Dumitru Radu Popescu

Dumitru Radu Popescu was a Romanian novelist, poet, dramatist, essayist and short story writer. He was a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy and was, between 1980 and 1990, Chairman of the Romanian Writers' Union.
His 1973 novel Vînatoarea Regală was translated into English in 1988. His works have been described as "magical realism" and compared with those of Italo Calvino.

Biography

Born in Păușa village, Nojorid, he attended the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj, but left before completing his studies. Later, he studied at Babeș-Bolyai University. He then worked as a reporter for the literary magazine ', from 1956 to 1969, and served as editor of ' magazine, from 1969 to 1982. From 1982 he was editor-in-chief of Contemporanul. Since 2006, he has been the General Manager of the Romanian Academy's publishing house.
Popescu received the Prize of the Romanian Writers' Union on five occasions, and the Prize of the Romanian Academy in 1970.
In addition to his literary activities, beginning in 1968, he was a substitute member of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party and was elected to the Great National Assembly in 1975. From 1979 to 1989, he was a full member of the committee.
In 1983, one of his books was in the middle of a fight between a Romanian review, România Literară, and a Russian one, Literaturnaya Gazeta. For the Russians, his book about life after the war was too dark.

Popescu died in Bucharest on 2 January 2023, at the age of 87 and was buried in the city's Bellu Cemetery, by the Writers' Alley.

Novels

Short story collections

Plays

Poems

Essays