are the Directors of this event.

This are the galleries for the Biennale events and exhibitions. I love the theme for this edition: "Being here. Maping the present".

1 PAVILION UNICREDIT
INFO POINT BB3 (Sos. Nicolae Titulescu nr. 1 -Piata Victoriei) - this is best to start your BB3 tour because here you can find all the supporting materials (catalogue and BB3 newspaper).

2. Museum of Geology- Sos.Kiseleff nr. 2
This is close of the above mentioned location.

SIMEZA
Bd. Gh. Magheru nr. 20

ORIZONT
Bd. Nicolae Balcescu nr. 23A
TC
Str. Lipscani 63-65 - Hanul cu Tei

FEERIA
Sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti nr. 44A

Fri, Jun 20, 11am – 9pm REFUGIAŢII CUCERESC at Green Hours (Calea Victoriei, no.120) concerts and events of World Refugee Day

Friday, June, 20th, Calea Victoriei Foundation (Str. Stefan Mihaileanu nr.28 B, ap 2, interfon 2 sector 2 - Bucuresti) 18:30 - "Ce stie si ce nu stie Socrate" a philosophy workshop with one of the best known Romanian authors, Andrei Plesu. A workshop that requires participants to be prepared reading Plato's "Apology of Socrates".

21 of June, 20.00h, Dance National Center- B-dul Nicolae Balcescu nr. 2 (TNB, latura nordica - acces linga Laptaria Enache, etaj 3/4) Round Hall

Oda artificialului
A performance by Maria Baroncea
Performers: Maria Baroncea, Eduard Gabia, Florin Flueras
Music: Fugazzi
Production: CNDB
Co-producer: deSingel (Belgium)

Monday, June 23rd - 19.00 The Sanziene night at Minovici Museum (str. Nicolae Minovici, no.3)
In the courtyard of Minovici Museum will host fashion show, a jazz concert and other events.

This would be the events. Now as for places that you may enjoy there are:
The National Museum for Contemporary art (at Casa Poporului - Izvor St. 2-4, wing E4, Bucharest, Romania / Entrance from Calea 13 Septembrie )
Open: Wednesday - Sunday 10 am - 6 pm

This month you can see:

Alvaro Siza. 54 projects
Curator: Carlos Castanheira
and
ANIMATIONS / FICTIONS
Works from the FNAC Collections / Fond National d'Art Contemporain, Paris
Curator: Ruxandra Balaci
Co-organizer: Claude Allemand-Cosneau, director FNAC
January - August 2008
Animations/fictions presents curatorial research over a group of works from the Fonds National d'Art Contemporain that have been consigned to the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) in Bucharest. The exhibition spotlights different ways in which comic strips and cartoons have been used by French and international contemporary artists.

As regarding literature a visit at The Museum of Literature (Bd Dacia nr. 12) can show you why no serious young writer would like anything to do with Romanian literary bohema. You can see there a literary meeting organised by Radu Calin Cristea, the new manager of the Museum.

H'Art GALLERY, Bucharest (Mihai Eminescu street no. 105-107) is a small independent art gallery but Dan Popescu (it's owner) can show some very interesting things either in exhibition or in Gallery's portofolio.

galeria digitala 115 - str. mihai eminescu nr. 115

At National Museum of Art there are two temporary projects: L’oiseau caché dans la pierre / Pasarea ascunsa în piatra June, 5 - August, 31 2008- a project that takes as starting point the work of Constantin Brancusi. Ştirbei Wing- 1, Rue Ştirbei Vodă, Bucureşti just with reservations at angelica@art.museum.ro
and

Achiziţii 2007-2008 that is an exhibition with works aquired by the museum in the last two years.
But at this museum maybe most interesting is the European Art Gallery that has a few must see paintings. My choice are three El Greco paintings.

FOR Best bookshops in Bucharest my choice should be:

-Libraria Noi ( Bd. Nicolae Balcescu, nr. 18 )

-Libraria Carturesti (Str. Arthur Verona nr. 13 )

-any bookshop in Diverta ring closest of the above mentioned is at B-dul C. A. Rosetti nr. 14-16

-for books in English, of course best would be The English Bookshop in Kretulescu Passage (Calea Victoriei nr 45). In the same location is one of Humanitas bookshops, the shop of one of the biggerst Romanian publishing houses.

Theater

first two are pretty clasical, the last two are in an independent place (a bar).

Sat- June 21- 19.30- Iubiri interzise Teatrul National (Universitate Place) a production of two plays by Yukio Mishima

Sun- June 22- 19.00 - Inmormantarea Teatrul de Comedie (Str. Sf. Dumitru no. 2) a Romanian production of a Hungarian play

Mon- June 23- 20.00 - G.O.D. Teatrul de luni (Green Hours, Calea Victoriei no. 120) a very good young actor in an independent production of Eric Bogosian play.

Thu-June 24- 20.00- Zdrente Teatrul de luni (Green Hours, Calea Victoriei no.120) an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk short story in an independent theater project.

Other things are at

Galeria Dialog (Str. Chiristigiilor 11-13, Primaria Sectorului 2) an exhibition of Geo Goidaci.

and

World Philatelic Exhibition EFIRO 2008 Fri, Jun 20, 10am – Fri, Jun 27, 6pm at Complexul Expoziţional Romexpo

Memory to Gherasim Luca, Romanian Surrealist Poet in Paris (in French)

2008-05-16T14:08:00.001+03:00

Héros-limite de Ghérasim Luca, à la Maison de la Poésie du 21 au 25 mai21.05.2008 - 25.05.2008, Maison de la Poésie, Passage Molière 1, 57 rue Saint -Martin 7, 75003 Paris, Métro: Rambuteau

Mise en voix Laurent Vacher
Avec Alain Fromager et Johann Riche à l’accordéon
Du 21 au 25 mai 2008 à la Maison de la Poésie
Du mercredi au samedi à 19h, dimanche à 15h / Grande salle

En 1994, un homme se jette dans la Seine, peu de temps après son ami Paul Celan. C’est Ghérasim Luca, le poète surréaliste né en Roumanie qui avait fait du français une langue étrange : la sienne, une langue orale. La rage qui le portait conjuguait une inquiétude métaphysique et un humour jamais très éloigné des larmes. Pour s’affranchir poétiquement de tous les automatismes sclérosés du sens, Ghérasim Luca a dû jouer avec les structures syntaxiques pour faire bégayer la langue, inviter sa voix en incarnation rauque du corps tout entier.

Tarif préférentiel de 10€, sur présentation de la Newsletter de l’Institut Culturel Roumain.
Réservation indispensable : 01 44 54 53 00 (du mardi au samedi de 14h à 18h)

Maison de la Poésie
Passage Molière 1
57 rue Saint -Martin 7
75003 Paris
Métro: Rambuteau

Vasile Leac took New York by storm

2008-05-11T18:12:00.001+03:00

At Kgb bar in NY, the best reactions were for Vasile Leac. Here he is with Adam J Sorkin, that translated all the poems read on May 3rd.

