Doina Ruști
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Doina Ruști (; (born 15 February 1957) is a Romanian writer and novelist. Some of her novels are: ' (''The Ghost in the Mill''), 2008, ', 2006, and ''Lizoanca la 11 ani'' (''Lizoanca at age eleven''), 2009.


Biography

Ruști was born in Comoșteni, Dolj County. She was brought up in a village in the south of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
by her parents and teachers, struggling to survive in a communist world. Her blood accommodates ancestry ranging from Montenegrin to
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and especially Danubian
Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Roman ...
, all with long names ending in ''-escu'', most of them teachers, store keepers and horse dealers. Her childhood home in Comoșteni preserved the experiences of a Balkan world, collected throughout hundreds of years. Ruști's youth was spent in a house which had saved the traces of a past rich in events, carriages, coffers and period clothes, crowned by plenty of books and objects which incited her imagination. But this world had brutally come to an end. When she was eleven, her father was murdered under mysterious circumstances, which have not been elucidated even to this day. The insecurity, oppression, absurd rules and chaos installed at the end of
communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
blended with the fantastic universe of a village governed by ghost tales, hierophanies, and underground forces, and this dramatic and magical setting inspired the novel ''Fantoma din moară'' (''The Ghost in the Mill'').https://www.nzz.ch/international/aktuelle-themen/rumaenien-literaturpolemik-bauer-3800-ld.1339469 For this novel, she was awarded the Prize of the
Writers' Union of Romania The Writers' Union of Romania (), founded in March 1949, is a professional association of writers in Romania. It also has a subsidiary in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The Writers' Union of Romania was created by the communist regime by taking ...
.


Work

A representative contemporary writer, Ruști has a wide variety of topics covered in her novels with a systematic construction. Some of her books were translated into international languages. Her novel ''Lizoanca la 11 ani'', 2009, 2017 was awarded the Ion Creangă Prize of the
Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...
br>
It was remarked as "one of the most powerful contemporary Romanian language, Romanian novel

from the point of view of its themes and typology construction (according to
Paul Cernat Paul Cernat (born August 5, 1972 in Bucharest) is a Romanian essayist and literary critic. He has a Ph.D. summa cum laude in philology. Cernat has been a member of the Writers' Union of Romania since 2009. As of 2013, he is lecturer of Romanian li ...
, Gelu Ionescu On its publication, ''Lizoanca'' caused debates, as it brought to the public's attention the story of a child almost unanimously accused of the atrocities committed by the accusers. Translated into German, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, the novel had reviews and kindled debates on taboo themes, such as
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty ...
, domestic abuse, the issue of children with incompetent parents (Marina Freier and
Magyar Nemzet ''Magyar Nemzet'' ('' en, Hungarian Nation'') is a major Hungarian newspaper published in Hungary, and in 2021 styled itself as "close to the current Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán." History and profile ''Magyar Nemzet'', a moderate ...
). For that matter, the topic of family decay as an institution is recurrent in all the novels written by Doina Rușt

Her bestseller '' (The Phanariots, Phanariot Manuscript)'', 2015, 2016, 2017), which novelizes a18th-century's love story, was followed by Mâța Vinerii (''The Book of Perilous Dishes'', 2017), a tale about sorcerers and magical culinary recipes, translated into German, Spanish and Hungaria

These two books give a perspective on a quite controversial historical period: the 18th Phanariots, Phanariot century. The stodgy Style (visual arts), style, the poetic overlay and the narrative fluidity were hallmarks of these two books. She is also the author of the novel'' Omulețul roșu (The Little Red Man,'' 2004, 2012), which was awarded the Prize of the magazine ''
Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' ( Romanian: ''Literary Talks'') is a Romanian literary magazine published in Romania. It is among the most important journals of the nineteenth-century Romania. History and profile ''Convorbiri Literare'' was founded by ...
,'' and the multi-awarded ''Zogru'' (2006, 2015), a meta-novel translated into Italian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Spanish. Ruști brings a specific vision into literature, exhibited throughout all strata of her work, but especially from a linguistic point of view. The creativity of expression lends the marker of her writing. She also wrote a number of short stories, published in periodicals and anthologies.


Style

Taking an interest in both the fantastic and realist genres, Doina Ruști succeeds in writing as persuasively about the atrocities of the contemporary world and high ideals. Her novels often feature rapists, murderers, people who are starving, become corrupt or consumed by trivial commitments, reminding us of
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most o ...
's characters – writer who has always inspired her. Ruști also brings to life
fantastic The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, charac ...
characters, elves, sprites, ghosts, magical cats and sorcerers, which prompted some critics to compare her work with Marc Chagall, with Mikhail Bulgakov's, Süskind's and Márquez's 5/span> (according to Dan C. Mihăilescu, Marco Dotti and Neue Zürcher Zeitung). The diversified themes that are strongly related to the present, as well as the ability of Doina Rusti of switching between registers, place her among the writers of contemporary Romanian literature (according to Breban,
Norman Manea Norman Manea (; born July 19, 1936), is a Romanian Jewish writer and author of short fiction, novels, and essays about the Holocaust, daily life in a communist state, and exile. He lives in the United States, where he is a Professor and writer ...
, Daniel Cristea-Enache).


Novels

* ' (''Occult Beds''), Litera, 2020 * ''Homeric'',
Polirom Polirom or Editura Polirom ("Polirom" Publishing House) is a Romanian publishing house with a tradition of publishing classics of international literature and also various titles in the fields of social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and a ...
, 2019 * ''Logodnica'' (''The Fiancée''), Polirom, 2017 * ' (''The Book of Perilous Dishes''), Polirom, 2017 * ', Polirom, Top 10+, 2017 * ', (''The Phanariot Manuscript'') Polirom, 2015, 2016 * ', 2nd ed, Polirom, Top 10+, 2013 * ''Mămica la două albăstrele'' (''The Story of an Adulterer''), Polirom, 2013 * ''Patru bărbați plus Aurelius'' (''Four Men Plus Aurelius''), Polirom, 2011 * ''Cămașa în carouri și alte 10 întâmplări din București'' (''The Checkered Shirt and 10 other episodes from Bucharest''), a narrative puzzle,
Polirom Polirom or Editura Polirom ("Polirom" Publishing House) is a Romanian publishing house with a tradition of publishing classics of international literature and also various titles in the fields of social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and a ...
, 2010 * ''Lizoanca la 11 ani'' (''Lizoanca at the Age of Eleven''), Ed. Trei, 2009 * ''Fantoma din moară'' (''The Ghost in the Mill''), Polirom, 2008. * ''Zogru'', Polirom, Iași, 2006, 2nd ed, 2013 * ''Omulețul roșu'' (''The Little Red Man''), Ed. Vremea, Bucharest, 2004


Translated work

* La gata del viernes (trad Enrique Nogueras, