Carmen Firan, Paul Doru Mugur, and Edward Foster, eds.
BORN IN UTOPIA: An anthology of Modern and Contemporary Romanian Poetry

Talisman House, Publishers
ISBN 10: 1-58498-050-8
ISBN 13:  978-1-58498-050-6
Paper, 355 + x pp., 6x9
$27.95

“Born in Utopia: An Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Romanian Poetry, edited by Carmen Firan and Paul Doru Mugur with Edward Foster, makes it clear that the relative obscurity of Romanian poetry has been a historical accident, never a matter of lesser quality. . . . Born in Utopia is such an abundant book that it seems unfair to single out particular poets for mention, leaving dozens just as deserving to await discovery quietly. And there are important discoveries to be made here.” —Galatea Resurrects

Born in Utopia is a landmark in the history of literary translation. Critics have long recognized Romania as one of the foremost contributors to literary Modernism, but until now, English translations of even the essential works have been few. Born in Utopia also documents Romania's considerable poetic accomplishments both during the tyrannical regime of Nicolae Ceausescu and during the cultural flowering that followed. The editors have constructed an anthology that arguably places Romanian poetry at the center of literary achievement in our time.

Carmen Firan is the author of twenty books of poetry, fiction, and essays as well as several plays and film scripts. She has also translated the works of numerous American writers into Romanian. Since 2000, she has lived in New York, where she formerly directed programs at the Romanian Cultural Center.

Paul Doru Mugur is a translator and editor and the author of numerous works of poetry and fiction as well as essays and literary and art criticism. He currently lives in New York where he works as a physician.

Edward Foster is a poet, critic, and literary historian. He is a dean and professor of history in the College of Arts and Letters at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

ANTHOLOGY / POETRY