Romanian author Mircea Cartarescu on Sunday launched his novel "Theodoros" at the Jean-Francois Boch Cultural Centre in Luxembourg in the presence of a large audience, which "confirmed the constant interest in the work of one of the most important contemporary Romanian authors", according to a press release from the Romanian Embassy in Luxembourg.
Sunday night's event was "dedicated to a conversation about literature, imagination and the construction of a narrative universe of great magnitude, marking the opening of this year's Spring Poets Festival."
Romania's ambassador to Luxembourg Livia Rusu said stated at the beginning of the debate that over the last decades, Cartarescu become an internationally renowned novelist, essayist and public intellectual.
The Romanian author's works have been translated into over 20 languages and have been awarded numerous prestigious literary prizes throughout Europe, such as the Thomas Mann Prize and the Formentor de las Letras Prize in 2018, as well as the Dublin Literary Prize in 2024.
Cartarescu's latest novel "Theodoros" represents another remarkable step in his literary career, according to organisers. Published in 2022, "is an effervescent historical epic, inspired in part by the extraordinary life of Tewodros II, one of the most enigmatic rulers of 19th century Africa."
The meeting was moderated by Paul Mathieu, Belgian and Luxembourgish poet and prose writer, permanent secretary of the Luxembourg Academy, member of the Association of Belgian French-speaking Writers, who, according to the press release, underlined the importance of the publication "Theodoros" in the context of contemporary universal literature.
In his turn, Cartarescu highlighted the genesis of the novel, the years of documentation and writing, as well as the challenges of building a character and a fictional world of such magnitude.
"The dialogue between the author and the guests touched on themes such as the relationship between history and fiction, the symbolism in his fiction and the role of imagination in the configuration of a contemporary literary discourse. The public was invited to participate actively, and the questions asked generated a lively exchange of ideas. The atmosphere was warm and interactive, with the participants having the opportunity to interact directly with the author. The autograph session that followed the presentation took place under the sign of interest and closeness between the writer and his readers", according to the Romanian Embassy in Luxembourg.
The event was part of a promotional tour dedicated to the novel "Theodoros", supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels, one of the embassy's partners in this conversation, along with the Spring of Poets Festival.
Comentează