Two readings of Romanian Contemporary Poetry in New York

2008-04-09T17:44:00.012+03:00

So, NY, May, 2008- Romanian dream in New York is like this:
The Missing Arm of Venus is a project of Romanian Cultural Institute in NY in the time of PEN World Voices Festival.

Nora Iuga, Elena Vladareanu, Constantin Vica, Dan Sociu, Eugen Suman, Razvan Tupa and T.S.Khasis will be in New York for the following events:

Romanian Dream in KGB bar

Saturday, May 3rd at 7.00 PM (till 9) in KGB bar (85 E 4th St, NY 10003), a reading curated by Poet Saviana Stanescu and Sharon Mesmer

Nora Iuga

Vasile Leac
Saviana Stanescu
Elena Vladareanu
Constantin Vica
Dan Sociu
Eugen Suman
Razvan Tupa
T.S.Khasis

Romanian Dream in Auditorium

Monday, May 5th at 7.30 PM at Auditorium Hall from Romanian Cultural Institute (200 East 38th St. in NY), the poets above mentioned will have as a guest of honor the poet Nina Cassian for a group reading and a debate with the audience on Romanian poetry of today.

Vasile Leac

P.S. Unfortunatelly, T.S.Khasis did not recive the Visa for caming to US. Mr. Sorkin, the translator of the poems presented in this events will read the poems of the poet that could not leave Romania.

October poetic

2007-10-29T14:07:00.000+02:00

Lots of poetry events in October:
We had in Sibiu on 5th of October an European Marathon of Poetry. Andrei Codrescu says something here. It was great that the poet Andrei Bodiu managed to bring together 87 poets that read for since down (9 AM) till late in the night (around 3 Am) in:
- Portuguese (Paulo Teixeira),
- French (Jacques Jouet),
- German (Ernst Wichner and Herbert Maurer),
- Hungarian (Garaczi Laszlo and fom Romania Santha Attila and Kovacs Andras Ferenc),
- Dutch (Jan Mysjkin),
Polish (Dariusz Sosnicki),
- Romanian (Claudiu Mitan, Dan Mircea Cipariu, Cornelia Maria Savu, Viorel Muresan, Gheorghe Izbasescu, Nicolae Coande, Adrian Alui Gheorghe, Adrian Popescu, Florin Iaru, Radu Andriescu, Aurel Pantea, Gellu Dorian, Ioan Moldovan, Ilie Constantin, Santha Attila, Nora Iuga, Nicolae Sava, Mircea Tuglea, Iolanda Malamen, Marcel Tolcea, Traian Stef, Gheorghe Iova, Ioan Pop Barassovia, Denisa Comanescu, Gabriel Chifu, Liviu Ioan Stoiciu, Vasile Leac, Petru Iliesu, Ioan Es. Pop, Ioan Radu Vacarescu, Alexandru Musina, Nichita Danilov, Simona Popescu, George Vulturescu, Mihai Ignat, Ion Pop, Constantin Abaluta, Letitia Ilea, Dumitru Chioaru, Grigore Chiper, Ovidiu Nmigean, Mircea Cartarescu, Vasile Dan, Constantin Acosmei, Nicolae Prelipceanu, Andrei Codrescu, Ruxandra Cesereanu, Doina Ioanid, Ioana Nicolaie, Andrei Bodiu, Caius Dobrescu, Gheorghe Ene, Emilian Galaicu-Paun, Robert Serban, Ioan Morar, Romulus Bucur, Gheorghe Mocuta, Michael Astner, Ioan Pintea, Augustin Fratila, Daniel Piscu, Tudor Cretu, Dan Sociu, Dan Coman, Claudiu Komartin, Elena Vladareanu, Marin Malaicu Hondrari, Razvan Tupa, Cosmin Perta, Stefan Manasia, Radu Vancu).
It was great to see that most of the poets managed to keep the public alert with their 10 minutes performances. A surprising and powerfull display of poetic tendences.

Then it was the Ars Amandi Festival in Rome. Poets writing in Romanian, French, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish met and debated on themes like "biography in Poetry" and "Visual Arts and Poetry".
At the Academia di Romania and in the Nuevo Teatro Colosseo were Julieta Dobles Izaguirre, Elisabeth Marin Diaz (Costa Rica), Luis Vicente Aguinaga (Mexic), Tatiana Arguello (Nicaragua), Sarah Carrère (Senegal), Oscar de Pablo Hammeken (Mexic), Inmaculada Salas Moreno, Alexandra Dominguez (Spania), Hughes Labrusse (Franta), Eduardo Pitta (Portugalia), Tony Raful (Republica Dominicana), Julien Kilanga Musinde (Congo), Irina Nechit (Republica Moldova) and from Romania Simona Popescu, Elena Vladareanu, Ioana Nicolaie, Razvan Tupa, Florin Dumitrescu.

As you cn see, a lot of poets that had verry different views on poetry and writing.

For the end of the month it was a festival of underground literature in Club A in Bucharest. The "No name Festival" had three days of projections, readings and presentations of projects focused on literature wih a non-mainstream aproach.
Stange but, after about six years since the first events we put in Club A, at the end of the Festival it was some kind of sad feeling of old friends that meet each other only ath these kind of events.

Eugen Suman' "Electric Bolts. "Shapes Beneath The Skin" on Lulu.com

2007-08-29T16:48:00.000+03:00

The Romanian Poet Eugen Suman choose to publish the English version of his first book of poetry on Lulu.com.
You can preview one poem here

He prefers to publish himself the book and to watch the feedback without any other institution between him and the reader.

This is the debut volume of Eugen Suman, a young Romanian writer currently living in Bucharest. The book won "Ion Vinea" Grand Prize for Debut in 2006 and was nominated for "Mihai Eminescu" Grand Prize for Debut in the same year.

It was translated by Gabriella Eftimie and Laura Cruceru, two very talented romanian translators.

The book tells the hallucinant story of a young man torn apart by his inner conflicts, his troubles with the opposite sex and the heavy burden placed on him by The Dark City, Bucharest. In doing this, he touches the lives of everyone he meets, saving or destroying them. It's a poetry book with a prose backbone which I'm sure you'll very much enjoy.

Video Poem from Banska Stiavnica

2007-08-15T00:20:00.000+03:00

a video from Banska Stiavnica with photos taken just before launching the fifth edition of Cap a l'Est poetry Festival.
The poem in the video is a poem that I will read tommorow at the Babylone

Pasolini, against everything

2007-08-11T18:13:00.001+03:00

"An author... when in beyond any personal interest... is a living argument always. Opening his mouth he argues something. He argues something of the conformism, of official things, the state affairs, the national facts, the things that seem ok for everyone.
When he opens his mouth, an artist is doomed, because to open your mouth is a always a scandal." P.P.Pasolini

Super Babylone - Poetry Festival in Banska Stiavnica

2007-08-08T11:30:00.000+03:00

On 16-th of August I will attend "La Super Babylone des poetes ou De la Neva a la Mediterannée par le Danube et la Drina" at 19:30 h. at Vieux Chateau, in Banska Stiavnica (Slovakia), an event from Cap a l'Est Francophone Poetry Festival.

