Touched by an Angel. Atins de inger

Cativa dintre ei sunt de-a dreptul fascinanti. Manuscrisele primite la aceasta editie a concursului Lidia Vianu Translates 2023 le-am citit cu o bucurie aparte. Ca atunci cand citesti un roman pe care nu il poti lasa din mana, tot asa ma sculam eu dimineata cu un singur gand: Voi gasi azi un poet chiar mai bun decat cel de ieri?

Nu am avut niciodata in minte sa ma transform in distribuitor de premii. Am citit toate manuscrisele primite ca pe o bucurie a mea, si am ales poetii care m-au impresionat. Cum zice castigatorul acestui maraton, Virgil Diaconu,... poetul autentic nu poate fi subevaluat prea multa vreme.

Nu este toata critica esuata estetic... Am gasit poeti atinsi de inger. Si mi-am propus ca in anul urmator sa caut adevarata critica de intampinare. La fel ca Virgil Diaconu, si eu cred ca Nu se poate ca poetul care este atins de inger sa nu fie vazut in ingereasca lui. Critica literara de intampinare este aerul pe care il respira literatura noua, si tocmai de aceea criticii literari merita o antologie a lor. La fel ca poetul, criticul literar merita si el sa fie cunoscut si citit si tradus.

— Lidia Vianu

It has been many years now since I have been selecting and translating anthologies of contemporary Romanian poetry. These anthologies have appeared both on paper, at various publishing houses, and online, at Contemporary Literature Press. I have translated well-known poets, young poets, poets nobody seems to know yet.

I have translated all my life. I have learnt how to read with my own eyes, and never even glance at the list of prizes some poets send. This book, however, is a very special one. It includes both well-known poets [which makes me very happy], and poets very few people have heard of.

Some of those littleknown poets are really fascinating. It has been a joy to read the manuscripts sent for this edition of Lidia Vianu Translates 2023. Just like a teenager who cannot put a novel down, I woke up every morning with one question in my mind: Will I find today an even better poet than I did yesterday?

I have chosen the poets that impressed me. The winner of this year, Virgil Diaconu, wites: … the genuine poet cannot be ignored forever. A poet touched by an angel cannot fail. I have found poets who have been touched by an angel. I have even made a plan for next year: I will try to find literary critics and literary magazines who write about contemporary Romanian writers. The literary critics who keep literature going deserve an anthology of their own.

— Lidia Vianu