Biography and Career :
He graduated "Dimitrie Cantemir" high-school and the Faculty of Romanian Language and Literature (1980) with a university degree thesis about
Eminescu's poetic imaginary in his posthumous poetry. This thesis became later on a book- "The Chimerical Dream".
In 1978 he made his debut in "The Literary Romania" magazine.
Between 1980 and 1989 he thought Romanian literature in a Bucharest school situated in Colentina neighborhood. After that he was a clerk at the Writers Union and a publisher at "Caiete Critice" magazine.
From 1991 he will be a Romanian history literature lecturer at the Bucharest University.
In 1999 he obtains a master's degree in Romanian literature with the t
hesis "The Romanian Postmodernism". In the same year it is published by "Humanitas" publishing house with which he will sign an exclusivity contract.
He is a prose writer but also a fantasy novelist and a Romanian postmodernism theoretician. His writings were translated in English, Italian, French, Spanish, Polish, Swedish and Bulgarian. He won many prizes such as: Romanian Writers' Union Prize in 1980, Romanian Academy's Prize in 1989, Romanian Writer's Unions Prize, Flacara magazine Prize, Ateneu magazine Prize, Tomis magazine Prize, Cuvi¢ntul magazine Prize in 1990, Orbitor's French translation nominee for Prix Union Latine in 1999, ASPRO Prize, AER Prize in 2002, Grand Officer of the Cultural Merit Order (Ordinul "Meritul cultural" i®n grad de mare ofii¾er), awarded by Romanian Presidency in 2006.
Among his writings: "Travesti" 1994, "Orbitor" 2001, " Enciclopedia zmeilor" ("Dragons' Encyclopaedia") 2002, "Pururi ti¢ni£r, i®nfi£surat i®n pixeli" ("Forever young, convolved in pixels") 2002, "De ce iubim femeile" bestseller ("Why do we love women") 2004.
Mircea Cartarescu - poet. Also prose writer and essayist. Born on June 1s 1956 in
Bucharest, he is the son of Constantin Cartarescu and of Maria Cartarescu (née Badislav). After graduating “Dimitrie Cantemir” secondary school in Bucharest, he studied at the Faculty of Letters in the University of Bucharest, where he graduated in 1980.
In 1999 he obtained his Ph. D. with a thesis on Romanian postmodernism. As a student, he was an active member of the “Monday Literary Circle” / “Cenaclul de Luni” at the University Centre in Bucharest (whose director was the literary critic and professor Nicolae Manolescu).
He made his debut in print with poetry in “Romania literara” in 1978. His first book was a volume of poetry called Headlights, Shop-windows, Photos / Faruri, vitrine, fotografii (Cartea Romaneasca, 1980). He contributed poetry, prose and articles to various literary reviews, such as: “Romania literara”. “Echinox”, “Dialog”, “Amfiteatru”. “Caiete critice”. “Contrapunct”, “Contrafort”, “Lettres Internationales”, and others, as well as to the daily “Curentul”. Since 1990 he also contributed to several publications abroad.
His first publication was followed by several other books: Air with Diamonds / Aer cu diamante (an anthology together with Traian T. Cosovei, Florin laru, and Ion Stratan; Litera, 1982); Love Poems / Poeme de amor (poetry, Cartea Romaneasca, 1983); Everything / Totul (poetry, Cartea Romaneasca, 1985); The Dream / Visul (short stories. Cartea Romaneasca, 1989, reprinted as Nostalgia / Nostalgia, stories. Humanitas, 1993); The Levant / Levantul (poetry. Cartea Romaneasca.
1990; the second edition was published in 1998); The Chimeric Dream / Visul chimeric (essay, Litera, 1992); Love / Dragostea (poetry. Humanitas, 1994); In Disguise / Travesti (novel, Humanitas, 1994); Dazzling. The Left Wing / Orbitor. Aripa stînga (novel, Humanitas. 1996); Double CD / Dublu CD (poetry, Humanitas. 1998). Some of his short stories were published in the anthology Desant ‘83 edited by Ovid S. Crohmalniceanu and in the anthology Short Fiction of the ‘80s Generation / Generaţia ‘80 în proza scurta edited by Gheorghe Craciun and Viorel Marineasa (Paralela 45, 1998).
