Mihai Radu

Rehearsals of the World – open discussion with writer Mihai Radu

Mihai Radu (1977, Bucharest): writer, journalist. He earned a degree in philosophy from the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași. He is a regular contributor to the weekly newspaper Cațavencii and writes for the TV programme Starea Nației. His first collection of prose was published in 2009 under the title Hobby și alte povestiri (Hobby and other stories). His other works include: Femeile vin de pe Venus, bărbații de la băut, 2013 (Women come from Venus, men from the pub), Bărbații vin de pe Marte, femeile de la coafor, 2015 (Men come from Mars, women from the hairdresser’s), both co-authored with Simona Tache; Sebastian, ceilalți și-un câine, 2014 (Sebastian, the others and a dog), Extraconjugal, 2017, 2018 (Out of wedlock), Contaminare, 2019 (Contamination), Repetiție pentru o lume mai bună, 2022 (Trial for a better world). His latest novel was staged by the National Theatre of Bucharest in March 2023, directed by Radu Afrim. In addition to the drama of his stories, his works often include humour and sarcasm.

“Humour gives you the leisure to see things as they truly are.” – stated the author in an interview, in which he also reflected upon his relationship with literature: “I think literature flows somewhere inside you, no matter what you do. On weekends, in the evening, and sometimes in the morning after I wake up, if I want to write a few lines that I have in my head, I put them on paper. It’s a bit of an odd way of writing, but I think everyone can find those little paths that get them to the place where they can say what they absolutely have to say.” (“Humour is part of our lives, more than we would like”, Observator Cultural, Adela Greceanu).

Humour, sarcasm, dramatic stories, and everyday moments “worth telling” – all of these will be discussed at the first literary event of the 9th edition of pulzArt. The author’s discussion partner will be Imre Szőcs, translator and librarian, who is also responsible for the Hungarian translation of the novel titled Contaminare, published under the title Átszivárgás by Typotex Publishing House in 2021.

Date: 15th of September, Friday, 17:30
Location: Tamási Áron Theatre, foyer