Well-known Romanian poet would have turned 75

Chisinau, 20 July /MOLDPRES/ - A Romanian poet, essay writer, publicist and political figure Adrian Paunescu would have turned 75 today.   

Paunescu was born in the Copaceni village, Balti county, Bessarabia, on 20 July 1943. He finished the National College Carol I from Craiova and studied philology at the Bucharest University. Adrian Paunescu is known also as organizer of the Flacara (The Flame) literary club. Starting from 1973, he led the Flacara magazine. Paunescu founded the magazine Totusi Iubirea (Nevertheless Love) in autumn 1990.  

According literary critics, Adrian Paunescu was one of the most prolific Romanian writers. He published more than 50 volumes of poetry, essays, journalism, speeches with the overall number of one million copies. As publicist, Paunescu led, for a short period in 1999, the newspaper ”Sportul românesc” (The Romanian Sport), and made football programmes at the Antena 1 TV station. 

Adrian Paunescu debuted as literary author in 1960. A good deal of his poems was made known as verses of songs by composers of the folk and rock genres. His talent of poet was appreciated by more literary critics. Thus, Eugen Simion (former president of the Romanian Academy) considers that Paunescu was ‘’the last great Romanian social poet.’’

Adrian Paunescu cooperated with the departed duet Doina and Ion Aldea-Teodorovici, with whom he gave concerts in front of fighters of the Transnistria War in 1992.  

On 31 August 2010, Adrian Paunescu was handed the diploma and signs of honorary member of Moldova’s Academy of Sciences (ASM) at a festive meeting dedicated to the National Holiday Our Romanian Language.  

ASM president, academician Gheorghe Duca at that time said that ‘’the honorific distinction was awarded to this outstanding personality of our nation for prodigious activity, in order to consistently promote the values of culture, history and authentic national traditions, scientific truth about the Romanian language and literature in Moldova.’’ The decision to give Adrian Paunescu the title of honorary member of ASM was taken by the general assembly of the Academy’s members in Chisinau on 12 August 2010.

Adrian Paunescu died on 5 November 2010. A bust to the departed poet was set on the Alley of Classics of the Romanian Literature in Chisinau. Starting from 2015, the Adrian Paunescu International Festival has been organized in Copaceni village, Sangerei district.  

(Reporter N. Roibu, editor L. Alcaza)