In the program are poets as

Jeanine Baude
Catherine Bienkowska
Tiziana Colusso
Dagnija Dreika
Franco Falasca
Dainius Gintalas
Dostena Lavergne-Anguelova
Boris Lazic
Irina Popa-Nechit
Kristina Rodowska
Krisztina Tóth

http://www.capalest-festival.org

Few Words about Contemporary Romanian Literature, Carmen Musat, Editor in Chief "Observator Cultural"

2007-06-11T20:21:00.000+03:00

Since the beginning of the 1990, Romanian literature has undergone many structural changes. Few of the most renowned writers before the fall of the communist regime passed the test of writing in liberty, as one of the most frequent devices used by many of them – novelists or playwrights – was the so called “writing between the lines” that allowed an author to refer indirectly, through allusions and parables, to the social and political reality. That is why many of the novels written before 1990 can hardly be read and understand nowadays, since the context they depended on no longer exists. Yet novelists like Gabriela Adamesteanu, Norman Manea, Radu Cosasu, Mircea Horia Simionescu, Radu Petrescu and Costache Olareanu, as well as some of those who published their first books at the beginning of 1980 – such as Mircea Nedelciu, Gheorghe Craciun, Mircea Cartarescu, Cristian Teodorescu, Petru Cimpoesu or Petre Barbu succeeded in maintaining themselves in the public attention and continued publishing some of their major books after 1990. The essay continues here

The anthology of new Romanian poetry is avalable

2007-06-01T20:20:00.000+03:00

So, the anthology "No Longer Poetry: New Romanian Poetry" that was announced for two years now is on sale.

"No Longer Poetry
This is the first anthology of Romanian poetry to give a platform to a rising generation of unique, new poets of the post-Communism era, many of whom are under thirty. Most of the poets had their first collection published around the turn of the Millennium. The poems selected and translated here are taken from these books. In some cases, we have chosen fresh, unpublished work intended for their next volume. This is a unique display of the new Romanian literature; it is a vivid document of an on-going phenomenon of re-creation." David Morley

A Romanian Movie Won Palm d'Or at Cannes

2007-05-28T22:14:00.000+03:00

CANNES, France — George Clooney auctioned off a kiss. Bono wailed "With or Without You" on the red carpet. And Jerry Seinfeld dressed up like a furry bumblebee and went flying above the beach.

The 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival was full of stunts and celebrity — not to mention men on a mission, from the "Ocean's Thirteen" crew's campaign for refugees in Darfur, to Michael Moore's crusade to overhaul U.S. health care, to Leonardo DiCaprio's save-the-environment message.

But the big news for moviegoers was the films — one of the strongest lineups at Cannes in years, full of moving performances by women. When the curtain fell Sunday on Cannes, the big prize went to a small film by a director who didn't have money to shoot it just six months ago.

Winning the top prize, the Palme d'Or, is "like a fairy tale," Romanian director Cristian Mungiu said in his acceptance speech.

Mungiu's film, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," is a gritty, realistic look at illegal abortion in communist-era Romania — just the kind of movie that Cannes critics are proud to champion over films with better commercial prospects.

"Cinema entertains, but cinema also makes us reflect on the world," Jane Fonda said in French before handing Mungiu the award. "And Cannes is a fragile balance between these two realities."(Fox News)

2007-04-30T18:41:00.001+03:00

Romanian bodies. An essay on A New Romanian Poetry

2007-04-14T01:37:00.000+03:00

If you are searching for information regarding Romanian literature in the last 10 years, this page provides a few hints. You can notice that this is a work in progress. The links and the references to the text are in continuous process of developing.

I. Starting point. 1989

Before the fall of communism in 1989, literature was perceived as a powerful instrument. As in other ex-communist countries the free market and the explosion of traditional and new media proved to be a bit hard for well established authors.
In

Romania

the easiest way of organizing the multitude of directions proved to be a separation based on the year of publishing one’s first book.
This is how the 60’s generation was described as shifting away from the socialist realism imposed for the writers officially recognized in the 50’s.
From that point on every 10 years a new generation of Romanian writers was considered to appear. It wasn’t until the end of 80’s that a definite new way of approaching literature was promoted by the emerging writers of the moment.
The so called ’80s generation imposed the term of post-modernism in Romania reintroducing experimental ways of approaching literature that were continued form Romanian avant-garde movement. Writers as Traian T. Cosovei, Ion Muresan, Florin Iaru, Mariana Marin, Liviu Ioan Stoiciu, Alexandru Musina, Nichita Danilov and Mircea Cartarescu imposed gradually different ways of dealing with reality using textual marks of irony and fantasy. Recuperating the values imposed by beat generation in

USA

, poetry of the Romanian 80’s became very fast a way of affirming a different literary conscience.After 1989, the new context became chaotic for a poetic voice to become powerful. In 2005, Mircea Cartarescu was the best known contemporary writer in

Romania

. His success was not in poetry, but in prose. His short fiction reached a wide audience.
Poetry in turn had to go two more so called “generations” of writers until it started to be regarded as a possible success for publishing houses in

Romania

II. The problem of “generations”

The usage of the term “generation” for the writes that appeared in the ’80s proved to work against the personal mark of each writer. When the public speaks of the 80’s generation in

Romania

they see rather the common elements (that are not so many) of this writers works and less the differences that proved to be more fertile for the following years.
A group o writers that marked a transition from literary postmodern avant-garde of the 80’s to a market oriented literature managed to emerge in the 90’s in

Romania

. Poets as Cristian Popescu, Mihail Galatanu, Ioan Es Pop imposed a clear shifting of themes and aproaches from specific literary world towards a more borderlike realm.
In all this time personalities as Gheorghe Iova avoided the classification accepted by literary critics on the basis of generation. His writing, published officially just after the fall of communism was considered initially as belonging to the 90’s generation although his manuscript writings were pretty influential for the theory and practice of writing in the 80’s. In 2000 started to be used the term of generation 2000. Editors (Nicolae Tone, Marin Mincu) launched the term regarding books like “The Coffee Baby” by Zvera Ion and “Anarchist Manifesto” by Marius Ianus. Marin Mincu, the critic that systematically anthologized and promoted the directions of Romanian poetry in the 20th century, affirmed strongly the apparition of a new poetry in

Romania

. Marin Mincu used the press and a series of literary meetings at Romanian Writers Union and later in The National Museum of Literature in
Bucharest to argue for imposing new tendencies in contemporary Romanian poetry.
Marius Ianus, already mentioned above, is credited, together with Dumitru Crudu, as the founder of fracturism, indisputably the most influent movement in Romanian poetry between 1997 and 2005.
Eventually, the discussions regarding the characteristics of the “generation” turned ineffective as the initial intentions of the new movements were abandoned and the discussions became more and more literary oriented.

