Mircea Nedelciu, considered to be one of the most important Romanian writers of the "80s generation" and also a major figure of national Postmodernism, is being rediscovered with great enthusiasm by younger readers, almost a decade after his death. For Mircea Nedelciu was in his time one of the most interesting, original and influential new writers, despite the fact that censorship often caused delays or interdictions.
Born on November 12th 1950, Mircea Nedelciu later enrolled at the University of Bucharest, where he studied at the Philology Faculty, until 1973, specialising in French and Romanian literature and language. Since his student years, young Mircea Nedelciu was a member of the literary circle led by the famous critic Ovid S. Crohmalniceanu, who would play a key-role in discovering, promoting and encouraging several major Romanian writers, the best known being Mircea Cartarescu. An original and strong literary voice, Nedelciu would publish his first ever volume in 1979, a book of short stories, titled "Aventuri intr-o curte interioara" (Adventures in an Inner Courtyard), followed by an impressive string of novels, volumes of literary essays, magazine articles, short stories. He was very popular to a large degree due to the fact that many of his articles were translated and published in France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Hungary, while in Romania his books became symbols of the "80s generation", a group of young, tallented writers, who wanted to bring something new, to breakaway from the "old", to change it all.
Untill 1999, the year of his death, Mircea Nedelciu will publish several volumes, at the same time leading a bohemian, free life, working for a long time a library-clerk at the Cartea Romaneasca publishing house in Bucharest. Among the most important titles are : Desant '83 ( a collective prose volume), "Si ieri va fi o zi" (And Yesterday Will Be a Day), "Zmeura de campie" (The Plain Wildberry), "Femeia in rosu" (Woman in Red), "Zodia scafandrului" (The Zodiac of the Deepdiver), just to name a few. All of these were popular, some were almost bestsellers, later published in several foreign languages. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1988 and battled the disease for more than a decade, finally passing away on July 12th 1999, being buried at the Bellu Cemetary, on the so-called Poet's Alley.
Mircea Nedelciu was a special and unique voice in contemporary Romanian literature. Although maybe not as known as he should have been, his influence upon younger generations of writers and poets was profound and important. Breaking away from the official Communist themes and techniques of his time, before 1990, he managed to offer readers books that were artistic, courageus, new and interesting. Which required a special talent, a special training and a little luck and sensibility. Nedelciu had them all.
2008-06-24
