Ana Blandiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ana Blandiana
|
|
|---|---|
Blandiana in 2019
|
|
| Native name |
Otilia Valeria Coman
|
| Born | 25 March 1942 Timișoara, Romania |
| Pen name | Ana Blandiana |
| Occupation | Poet, writer, memoirist, novelist, playwright, translator |
| Language | Romanian |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Citizenship | Romania |
| Alma mater | Babeș-Bolyai University |
| Genres | Prose, poetry |
Ana Blandiana (born Otilia Valeria Coman on 25 March 1942) is a famous Romanian poet, writer, and public figure. She chose her pen name, Ana Blandiana, from her mother's home village, Blandiana.
In 2017, she received a special award for her amazing lifetime work in poetry from The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry. In October 2024, her writing was honored with the Princess of Asturias Award, a very important prize.
Contents
Ana Blandiana's Writing Journey
Ana Blandiana was born Otilia Valeria Coman on March 25, 1942. Her father, Gheorghe, was an Orthodox priest. He faced difficulties and spent time in prison during the Communist era. Her mother, Otilia, was an accountant. Ana married writer Romulus Rusan in 1960.
Early Works and Challenges
Ana Blandiana started her writing career in 1959 in a magazine called Tribuna. This was the first time she used the name Ana Blandiana. She also appeared in a book called "30 Young Poets."
For four years, she was not allowed to publish her work. This was because of her father's past. But in 1963, she started publishing again in Contemporanul magazine.
Her first book of poems, Persoana întâia plural ("First Person Plural"), came out in 1964. It was a big step for her. She became well-known for her later poetry books, Calcâiul vulnerabil ("Achilles' Heel", 1966) and A treia taină ("The Third Secret", 1969). In 1966, she took part in an international poetry contest in Finland.
Life in Bucharest
In 1967, Ana Blandiana moved to Bucharest, the capital of Romania. She worked as an editor for student magazines like Viața studențească and Amfiteatru. She also gave readings on TV, sharing her poems with many people.
From 1975 to 1977, she worked as a librarian. Her poems were first translated into French in 1976. In 1978, she attended a big poetry festival in Paris.
Speaking Out Through Poetry
In the late 1980s, Ana Blandiana started writing brave poems. These poems spoke out against the strict rules of the communist government.
In 1984, one of her poems, 'Totul' ('Everything'), was published. It described everyday life in Bucharest, showing how it was different from what the government claimed. This poem caused a lot of trouble. The magazine it was in was quickly removed from shelves, and the editors lost their jobs. Even so, the poem was translated and shared secretly in Romania and in other countries.
She also wrote a book called "Orașe de silabe" ("City of Syllables") in 1987. In this book, she wrote about the many countries and cities she had visited.
After the Revolution
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Ana Blandiana became involved in public life. She worked to help Romania move away from its communist past and become a more open society. She continued to write, publishing books like Arhitectura valurilor ("Waves' Architecture", 1990) and Sertarul cu aplauze ("The Drawer of Applause", 1992).
Ana Blandiana has written many other books of poems and prose. Some of her works include:
- 50 de poeme ("50 Poems"), 1970
- Octombrie, Noiembrie, Decembrie ("October, November, December"), 1972
- Întâmplări din grădina mea (Occurrences in My Garden), 1980
- Ora de nisip ("The Hour of Sand"), 1984
- Întâmplări de pe strada mea (Occurrences on My Street), 1988
- În dimineața de după moarte ("On the Morning After Dying"), 1996
- La cules îngeri ("Angel Gathering"), 1997
- Cartea albă a lui Arpagic ("Arpagic's White Book"), 1998
Her writings have been translated into 16 different languages, allowing people all over the world to read her work.
Her Poems in English Books
Ana Blandiana's poems have been included in several English language collections:
- 2019 -Testament - 400 Years of Romanian Poetry/400 de ani de poezie românească - Minerva Publishing 2019 - Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator), with Daniel Reynaud, Adriana Paul, and Eva Foster. ISBN: 978-973-21-1070-6
- 2020 - Romanian Poetry from its Origins to the Present - bilingual edition - Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Daniel Reynaud, Adriana Paul, and Eva Foster - Australian-Romanian Academy Publishing - 2020 - ISBN: 978-0-9953502-8-1 ;
- Testament - Anthology of Romanian Verse - American Edition - monolingual English language edition - Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud, and Rochelle Bews - Australian-Romanian Academy for Culture - 2017 - ISBN: 978-0-9953502-0-5
- Born in Utopia - An anthology of Modern and Contemporary Romanian Poetry - Carmen Firan and Paul Doru Mugur (editors) with Edward Foster - Talisman House Publishers - 2006 - ISBN: 1-58498-050-8
- The Phantom Church and Other Stories from Romania - Georgiana Farnoaga and Sharon King (editors and translators) - University of Pittsburgh Press - 1997 - ISBN: 978-0-8229-5608-2
Important Groups She Belongs To
Ana Blandiana is a member of several important organizations:
- Member of the Writers' Union of Romania
- Member of the European Academy of Poetry
- From 1990 to 2004, she was the President of the Romanian PEN Club. This is a group that supports writers and freedom of expression.
- In 1994, she started and led the Civic Alliance Foundation. This group worked to help Romania recover from the effects of over fifty years of communism.
See also
In Spanish: Ana Blandiana para niños