III Contemporary directions.

a) Fracturism was not so much a literary movement as it was a state of challenging esthetical, political or ethical authority. For Dumitru Crudu and Marius Ianus, Fracturism proved to be not only a fertile banner but an opportunity of affirming the new search for rigorous literary discourse that can raise reactions from the reader. Marius Ianus proved to be an influent voice for formulating a poetic discourse that shocked and touched the audience of literature and not only. His best known poem, “Romania” is dedicated to Allen Ginsberg, the poet assuming explicit connections to well known poem “

America

” of the Beat poet. Subsequently, Ianus launched a so called “elementary lyrics” as a possibility of renouncing the extreme and sometimes superficial interpretations that the critique preferred for fracturism. Elements from Beat Generation writers as Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and from Romanian and Russian Avant-garde movements (V. Maiakovski, Tristan Tzara, Gellu Naum) can be considered as powerful influence for fracturist movement in

Romania

b) Books as “Fetish” (Razvan Tupa, 2001), “Pages” (Elena Vladareanu, 2002), “And Bianca Sat on Alex” (Alexandru Potcoava, 2002) traced different directions that poetry went from that point on. Each of this books regained literary conventions in order to turn them effective for the every day language. Their approach was new as it took the opposite direction to that of using every day speech for literary conventions. In 2005, “romanian bodies” emerged as an expression of perpetually challenging the limits as well as the necessities of clichés in communication and poetry. Influenced by Pier Paolo Pasolini, by Romanian poets like Mircea Ivanescu, Gellu Naum, the above mentioned books established a break through for a poetry written for a common reader.

c) Adrian Urmanov (”Cannonical flashes” 2001, “Utilitarian poems” 2003) and Andrei Peniuc (”A small animal” 2002, “Abridged manual of Terrorism” 2002) launched a so called “utilitarian poetics” that affirmed the need of a poetry written for the public, a poetry that uses the means of marketing and the language of music videos to drag readers to poetic message.

d) Dumitru Crudu brought something more than his colleagues. As he kept a close connection with new authors from

Moldavia

, Crudu managed to impose an entire wave of authors that came up with something entirely original for Romanian literature.
Over the years, the literature written in Moldavia (the ex Soviet Union country where the official language is Romanian) was considered at its best as equal with the literature written in

Romania

. After Dumitru Crudu emerged as a respected and remarkable new writer in

Romania

it was clear that authors as Mihail Vakulovski, Alexandru Vaculovski and Mitos Micleusanu are launching manners that are original and full of a new kind of power for Romanian language. The influences from Russian underground poetry or from writers as Erofeev (Viktor and Venedikt as well), Sorokin or Mamleev became recurrent topics for aproaches of a violence very often accessed by new Romanian poetry. A very special exuberance of expression was imposed in this manner meeting the experimental intentions of a group of young writers in Constanta (South Eastern Romania) that gathered among others, Mugur Grosu, George Vasilievici and Mircea Tuglea.

e) A very special direction was opened in 2000 by Constantin Virgil Banescu (”The Dog, The Woman and the glance”, “The flower with one petal” 2002). The poet born in 1982 used to chant his poetry using traditional instruments.

f) A direction that shaped a very distinct part of contemporary poetry in

Romania

challenged the expressionist tradition. Claudiu Komartin (”The Puppeteer and other Insomnias” 2003), Dan Coman (”The Year of the Yellow Mole” 2003), Cosmin Perta (”Zorovavel” 2002) and Teodor Duna (”The Train of Thirty-first of February” 2002), although in very different way of each other, approached the hieratic manner of shifting themes and atmosphere effects without the astriction their colleagues expressed regarding the Lévesque. This group of Romanian writers took a grip into continuing aproaches by Paul Celan, Georg Trakl or the later developments in terms of atmosphere and tragic scenario of Sylvia Plath.

g) In Iasi (North Eastern Romania) acted maybe the most active literary group in

Romania

. Club 8 brought together writers that were not strictly people born in the 70’s and 80’s. Writers as Constantin Acosmei, Radu Andriescu, Michael Astner, Mariana Codrut, Gabriel H. Decuble, Dan Lungu, O. Nimigean and Dan Sociu shaped a so called “new realism” of the Romanian poetry. The Romanian new realism can be described as a poetic variant of the maximalism.

IV. The display of forces

The opposition to official literary institutions in

Romania

began with publishing the magazine “Fracturi” (a publication of writers involved with the fracturist movement). Although the magazine appeared just for one year (2002) its impact was tremendous especially for the literary Romanian society that was confronted with a new situation: a literary magazine that attacked constantly the accepted cannons of contemporary Romanian literature aiming for a wider audience than the usual readers of literature.
The headquarters of new Romanian poetry moved for a while on www. Internet sites as http://www2.blogger.com/www.poezie.ro or http://www2.blogger.com/www.clubliterar.com and http://hyperlitaratura.reea.net/ concentrated very fast the most active new Romanian poets.
Since 2002, different clubs in Bucharest and in other cities have been hosting regular events of performing and reading poetry. Club A in Bucharest organized the Fracturi evenings in 2002 and since 2005 it is a host for Poetics of quotidian a series of meetings that present writers and new books.
In Arad, (North Western Romania) a group of writers (Catalin Lazurca, Vasile Leac, Florin Maduta, T.S. Khasis) managed to impose a relaxed way to argue tragic situations.
Recently, new writers as Andrei Ruse or Sorin Dinco are introducing projects of visual poetry using the Internet as a medium of expression as well as an alternative to classical printed world of poetry.

V. Romanian Bodies. Table of Elements

Before listing a few of the most important Romanian poets that had emerged in the last 7 years, we should state that together with the above mentioned literary influences, the new Romanian poetry kept a very close relation with music. Diamanda Galas, Placebo, U2, Eminem, Tupac, Madonna being mentioned as recurrent creative motives.

a) The Exuberance of Poetry
-Mihai Vakulovski
-George Vasilievici
-Vasile Leac
-Catalin Lazurca
-Mugur Grosu

b) The Game of Masks
-Serban Axinte
-Dumitru Badita
-Livia Rosca
-Robert Mandroiu
-Andrei Ruse

c) The Neo-expressionistic manierism
Dan Coman
Andra Rotaru
Teodor Duna
Claudiu Komartin
Cosmin Perta
Tudor Cretu
Florin Partene

d) The Poetic "New (excesive) realism"
Marius Ianus
Dan Sociu
Dumitru Crudu
Bogdan Perdivara
Eugen Suman

e) Trans-textual poetics
Adrian Urmanov
Andrei Peniuc
Razvan Tupa

f) The chalange of the profound
Stefan Manasia
Linda Maria Baros
Adela Greceanu
Ioana Nicolaie
Constantin Virgil Banescu

g) The Traumatised Voice
Miruna Vlada
Ruxandra Novac
Olga Stefan
T.S. Khasis
Domnica Drumea
Diana Geacar
Oana Catalina Ninu

Bukowski in very good shape

2007-02-11T12:58:00.000+02:00

Generation - 2008

2007-02-05T17:20:00.000+02:00

Generation is The REP's exciting international festival of new work for and by young people aged 12-25. This brilliant new initiative contains a mix of national and international work from visiting companies, site-specific work performed by young people, a series of short plays for lone performers all happening in Spring 2007 plus an exploratory conference scheduled for 2008.

