Writers from Romania

Denisa COMANESCU (b. 1954, Buzau) (family name Prelipceanu) has coordinated a series of world literature, "Biblioteca Polirom," at Polirom Publishing House since 2001, but has been an editor for more than twenty years. After her debut in the literary journal Romania literara in 1975, Izgonirea din Paradise (Banishment from Paradise, 1979), her first book of poetry, won the Debut Prize of the Writers' Union. Since then she has published four more volumes of poetry which enjoy a wide readership both in Romania and abroad and have garnered numerous accolades. A distinguished translator, she has published selections of Alan Brownjohn's and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin's poetry and edited the bilingual Romanian/Polish anthology, Strong-28 Women Poets of Romania (1999). She is currently working on an anthology of Romanian women's poetry composed between 1960-2003. Ms. Comanescu was a founding member of the Civic Alliance (an association of Romanian intellectuals set up in 1990 whose ongoing purpose has been to strengthen the civil society) and has been the Secretary of the Romanian PEN Center for thirteen years. She is participating courtesy of the U.S. State Department.

Andra ROTARU (poet, journalist; Romania) is a cultural journalist and literary activist. Her 2005 debut collection Într-un pat sub cearșaful alb [In a Bed Under the White Sheets] garnered four national awards; it was followed by the poetry volumes Ținuturile sudului [Southern Lands] (2010) and Lemur (2013), the latter turned into a collaborative dance/video performance presented in the U.S. and across Europe. Her work has been widely translated and anthologized. Her participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.