Adrian Păunescu

Adrian Păunescu OR
Păunescu in 2009
Born	(1943-07-20)20 July 1943 Copăceni,Bălți County,Kingdom of Romania (nowRepublic of Moldova)
Died	5 November 2010(2010-11-05)(aged 67) Bucharest,Romania
Resting place	Bellu Cemetery
Occupation	Poet, politician, journalist
Language	Romanian
Alma mater	University of Bucharest
Period	1960–2010
Notable works	Ultrasentimente(1965),Flacăramagazine
Spouse	Constanța Buzea ​ ​ (m.1961⁠–⁠1976)​ Carmen Păunescu (b. Antal) ​ ​ (m.1990)​

Adrian Păunescu(Romanian pronunciation:[adriˈanpə.uˈnesku];20 July 1943 – 5 November 2010) was a Romanian writer, publisher, cultural promoter,translator,and politician. A profoundly charismatic personality, a controversial and complex figure, the artist and the man are almost impossible to separate. On the one hand he stands accused of collaboration with the Communist regime, but on the other hand he was persecuted and ostracised by the regime when he started to confront its failures, and when his influence started to be considered dangerous.

Păunescu was called "Romania's most famous poet" in anAssociated Pressstory, quoted byThe New York Times.

Life

Born inCopăceni,Bălți County,in what is now theRepublic of Moldova,Păunescu spent his childhood inBârca,Dolj County.He started his secondary studies at theFrații Buzești High SchoolinCraiovaand then continued atSaint Sava High SchoolinBucharest.

Păunescu studiedphilologyat theUniversity of Bucharestand became a writer and journalist. He was an influential public figure for Romanian youth throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.Though he was criticised for writing flattering poems aboutNicolae Ceaușescu,Păunescu remained popular in Romania,where he appeared on television several times a week.

As posthumously summarized by newspaperRomânia Liberă,Păunescu "is still viewed as a hero by the man in the street"although "intellectuals continue to question his integrity and the literary value of his work".

FlacăraandCenaclul Flacăra

Main article:Cenaclul Flacăra

A member of theUnion of Communist Youthbetween 1966 and 1968, and, between 1968 and 1989, of theRomanian Communist Party,Păunescu gained control over a major weekly publication,Flacăraand became the producer and host of an immensely popular itinerant series of cultural events in the country,Cenaclul Flacăra,founded in 1973 and ended by the Communist authorities in 1985. The events included folk and pop music, poetry recitals, and Păunescu's personal and often rousing speeches. Through this cultural forum, Păunescu promoted Romanian poetry and music, instilling a nationalistic tone calling for pride in Romanian spiritual-artistic values and expression, seemingly as a counterpoint to the "puerile and pernicious" pop music (both Romanian and foreign) available on radio stations. Poets promoted included canonical names of Romanian literature:Mihai Eminescu,Lucian Blaga,Octavian Goga,George Bacovia,Nichita Stănescu,Ana Blandiana.Păunescu's own poems, recited at these events, have a social theme, about the life and difficulties of ordinary people. They remain very popular decades after, many Romanians being able to recite parts of them from memory.The performers were a mix of professional artists as well as talented amateurs vetted by Păunescu himself. Many of these "novices" have become famous performers, household names — for example,Nicu Alifantis,Adrian Ivanițchi,Marcela Saftiuc,Mădălina Amon,Ștefan Hrușcă,Mircea Baniciu,Mircea Vintilă,Tatiana Stepa,and many others. At the height of its popularity, the events were gathering tens of thousands of young people, filling stadiums.

Poetry

As with the man, Adrian Păunescu's poetry is difficult to define or pigeonhole easily. On debut he writes in a modernist and mythological tone - reinterpreting old myths couched within abstract contemporary rhetoric. In this phase he also writes "pure poetry", similar to his illustrious contemporary Nichita Stănescu, although most people and literary critics mostly remember the later Păunescu poetry, the one moving to a Messianic tone, where his verses were sung and recited by thousands of young people in stadiums.Regarding the later, singer and song-writer Daniel Reynaud, who occasionally performs (Australia, USA) songs on verses of Păunescu translated in English, expressed the opinion thatAgainst War(Antirăzboinica- Verses Adrian Păunescu, music Valeriu Sterian, translationDaniel Ioniță) is on par with any anti war poem or song Bob Dylan, or anyone, might have written.

According to literary criticNicolae Manolescu,Adrian Păunescu is both loved and loathed, authentic and false, capable of sublime poetry as well as mediocre slogans. He certainly irritates, be it by default or design: "I hate everything about this poet, apart from his poetry..." (Eugen Barbu). Păunescu is capable of large and swift movements of emotion and expression in his poetry, where loud posing can be followed by delicate doubt, and a pamphlet by a hymn. "A devilish body with an angel's soul".Literary historian and criticAlex Ștefănescuis of the opinion that if professionally anthologised, liberated from its weaker parts, Adrian Păunescu's poetry could be on par with the best of what Romanian poetry has to offer.

Political career

After theRomanian Revolutionof 1989, Păunescu pursued a political career, aligning himself withsocialismand thensocial-democraticpolitical parties.