In the lead-up to the festival The REP will be announcing other international collaborations including a piece by young people in Birmingham and Beijing inspired by the 2008 Olympics, a new play written across the Atlantic by Kelly High School Chicago and St Alban's School Birmingham plus monologues in development with young playwrights from India.

The Generation Conference is set to focus on:

· representations of young people on the stage, screen and other media

· diverse approaches to creating new work for young people aged 12-25 and the role of new work for this age group

· future collaborations bringing together theatre, film and TV practitioners, producers and other people working with and for young people for topical debate and discussion

If you have any suggestions or would like to be involved, then please contact Catherine Edwards, Birmingham Repertory Theatre

E-mail catherine.edwards@birmingham-rep.co.uk

For more information on Generation Festival activity go here

re: the question of Miekal reguarding the visual poetry in Romania

2007-02-04T13:33:00.000+02:00

"kinema ikon, multimedia workshop, is presently functioning within the Arad Art Museum, being a long-lived group in the field of experimental contemporary art, and having reached the age of 35 years, and still continuing its activity in digital creation.

Three distinct stages have been undergone: experimental movie (1970-1989), mixed media (1990-1993), and, from 1994 on, exclusively hypermedia works, on CD-ROM, on the internet, and interactive installations have been produced, both individually and as group works.
These three stages will be narrated from the subjective perspective of the founding member, nevertheless respecting scientific the rigors of a conventional study. In this respect, I had to choose between an easy to accept by a hurried reader summary, and the pressure of exhaustive treatment of the matter, the preferred modality in the world of research. Of course, an incomplete hybrid resulted, for which I already ask for apologies.

I emphasize the fact that the kinema ikon group / workshop did not function in a void space, but in a complex cultural-artistic context, particular to the period undergone. It is for this reason that, methodologically, I will respect, in all stages described here, what can be called the rule of the context.
Anyway, together with other segments of the catalogue, it is my hope that the reader interested in the contradictory field of experimental creation to correctly perceive the interesting story of an absolutely atypical group.

The Experimental Movie Stage (1970-1989)

Therefore, in a. D. 1970, in the town of Arad, in western Transilvania, a province belonging to a country called Romania, somewhere in central Europe, it took birth, around a hard core, a group of young people preoccupied with the idea of experimental creation. The chosen artistic medium was cinema, this inevitably leading to experimental movie.

The historical-social-political context was called communism, which excluded from the very beginning the possibility of founding a research center, while the legal framework admitted by the regime was that of a cinema circle, at the beginning within the Arts School / Arts High-school, and, later on, integrated into the structure of the Art Museum. The name we chose was Atelier 16 / Workshop 16, and the theoretical project initiated bore the name of kinema ikon, denominations which have come to overlap in the course of time. During the first years, the workshop’s activity was predominantly technical, being compensated with programs in cinematography education, of the cinémathèque type, following the French model, while the creative-experimental approaches were quite occasional.

For western readers, as well as for the youngest ones, an explanation is needed. The Romanian communist regime has experimented, for a quite long time, an educational system – from kindergarten to university – which combined the inter-war model with the West-European one. The effect was beneficial, having issued a generation of well-educated youths, known as the generation of the ’80s, from the fact that it is from around 1980 they began to establish themselves by literary, visual arts, musical, theatrical and cinematographical works, proposing a new paradigm of artistic creation, and a new approach to reality." from the kinema ikon website: http://kinema-ikon.projects.v2.nl/#

;
Now, this is the "institution" and these are some of the Romanian frelance developements towards visual poetry esthetics http://hyperliteratura.reea.net/?cat=9

something to be researched

2007-01-31T09:11:00.000+02:00

I found this page with contemporary philosophical aproaches to the concept of Romanian Cultural Identity.

ginsberg& McCartney & Van Sant

2007-01-28T16:13:00.000+02:00

A Canto in Ezra Pound's own voice

2007-01-28T15:59:00.000+02:00

T.S. Eliot wrote the Four Quartets and Willem Dafoe reads one of them from the roof of 600 Broadway in NYC

2006-12-27T07:42:00.000+02:00

Links to and about Romanian Poetry of now and all times

2006-12-04T04:03:00.000+02:00

An essay by Adam J Sorkin, one of the most important translators of Romanian Poetry in English, on Romanian Poetry in the second half of The XX-th Century:

“It strikes me that the concept of a fortunate fall is the best description of the major sustaining myth among Romanian poets during the communist period, especially during the quarter century before the December 22, 1989, overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu. His increasingly repressive regime had become, to use Norman Manea's description, "the most cruel and dark dictatorship" (Manea 4). Poets in Romania who wrote during these times of oppression frequently testified about the direct and indirect influences of censorship even at the very core of their work, more or less determining literary strategy and coloring purpose, content, and theme. Their belief in the ironic, covert benefit of censorship is not just desperate wishful thinking, making a virtue of what was black necessity. Rather, in the form of a belated declaration of a kind of hidden, inward independence, it is an interpretation of the secret to the high quality of Romanian poetry in its seemingly impossible response to the ideological constraints of the party-state. To many writers in the Socialist Republic, the fall into censorship occasioned a fruitful disobedience in which the poet, deprived by state policy of the paradise of free speech in the world about, believed he or she is compensated with (as Michael soon says to Adam before they wake Eve from her dreams) "a paradise within," to some poets perhaps "happier far" (XII. 587). (1)”. (from “The Literary Review” June 22, 2002)

Links for and about Romanian Poetry in English:

a pretty comprehensive history of Romanian literature
links to - Romanian poetry in English
A web-page on Paul Celan in German and English
A pretty concise companion to Romanian poetry in the last two centuries & the same here
A list of different anthologies of Romanian Poetry in English

They call their hobby astropoetry. Poetry as a hobby for a Romanian group of friends

Art wanted for poetry

2006-12-03T05:49:00.000+02:00

Calling artists from the West Midlands:

Heaventree is looking for artwork to go on the covers of nine books to be published in 2007. The titles include Bluebeard's Wives, no longer poetry: new romanian poetry, and Forbidden Fruit: The Literature of Inter-Racial Love and Sex. More details of the books (including page dimensions) can be found here. We prefer artwork that is abstract and based on photography, but are happy to consider anything that responds to the title and blurb of each book.

I have to add the announcement written by the English publisher fot the Romanian poetry selected for the anthology:

NO LONGER POETRY:

NEW ROMANIAN POETRY

David Morley & Leonard-Daniel Aldea (editors)

The shocking, avant-garde work of twelve young poets has been translated and collected in this bilingual anthology, the first to give a platform to a rising generation of poets of the post-Communist era. The sole criterion for selection has been the extent to which these newcomers have distanced themselves from the poets of the previous generations: how they have dared to use new devices or apply new theoretical approaches to poetry in the new Romania.

