Excerpts : Princess Marthe Bibesco Ana Blandiana Smaranda Braescu Madelene “Madi” Cancicov Nina Cassian Elena Ceausescu Ioana Celibidache Queen Elisabeth of Romania Princess Gregoire Ghica Princess Ileana of Romania Dora D’Istria Monica Lovinescu Ileana Malancioiu Queen Marie of Romania Dr. Agnes Kelly Murgoci Mabel Nandris Countess Anna de Noailles Ana Novac Oana Orlea Ana Pauker Marta Petreu Elisabeta Rizea of Nucsoara Sanda Stolojan Leontina Vaduva Anca Visdei Sabina Wurmbrand   Ileana Malancioiu (b. 1940, Co. Arges, Romania), Poet, Philosopher, Editor, living in Romania ANTIGONE “A frozen mound, white body of a dead man fallen in hard battle and left above the Earth. Hungry dogs come to bite the treacherous snow and another winter comes, too, to take its bite. Let a pure woman appear to break the command, to wrench the forsaken body from the dogs and hide it as a dear brother-- while those near her wash their hands of it and allow her to be buried alive in the earth clothed in unreal white, for as the emperor lost his great battle she wept and buried her frozen mound.” [Translation by Daniela Gioseffi.] From: “On Prejudice: A Global Perspective, a multicultural anthology of world literature”. Doubleday/Anchor, NY. 1993 Biography: Ileana Malancioiu is a prolific poet who managed to publish since her debut in 1961 nine volumes of verse AND to be awarded the Poetry Prize of the Romanian Writers Union. Given the practices of Socialist Realism hardened by Ceausescu’s brand of Communism which degenerated in a grotesque cult of personality, one may well ask if Malanciou paid lip service to the greats of the day or , whether she managed as a subtle philosopher to fool the autocracy in getting away with poetry which was non-partizan, non-commital? A difficult tight rope act which Malancioiu played with great skill. Her refuge was in ancient history and the parallels of emperors and dictators may not be difficult to identify in present-day harsh reality. But HOW did she succeed?, when in the “Free West” a fellow Romanian, was banned from receiving the Goncourt Prize, precisely for a work which also took refuge in ancient history to denounce the illigitemacy of the communist system? AND he was literally hounded out of town! But then, as Cioran put it “Anything is possible in Romania”: Malancioiu’s record is one such case. Ileana Malancioiu is an editor of the monthly literary magazine “Viata Romaneasca”. Bibliography: Daniela Gioseffi: “On Prejudice: A Global Perspective, a multicultural anthology of world literature”. Doubleday/Anchor, NY. 1993 >> Back to TOP