In memoriam AUGUSTIN BUZURA, best loved and respected Romanian author

“To write means to save from death some of the infinite facets of the world we inhabit, to leave documents to those who will come with the hope that they would solve a part, as insignificant as it were, of the mysteries of what we call life.” Augustin Buzura

„A scrie înseamnă a salva de la moarte câteva dintre infinitele fețe ale lumii în care trăim, a lăsa celor ce vin documente în speranța că vor dezlega ei o parte, cât de neînsemnată, din tainele a ceea ce numim viață…” Augustin Buzura

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Augustin Buzura (born 22 September 1938, Berința, Maramureș County, died 10 July 2017, Bucharest) was the pre-eminent novelist of contemporary Romanian writing, publishing several novels, editing magazines and engaging in literary tours and partnerships during a period from 1963 to his death. Throughout those years he was engaged in a number of dangerous and difficult confrontations with the authorities, and after 1989, his conflicts with official opinion continued, morphing into passionate satires on the state of his region throughout its history.

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Augustin Buzura was one of the best-loved and respected Romanian authors, and “Report on the State of Loneliness” is his first novel published in the United Kingdom.

The novel “Report on the State of Loneliness” (Raport asupra singurătății) is a series of interlocking stories about the last hundred years of Transylvanian history, interspersed with the author’s reflections on identity and the approach of death. In part a lively political satire, in part a meditation on his own life, in part a passionate exploration of Balkan history, Report is a fascinating and illuminating read.

“Report on the State of Loneliness”
Paperback, 520 pages
Profusion Books (London, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-0956867643; ISBN-10: 0956867642
Translated from the Romanian by Ramona Mitrica, Mike Phillips and Mihai Risnoveanu

Profusion books are available in paperback from www.profusion.org.uk and Amazon.co.uk, as well as Kindle e-books. Send an e-mail at mail@profusion.org.uk for details.

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Augustin Buzura was a Romanian novelist and short story writer, also known as a journalist, essayist, literary critic, and screenwriter. His career spanned more than fifty years, encompassing eight novels, a number of short story collections, three books of interviews and essays, a great number of articles and opinion pieces, a brilliant career as a magazine editor, and also as a cultural manager promoting Romanian culture abroad for nearly two decades.

His novels, “The Absentees” (Absenții, 1970), “The Faces of Silence” (Fețele tăcerii, 1974), “Pride” (Orgolii, 1977), “Voices of the Night” (Vocile nopții, 1980), “Refuges” (Refugii, 1984) and “The Road of Ashes” (Drumul cenușii, 1988), confronted communist censorship, bringing the author celebrity, friendship and solidarity from his readers. “Requiem for fools and beasts” (Recviem pentru nebuni și bestii, 1999) is the novel of transition-time Romanian society, which Augustin Buzura observed with the same unbiased vigilance. His final novel, “Report on the State of Loneliness” (Raport asupra singurătății, 2009), explores the Romanian landscape over more than 70 years, subtly locating the history of a myriad of individuals and events within their broader European context. All his novels enjoyed countless editions in Romania and abroad, the author being rewarded with numerous prizes.

Augustin Buzura, besides the novels for which he is best known, also wrote film scripts, such as “Somewhere in the East” (Undeva în est, 1991; based on his novel The Faces of Silence), “The Forest Woman” (Pădureanca, 1987) and “Pride” (Orgolii, 1982), this latter being also based on one of his novels. A number of his writings have also been adapted for film and TV.

He practiced other literary genres as well, such as essays and memoirs. His name is also fundamental to the structure of Romanian journalism. Besides Tribuna magazine, Augustin Buzura was a presence in the pages of almost all Romanian literary magazines, as well as being the founder of several publications established under the aegis of the Romanian Cultural Foundation, an organisation he led as president until 2003. He was the President of the Romanian Cultural Institute until January 2005. In the same year, he re-launched the magazine Cultura (Culture), which he led as editor-in-chief and editorialist.

Augustin Buzura was a Doctor Honoris Causa of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, a correspondent member of Sudosteuropa Gesellschaft and a member of the Romanian Academy, the Brazilian Academy of Letters and the Academy of Latinity.

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