ISBN: 978-0-954881-15-3

Size: 156 x 234 mm

Six Short Plays from Romania's New Wave at 59E59 Theaters in New York

2006-11-11T14:53:00.000+02:00

Writers:Ioana Moldovan Drecin - Diagnosis Nicoleta Esinencu - Fuck You. Eu.ro.Pa! Bogdan Georgescu - Romania. KISS ME! Vera Ion - Red Bull Cristian Panaite - Bus and Family Ties
Directors: Marcy Arlin (Red Bull), Tom Caruso (Diagnosis), Jackson Gay (Fuck You. Eu.ro.Pa!), Kaipo Schwab (Romania. KISS ME!), Liesl Tommy (Bus and Family Ties)
With Romania about to join the European Union, five young writers respond to their rapidly changing society in these six short plays. Romania’s vibrant new writing movement has already forged an exciting new body of work for the stage. Now The Play Company introduces these energetic, inventive plays to the U.S. ROMANIA. KISS ME! will give New Yorkers an intimate look at a culture undergoing radical transformation, through the eyes of a new generation of artists.

anounced anthology of new Romanian poetry already on sale

2006-11-11T14:32:00.000+02:00

On Amazon is already on sale the anthology of New Romanian Poetry prepared by Adi Urmanov in Britain. Although the book is not yet published.
Dumitru Crudu, Adela Greceanu, Adi Urmanov, Andrei Peniuc, Elena Vladareanu, Marius Ianus are among the poets selected for the anthology that is to be published at Heaventree press.

Contemporary Romanian Poetry in English

2006-11-11T14:19:00.000+02:00

I foud this page of Constantin Acosmei. One of the authors that published in the last years poetry that changed a bit the paradigm in Romanian poetry. Here you may download some pretty good translations of his poetry.

It is not so often that you can find good translations of contemporary Romanian poetry.

CELEBRATED ROMANIAN ÉMIGRÉ WRITER NORMAN MANEA

2006-11-09T08:49:00.000+02:00

The 2006 Prix Médicis Étranger has been awarded to Bard Professor and Writer In Residence
for his memoir The Hooligan’s Return

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—On Monday, October 30, 2006, Norman Manea, Francis Flournoy Professor of European Studies and Culture and writer in residence at Bard College, was announced the winner of the 2006 Prix Médicis Étranger, France’s most important prize for foreign literature, for his book The Hooligan’s Return. Translated from Romanian, The Hooligan’s Return was published in France in August 2006 by Editions du Seuil and received widespread critical acclaim in the French press—garnering enthusiastic reviews from Le Monde, Libération, Le Figaro, La Croix, Lire, Le Point, L’Express, and others. The book won the Médicis in the first round of the vote and was also short-listed for France’s prestigious Femina Prize. Manea accepted the award at the world-famous Hôtel de Crillon in Paris.

Published to great acclaim in the U.S. by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2003, The Hooligan’s Return is a portrait of the writer that ranges from his early childhood in prewar Romania to his return there in 1997 and explores questions of repression, exile, life, and literature. The book received the 2004 Napoli Prize for foreign fiction in Italy and was on the bestseller list in Germany that same year. Named best foreign book in Spain in 2005, The Hooligan’s Return will appear in Holland in 2006 and in China, Portugal, and Poland in 2007.
The New Yorker called Manea’s memoir “evasive, conflicted, harrowed, tortuously elegiac … an extraordinary book.” Edward Hirsch writes: “Romania’s greatest living novelist weaves together three journeys, three precise moments in his life, in this subtle, exacting, obsessive and extraordinary memoir that wrenches beauty from pain and transfixes life into art. The Hooligan’s Return is a brilliant achievement.” The San Francisco Chronicle ranks Manea’s book “among the finest memoirs in a generation.”

Founded in 1958 by Gala Barbisan and Jean-Pierre Giraudoux, the Prix Médicis is a renowned French literary prize awarded each year in early November to an author “whose fame does not yet match their talent.” In 1970, the Prix Médicis Étranger, an award for foreign literature, was introduced. Among the previous foreign laureates are Milan Kundera, Umberto Eco, Julio Cortázar, Paul Auster, Jonathan Coe, Antonio Tabucchi, and Philip Roth. Last year the prize was given to Orhan Pamuk, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.

Norman Manea is the author of more than 14 volumes of fiction and essays. He has received Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships, and has been awarded Italy’s International Nonino Prize for Literature. His work has been translated into more than 15 languages. In the spring 2006, he was elected as a member of the Berlin Academy of Art in the literary department. He lives with his wife in New York City.(Bard University)

just more music, more news, more poetry

2006-10-06T00:32:00.000+03:00

So, as I said, young poets tend to be alike everywhere in the world.
it is pretty strange: more influenced by pop music and the news than of the history of literature, more involved in near events, and showing a sort of an insane courage of taking delicate matters with the most unfitted technique. And in the end they manage to show that it is possible and convice the reader.
British very young poets seem to do this as the number of contestants doubbles for National Poetry Day in Britain

Romanian-born German writer Oskar Pastior dies at 78

2006-10-05T22:51:00.000+03:00

The Associated Press

Published: October 5, 2006

BERLIN Oskar Pastior, a Romanian-born German writer who was celebrated for his creative use of language, has died, his publisher said Thursday. He was 78.

Pastior died overnight in Frankfurt, where he was visiting the annual book fair, said Christine Knecht, a spokeswoman for the Carl Hanser Verlag publishing house. She did not give the cause of death.

Among Pastior's early works was "Offne Worte" published in 1964; he made his literary debut in Germany in 1969 with "Vom Sichersten ins Tausendste," a collection of poems.

Pastior was born on Oct. 20, 1927 in the Transylvanian city of Sibiu, where he lived as a member of the German-speaking minority.

After being interned in Soviet labor camps following World War II, he returned to communist Romania in 1949 and studied German at the University of Bucharest. He worked in radio before turning to writing.

Pastior fled to West Germany during a study trip to Vienna, Austria in 1968 and settled in West Berlin. He had been working on a book about his time in Soviet labor camps at the time of his death.

Pastior and Gellu Naum

Germany's culture minister, Bernd Neumann, described Pastior as "one of the most significant authors of our time."

"His virtuoso linguistic art is a pleasure but also a challenge for the reader," Neumann said in a statement. "Great seriousness and a passion for the word were evident in his playful linguistic experiments."

How does it sound the Romanian poetry in Romanian?

2006-10-03T00:15:00.000+03:00

"Poeticile cotidianului" (the poetics of quotidian) third season

2006-10-01T17:58:00.000+03:00

so, we prepeared the new series of "poeticile cotidianului" (poetics of quotidian) in Club A from Bucharest.
It begun in may 2005 and ever since it stoped just for hollydays.

Adina Dabija and Doru Paul Mugur arrived in Bucharest from New York and were invited to open this season of "poetics of quotidian" in Club A.

After this opening the normal weekley format will begin on 12th of October with Vasile Ernu and his guests for "Born in USSR".

At the end of this interview, Diamanda Galas speaks of poetry

2006-09-24T06:28:00.000+03:00

I should add that young Romanian poets as Adrian Urmanov or Andrei Peniuc were influenced a lot by Galas. These two poets amazed the literary comunity when they decided to become monks at Rasca Monastery in Moldavia.

footbal-poetry

2006-09-23T14:56:00.000+03:00

They say his name ins Alexandru Vlad from Bucharest

A Romanian Interview with Bret Easton Ellis

2006-09-11T02:16:00.000+03:00

An interview for Prezent Magazine announcing the release of "Lunar Park" in Romanian (July 2006)

1. At the beginning of your career critics referred to you, and your New York contemporaries, Jay McInerney and Tama Janowitz as "brat-pack" authors. How did you regard this label then and now?

