Translation Tuesday: Three Poetic Voices in Romanian

Today we introduce three more talented poets from Romania and Moldova, three strong poetic voices from this part of Europe.

Andreea Apostu

hokkaido

things that I learned to do thoroughly
to cut my hair above my shoulders
to not show my back to other people
so that I can hide my birthmark
from the sun and cancer
to wear pants so that my knees stay out of sight
my birthmark has the shape of hokkaido
a brown and extreme sun which gives you a state
of wellbeing
and surprises you even now
like that ghirlandaio painting from a church you
entered by mistake
you could see the magi and baby jesus
only if you slid a coin
through a metal slot
and a spotlight showed you mary laughing

Translation: Andreea Apostu

Antonia Mihailescu

which birds sing to you
the temperature difference
subtle.in these nights the clock sets his own alarm
just in time he likes to wake me up with a cryptic chirp
birds with metallic hands//
Born in the urban jungle and(however much they may try) they cannot separate from the windows in which they bang every morning making//pouring his coffee on the microwave and to wake up his wife with the buzzing of the blender to yell at the idiots that don’t know how to use the turn signal to lay on the couch with a kilo beer//tell me which birds sing to you

Translation: Rareș Rotariu

Victoria Tatarin

He called around lunchtime
And told her
He would be home early that day
She knew he would be tired
So in no time, she cooked a modest supper
From everything she found in the fridge.
Some old ham,
Semi-dry dark bread
And vegetable broth
She wanted him to sense her blood
Like back then, their first time
Outside, there was a factory warehouse
The workers poured melted metal
From tanks into shapes
She was so young,
She could not cook
Nor could she make love properly
She could feel he would come
That night he slipped inside
Through the gap under the door.

Translation: Natalie Nera


About the Authors:

Andreea Apostu is a research assistant at the “G. Călinescu” Institute of Literary History and Theory of the Romanian Academy and has published numerous papers on literature, postimpressionist and avant-garde art in scientific journals and collective volumes. She has also published literary reviews in Revista de Povestiri, Bookaholic, Timpul, Infinitezimal and Le Grand Continent. She read poems at the literary club Institutul Max Blecher (The Max Blecher Institute) coordinated by Claudiu Komartin and has recently published in „Zoom France Roumanie” (a poem in French) and „Adevărul” (in Romanian).

ANTONIA MIHĂILESCU is a twenty-year-old student at University of Arts ”George Enescu” – Faculty of Theatre – Theater Directing Department. She is a member of House of Poetry Light of ink and
the organizer of Online Maraton of Poetry 2020 and SAD Festival 2020.


Victoria Tatarin is a poetess from the Republic of Moldova. She was born in 16.05.2002. She finished school this year. She started writing at Creative Writing club “Vlad Ioviță” and she was a participant at Reading club “Republica”. First time when she was published it was in anthology “Unsprezece”(eleven) in 2019. She was included in very important literature anthology “Poesis international” în 2020. Over publishing was in internet magazines like “Noise Poetry”, “Poeticstand”. In January 2020 she was a participant of literature marathon in Czech and Slovakia Republics(from the initiative of Mircea Dan Duță).