Selections of his poems were published in the Anthology of the Poetry of the ‘80s Generation / Antologia poeziei generaţiei ‘80 edited by Alexandru Musina (Vlasie, 1993), in the Anthology of Romanian Poetry from Its Origins to the Present Time / Antologia poeziei romanesti de la origini pîna azi edited by Dumitru Chioaru and loan Radu Vacarescu (Paralela 45, 1998), in the Anthology of Cultivated Romanian Poetry / Antologia poeziei romanesti culte (texts, bio-bibliographical notes and critical references by Florin Sindrilaru, Teora, 1998), in the anthology section of the book Experiment in Post-War Romanian Literature / Experimentul literar romanesc postbelic (Paralela 45. 1998), and in the anthology Romanian Poets of the ‘80s and ‘90s edited by Andrei Bodiu, Romulus Bucur and Georgeta Moarcas (Paralela 45, 1999). Some of his theoretical articles were published in the book The Competition Continues. The ‘80s Generation in Literary Criticism / Competiţia continua. Generaţia ‘80 în texte teoretice, edited by Gheorghe Craciun (Vlasie. 1994).
His prose was translated into French, Spanish, German, Hungarian, and Dutch. In Ireland, together with Romulus Bucur, he published the book Poetry at Annaghmakerring (Dublin. Dedalus Press, 1994). He has been awarded several prizes, as follows: the prize for a first book of poetry awarded by the Writers’ Union in Romania (1980); the poetry award of “Flacara” literary review (1990); the poetry award of the Writers’ Union of Romania (1990); the poetry award by the Romanian Academy (1990); the award for fiction of the Association of Professional Writers in Romania - ASPRO (1994. 1996); he was nominated for the award “The Best Foreign Book Published in France” (1992) and for the award of the Latin Union (1993).
At present, he is a lecturer in Romanian literature at the Faculty of Letters in the University of Bucharest. He is a member of the Writers’ Union of Romania and of the Association of Professional Writers in Romania - ASPRO.
His work has been reviewed by the following critics, among others: Nicolae Manolescu (“Romania literara”, no. 3/1981); Ion Bogdan Lefter (“Opinia studenţeasca”, 1981); AI. Cistelecan (“Familia”, no. 6/1983); loan Buduca (“Amfiteatru”, no. 5/1983); Mircea Iorgulescu (“Romania libera”, no. 12017/1983); Gheorghe Perian (“Vatra”, no. 6/1985); Gheorghe Grigurcu - Explosive Poetry: Mircea Cartarescu / O lirica exploziva: Mircea Cartarescu (in The Existence of Poetry / Existenţa poeziei, Cartea Romaneasca, 1986); Florin Mugur (in Sketches on Happiness / Schiţe despre fericire, 1987); Mircea Mihaies (“Orizont”, no. 43/1989); Ovid. S. Crohmalniceanu (in The Second Breath / Al doilea suflu, Cartea Romaneasca, 1989); Radu G. Ţeposu (in The Tragic & Grotesque History of the Dark Literary Decade, the Ninth / Istoria tragica & grotesca a întunecatului deceniu literar noua. Eminescu, 1993); Ion Bogdan Lefter (“Contrapunct”, 1990): Nicolae Manolescu (“Romania literara”, 1990); Livius Ciocarlie - Surface and Depth / Suprafaţa si adîncime (“Orizont”, no. 1/1999); Corina Ciocarlie - Nostalgia. Anamorphoses, Metamorphoses / Nostalgia. Anamorfoze, metamorfoze (in Women in front of the Mirror / Femei în faţa oglinzii. Echinox, 1998); N. Steinhardt, Alex. Stefanescu, Al. Pint, and others.
Trivia :
He is married with the poet Ioana Nicolae.
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