1. The Brat Pack was something that the media created. It was an easy and lazy way to group a bunch of young authors together who were writing about urban lifestyles and not have to deal with each one of us individually. We were all very different stylists and had extremely different temperaments: Jay McInerney was a romantic influenced by Fitzgerald, Tama Janowitz was a conceptual comedian influenced by Warhol, I was influenced by minimalism and punk, etc. But we were all writing about young people in cosmopolitan centers going to clubs and casually doing drugs, and we were creating books that were much more influenced by rock and movies than, say, a previous generation of writers—so we had that in common, but not much else. In terms of sensibility Less Than Zero and Bright Lights, Big City are polar opposites of each other. The similarity (a young man’s life in NY/LA) is all on the surface and ends there. But the media thought there was a movement when in-fact no such movement existed. And the practitioners of this supposed movement even said “There is no movement” but the media thought it was a good story—“young authors create new genre”—and basically this helped sell a lot of books that might have gone unnoticed as most first novels do.

2. There is some controversy in regarding your novels as postmodern narratives. Other critics have pointed out that you are "stepping away from post modernity toward contemporary hybrid fiction" (Daniel Grassian "Hybrid Fictions: American Literature and Generation X"). How do you see your writing in light of this comment?

2. I don’t think about my writing the way a critic would so it’s hard for me to answer those types of questions. That’s not what I’m thinking about when I’m creating a novel. Creating a novel for me is an emotional response toward something I’ve witnessed or experienced—regardless of its content it’s not an intellectual exercise. Am I post-modernist? I have no idea. That’s not for me to decide. I don’t necessarily believe in the truthfulness of the text—and I like to play around with illusion and reality. That might make me a bit of a post-modernist, I suppose. But I feel like a traditionalist in many ways. And I think the books I’ve written are grounded in the tradition of the social novel: stories that investigate the milieu of contemporary society and place it in some kind of fictional context. When I was younger and much angrier I responded to the world with books that were satires. And I think this is true of everything up to Lunar Park which veers away from that to a degree and becomes a novel by an older and less angry man. I don’t see the world in that way anymore and I can’t imagine creating another novel that is attempting to unmask the lies and banality of society. I’ve done it. It’s over. There’s nothing left to say about that. The “political” has become the “personal” for me and that’s what I’m now interested in writing about. Lunar Park may have satirical elements about suburban life, the modern family and celebrity, but it’s primarily an investigation of where I am now and how did I get there?

3. Some considered your character Patrick Bateman "a messenger of an inhumanly commercialized and increasingly materialistic society"; In some ways critics have appointed you spokesperson for the X Generation. Do you view yourself as a social commentator or do you feel that these terms reduce your artistic vision?

3. I don’t care what people label me. If they label me social commentator—I wouldn’t disagree. If they label me spokesperson for Generation X—again, I wouldn’t disagree. On one level I am these things and to care enough to deny it would be a waste of time and wouldn’t accurately reflect how I feel about myself as a writer. Does being labeled anything “reduce” a writer’s artistic vision? No, not necessarily—because the labeling comes after the fact. The fact being: the writing of the novel. Or maybe labeling does create limitations and I don’t care enough to correct them. But I honestly don’t know who I am as a writer. It’s not something that I lay in bed at night thinking about. I’m more likely to be thinking about sex or what I’m going to be doing the next day.

4. Elizabeth Young (Shopping in Space: Essays on America's Blank Generation Fiction") likened you to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald once said of his age:
“An age of miracles...an age of excess... and an age of satire ... This was the generation that corrupted its elders and eventually overreached itself less through lack of morals than lack of taste (...) and it seemed only a question of a few years before the older people would step aside and let the world be run by those who saw things as they were"? Could you comment on this statement in regard to your own era?

4. Well, certainly technology is a miracle of sorts, and America is a vast country that defines the word “excess” and we live in a very ironic culture that simultaneously satirizes itself even as it’s commenting on satirizing itself. We also corrupted our elders by emphasizing youth and beauty as more meaningful than anything else—and I think that represents a lack of morality and taste (though, God, I hate that term: “taste”—it’s so fucking elitist). The generation before mine did not step aside, however: they greedily participated in everything wrong that my generation thought was valuable. There was no one to keep the storm from destroying everything. Youth culture now dominates the world and has corrupted everyone. This is a dangerous thing because without the guidance and experience of our elders then we’re lost. I know that sounds rather conventional but I believe it.

5. Unusually you do not write journalistically or critically, at least not for publication. Could you expand upon your reasons for confining your literary expression to fiction and interview?

5. It’s simple: I’m not a good journalist. And since I don’t like most books I’m reluctant to write about them negatively in influential journals. For whatever reasons the novel is the form I feel most comfortable expressing myself in. I also write screenplays and I enjoy that, too, but it is impersonal work and something I do simply because I like movies.

6. This month sees the Romanian publication of ‘Lunar Park’, your much anticipated latest novel. Although the subject matter of your fiction focuses mainly on contemporary American society, your books are worldwide best-sellers. How do you explain the universal appeal of your writing?

6. I have no clue as to why my books are read in so many different places. An easy hypothesis might be that they’re critical of American values and set in exotic milieus (Beverly Hills, expensive colleges, Wall Street, the fashion world, the upscale suburbs) and they’re populated by young and beautiful people and this combination appeals to those readers interested in the more fatuous elements of American life. But I think the books are more universal than that. Less Than Zero is being read by people who weren’t born when it was published and even in a book without cell phones and computers and reality-television young people relate to the novel. And I think they’re relating to the alienation of the narrator; that there is something very universal about his sadness and loneliness that no matter whether you’re in Oklahoma or Cologne or Madrid or Ireland or Romania you can identify with. Since I wrote it as a teenager there’s a purity to the book even as flawed as I sometimes find it—but the flaws are part of what makes the book work. If I wrote that book now—as a 42 year old man with a plan—it would come off as a better written book perhaps but a less truthful one since I was writing from my own emotional experience at 18/19 and that voice is undiluted. This has been the case however with every book I’ve written. American Psycho isn’t about a serial killer: it’s about what happens to a young man when he enters society and realizes what is expected of him and that in order to move ahead and to get the things he wants and to gain some semblance of control he will have to conform and therefore destroy himself and his identity—this creates anger and alienation and a dark and demented fantasy life. That’s not an American thesis—that’s true of the Western world. The vacuous unfulfilled romances at the heart of The Rules of Attraction (the novel I receive the most passionate letters about) connect with anyone who has ever loved someone who hasn’t loved them back. That’s a pretty simple and universal story. Glamorama is a cautionary tale on what happens when we believe in surfaces and find truth in them. Again, that’s not only an American tale.

7. Have you ever been surprised by the reaction elicited by any of your novels abroad? Could you share with us one such example?

