PEN representatives from 15 countries in Bucharest for PEN Romania’s 95th anniversary

PEN Romania is celebrating its 95th anniversary at the Bucharest International Poetry Festival. Representatives of 15 PEN national clubs will come to Bucharest to attend the anniversary events held on May 15 to May 17.

„Set up among the first ones in Europe, in 1922, only a year after the PEN International had been established in London, PEN Romania knew the tides of Romania’s stormy history in the 20th century. Recreated in 1990, among the first ones in eastern Europe, PEN Romanian club assumed a role to encourage the free thinking and to protect writers and their works both in Romania and in other countries worldwide. During May 15-17 PEN Romania is celebrating an advanced age. We’ll actually celebrate the wroters’ commitment to the courage of their writing and in the fate of the world,” said writer Magda Cârneci, PEN Romania president.

PEN anniversary includes debates, public reading sessions, the launch of the „PEN 95” anthology and a documentary exhibition.

PEN anniversary events were opened on Monday afternoon at Filipescu-Cesianu House in the presence of Kätlin Kaldmaa, PEN International Secretary General, PEN Estonia, Jarkko Tontti – PEN International, PEN Finland and Romanian representatives of the Romanian Cultural Institute and museum directors.

The debate National Histories of PEN Clubs will take place at the Group for Social Dialogue (120 Calea Victoriei) on Tuesday, from 10:00 to 12:00, with speeches by Entela Safeti Kasi (Albania), Gueorgui Konstantinov (Bulgaria), Olga Walló (Czechia), Nadežda Čačinovič (Croatia), Lee Gil-Won (South Korea), Kätlin Kaldmaa (Estonia), Jarkko Tontti (Finland), Sylvestre Clancier (France), Regula Venske (Germany), Mykola Riabchuk (Ukraine); Ana Blandiana, Denisa Comănescu, Simona-Grazia Dima, Caius Dobrescu, Mariana Gorczyca and Dan Horațiu Popescu, from Romania.

Also on Tuesday, the PEN 95 anthology will be launched at the National Museum of Romanian Literature (9Nicolae Cretulescu street) at 16:00, as well as an exhibition.

Public reading sessions are scheduled on Tuesdau as of 20:30 performed by Constantin Abăluță, Dan Anghelescu, Svetlana Cârstean, Simona-Grazia Dima, Emilian Galaicu-Păun (Republica Moldova), Ioana Nicolaie, Adrian Popescu, Radu Sergiu Ruba, Eugenia Țarălungă, Radu Vancu, Ioan Vieru, Călin Vlasie, Claudia Voiculescu; music: Mircea Tiberian (piano) and Nadia Trohin (voice), and moderated by Magda Cârneci.

On Wednesday from 11:00, „ Displaced Cultures in a Globalized World” debate will take place at Brancovenesti Palaces Cultural Center, with the following writers attending: Gueorgui Konstantinov (Bulgaria), Nadežda Čačinovič (Croatia), Katica Kulavkova (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Emilian Galaicu-Păun (Republic of Moldova), Veronika Dintinjana (Slovenia), Haydar Ergülen (Turkey), Mykola Riabchuk (Ukraine); Gabriela Adameșteanu, Svetlana Cârstean, Ruxandra Cesereanu, Simona-Grazia Dima, Bogdan Ghiu, Alex. Goldiș, Mariana Gorczyca, Claudiu Komartin, Angelo Mitchievici, Carmen Mușat, Radu Vancu and Miruna Vlada, from România.

The closing gala of the event will take place frm 13:30 to 14:00.

The 8th edition of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival (FIPB) started on Monday May 15 and will last until May 21. For one week, over 100 poets from 30 countries are coming to Bucharest to attend more than 20 events hosted in 11 cultural venues in the Romanian capital.

The National Book and Poetry Fair comes back into the limelight proposing readers a rich offer of poetry volumes printed at Editura Casa Radio, Charmides, Curtea Veche, Max Blecher, Editura Muzeul Literaturii Române, Națiunea, Nemira, Paralela 45, Tracus Arte.

The Romania Journal supports FIPB as media partner.