In 1996, he ran in that year'sRomanian presidential electionbut received only 87,163 votes (0.69%). He was asenatorfrom 1992 to 2008, representingDolj County(1992–2004) and thenHunedoara County(2004–2008), initially representing theSocialist Labour Party(PSM), and later theSocial Democratic Party of Romania(PSD). He received the most votes in his district at the2008 election,but failed to win a seat after the votes were redistributed pursuant to theMMPsystem used.

Death and legacy

Bust of Păunescu atGrădina Icoaneiin Bucharest

At aged 67, Păunescu was hospitalized on 26 October 2010 in the intensive care unit of theFloreasca Emergency HospitalinBucharest,with problems of more vital organs caused by pulmonary edema. Păunescu had subsequent renal, liver, and heart failure. He was declared dead at 7:15 AM, on 5 November 2010.Survived by his wife and three children, Păunescu was posthumously thanked by Romania's presidentTraian Băsescu,who in saluting him mentioned only his contributions to art.

In May 2012 a bronze bust of Păunescu, made by sculptors Ioan Deac-Bistrița and Dragoș Neagoe, was inaugurated atGrădina Icoanei,in central Bucharest.

Books

• Ultrasentimente(1965)
• Mieii primi(1966)
• Fântâna somnambulă(1968)
• Cărțile poștale ale morții(1970)
• Aventurile extraordinare ale lui Hap și Pap(1970)
• Viața de excepții(1971)
• Sub semnul întrebării(1971)
• Istoria unei secunde(1971)
• Lumea ca lume(1973)
• Repetabila povară(1974)
• Pământul deocamdată(1976)
• Poezii de până azi(1978)
• Sub semnul întrebării(1979)
• Manifest pentru sănătatea pământului(1980)
• Iubiți-vă pe tunuri(1981)
• De la Bârca la Viena și înapoi(1981)
• Rezervația de zimbri(1982)
• Totuși iubirea(1983)
• Manifest pentru mileniul trei(1984)
• Manifest pentru mileniul trei(1986)
• Locuri comune(1986)
• Viața mea e un roman(1987)
• Într-adevăr(1988)
• Sunt un om liber(1989)
• Poezii cenzurate(1990)
• Romaniada(1993–1994)
• Bieți lampagii(1993–1994)
• Noaptea marii beții(1993–1994)
• Front fără învingători(1995)
• Infracțiunea de a fi(1996)
• Tragedia națională(1997)
• Deromânizarea României(1998)
• Cartea Cărților de Poezie(1999)
• Meserie mizarabilă, sufletul(2000)
• Măștile însîngerate(2001)
• Nemuritor la zidul morții(2001)
• Până la capăt(2002)
• Liber să sufăr(2003)
• Din doi în doi(2003)
• Eminamente(2003)
• Cartea Cărților de Poezie(2003)
• Logica avalanșei(2005)
• Antiprimăvara(2005)
• Ninsoarea de adio(2005)
• Un om pe niște scări(2006)
• De mamă și de foaie verde(2006)
• Copaci fără pădure(2006)
• Vagabonzi pe plaiul mioritic(2007)
• Rugă pentru părinți(2007)
• Încă viu(2008)
• Libertatea de unică folosință(2009)

Presence in English language anthologies

• Testament - 400 Years of Romanian Poetry - 400 de ani de poezie românească- bilingual edition -Daniel Ioniță(editor and principal translator) withDaniel Reynaud,Adriana Paul & Eva Foster -Editura Minerva,2019 -ISBN978-973-21-1070-6
• Romanian Poetry from its Origins to the Present- bilingual edition English/Romanian -Daniel Ioniță(editor and principal translator) withDaniel Reynaud,Adriana Paul, and Eva Foster - Australian-Romanian Academy Publishing - 2020 -ISBN978-0-9953502-8-1;OCLC1288167046
• Testament – Anthology of Romanian Verse – American Edition -monolingual English edition-Daniel Ioniță (editor and translator), with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud, and Rochelle Bews – Australian-Romanian Academy for Culture – 2017 –ISBN978-0-9953502-0-5
• The Bessarabia of my Soul / Basarabia Sufletului meu – a collection of poetry from the Republic of Moldova -bilingual English & Romanian-Daniel Ioniță and Maria Tonu (editors), with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud, and Rochelle Bews – MediaTon – Toronto -Canada – 2018 –ISBN978-1-7751837-9-2

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election	Affiliation	First round			Second round
		Votes	Percentage	Position	Votes	Percentage	Position
1996	PSM	87,163	0.7%	9th

External links

Official links

• Păunescuat AdrianPaunescu.ro (official website)(in Romanian)
• PăunescuatBlogspot(official blog)(in Romanian)

Writings

• Adrian Păunescu – Poetry(in Romanian)
• Two of Păunescu's Communist-era poems(in Romanian)
• "A 1982 letter to Nicolae Ceaușescu".Archived from the original on 16 May 2007.Retrieved22 May2007.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)atCotidianul(in Romanian)

Music

• Adrian Păunescudiscography atDiscogs

Other

• PăunescuonYouTubeevoked byConstantin Pîrvulescu(in Romanian)
• 2013 Postage stamp issued by the Republic of Moldova