7. Not really surprised. I guess the fact that the books are read abroad is surprising in itself. The fact that I won a literary prize in France for Lunar Park surprised me—I have never been considered for a literary prize anywhere. The fact that Japan is indifferent to the books surprises me a little, I guess.

8. It seems that you have always enjoyed socializing with the elite New York set; you have often been photographed with famous actors, artists and writers. Do you feel there has been any change over the years in this glamorous society, say since you wrote American Psycho, a satire on the excesses of Wall St. in the eighties?

8. I think that has been a myth about me in a way. I might have lived in New York and Los Angeles—and true, some of my friends have glamorous professions, I suppose—but the majority of people I hang out with are other writers and friends from high school and college—some of these people are doctors, lawyers, teachers, businessmen, housewives—even a veterinarian. The elite? No, never. I’m not interested in hanging with supermodels or Upper East Side society or powerful people in Hollywood. I identify with writers and tend to spend most of my time with them and in America these people are not considered the elite. The changes in glamorous society? From my vantage point as an outsider—there hasn’t been any changes. That world is permanent and the people who live in it go to great lengths to make sure it stays small and private and hermetic. Outsiders are rarely let in.

9. For American Psycho you documented Wall Street, for Glamorama you turned your attention to the world of fashion. Each book shows little mercy on the subject of its gaze. I imagine with the level of exposure your books receive it is virtually impossible for you be unobtrusive in your movements. Has it become more difficult for you to research books?

9. I don’t do a lot of research. I start off with an idea that intrigues me and then—sigh—reality doesn’t correspond with what I want to do in my fictional world and since I’m writing novels and not non-fiction my motto automatically becomes, “Well, make it up!” And considering what my subjects are (Wall Street, the modeling industry, the upscale suburbs) being a “well-known” writer worked to my advantage. It opened a lot more doors than if I was someone no one had ever heard of. Plus I make it clear I just want a feel for the lifestyle when I’m hanging out and I’m not taking quotes for a magazine article so people feel protected and are more prone to show me things. But the only times I needed to do research was really for Glamorama—terrorism and the world of fashion. The story had already been laid out and I needed to fill in some blanks. I thought I was doing research on American Psycho by hanging out with Wall Street guys for a couple of weeks but that research helped inform the book in a totally unexpected way. Instead of writing about their jobs—which had been the plan—I wrote about their materialistic lifestyle and how it overwhelms everything.

10. Fiction such as your own, or indeed Chuck Palahniuk's, has been said to typify the American state of mind pre 9’11. What kind of effect do you think the events of this day had on you and your contemporaries, a day when it is said that truth was stranger and more terrifying then fiction?

10. I haven’t begun a new book since 9/11 so I can’t say yet whether it has affected my work or not—the novel I am planning takes place in LA and since it has been thought out I can say with some certainty that 9/11 does not play a role. I was in the middle of Lunar Park when it happened and it provided a better excuse as to why the actress moves to the suburbs than the one I originally had. How has it affected my daily life? Obviously: more anxious, depressed, a wake-up call, I suppose. It has certainly made me question what it means to be an American in a way I never expected. I lived thirty blocks from the World Trade Center when the planes hit. It was a terrifying morning. I was very lucky I did not lose any of the friends that worked there. Other than that I have nothing more to say.

11 Although the real Bret Easton Ellis and his characters are very different, your characters always seem to borrow something from you.
How do distinguish between yourself and your characters or do you think there is free movement between fiction and reality? Do you enjoy the controversy that these ambiguities create?

11. I don’t enjoy controversy. I like ambiguity though. Look, whenever I’ve written about someone—a stoned passive teenager, a lovestruck college girl, a psychopath, a vacuous male model, a vampire, a rock-star, a Bel-Air housewife, a father, etc—I’m writing in some ways about myself. You can’t avoid that if you’re writing fiction that’s true and that means anything. Everything I’ve written has been autobiographical to some degree—even when I’m at my most outrageous there is a core of who I am being revealed. You can’t hide behind fiction. It always reveals who the writer really is. Yes, I am Patrick Bateman. Yes, I am Victor Ward. Yes, I am Clay. Yes, I am the Bret Easton Ellis of Lunar Park. But again these are also fictional characters. For example, I do not resemble Victor Ward in any way yet I related to him and there was a part of him I identified with and yet also found tragic. He was the embodiment of my darker fantasies as are most of my characters. I wish I looked a bit more like him though.

12. As an American writer who travels extensively, how do you regard the differences between American and European book culture? Can you elaborate on some of the cultural differences you have observed in terms of society and values in reference to these two continents?

12. The differences are hard to discern when you’re a writer in the middle of a book tour because you’re in the center of a machine that needs to console you constantly—that tells you what you are doing matters and that it means something, when in-fact the book tour is designed by the publishers to sell as many books as possible at as many appearances as possible. The writer becomes a salesman and it’s hard to overlook that fact and to connect with your readership—it’s a very distracting thing. On the Lunar Park world tour every venue was packed (from Miami to Glasgow to Milan to Helsinki) so I came away from the tour with the idea that the book had done extraordinarily well, when, in-fact it sold okay. The main difference between American book culture and European book culture is that Americans are obsessed with the idea of the celebrity writer and of the many people who turned out for the public events in the U.S. there was a curiosity factor involved—Lunar Park received an enormous amount of press coverage in the United States and much of it revolved around my biography and a few tragic recent events that had happened to me in the last couple of years. Some people bought the book but many others were there to see a famous person. In Europe people come who are genuinely interested in the author and his work and don’t really care about his personal life (his drug problems, who he’s sleeping with, how many copies his books sell, does he really know Keanu Reeves?). I’m amazed that in Germany people pay to hear an author read from his work and then ask lengthy questions about the book he’s reading from. In the United States the idea of paying to see an author read (the readings are all free) is almost as outrageous as something from one of my books.

the video for database poem

2006-09-10T06:21:00.000+03:00

sort of apology

2006-09-10T05:15:00.000+03:00

I still didn't get the slovakian translation for "romanian bodies". So I can't send them to those that asked me for poems.

so apologies

I have to say againt it's been great to Banska Stiavnica at the Poetry Festival.

bodycount I

2006-08-31T03:08:00.000+03:00

theme of the day in Ro: who was an informer for Securitate in Ceausescu's time?
The Union of Writers in Bucharest had a conference on this theme today.

The President of US complained that the securitate officers should be the first to fall... also he tryed to make a point by showing that the writers that feed informations on securitate should be old and nothing may punish them...

But who's speaking of punishment? It is only normal not to find the same people complaining that the state gives them too little money for magasines that exist only because of their tradition. But that magasines are today dead. You may publish there, you may read them (well perhaps is harder to read because of the old and static format they keep), but it would hardly matter.

I can't imagine any better begining for Romanian bodies in English that the Romanian Body of the writer who "resisted" by culture and informing notes to secret police...

somehow like Bush... he lied for Iraq... but he is right... at the moment:)

2006-08-30T21:53:00.000+03:00

so this is the Romanian Bodies in English.
See ya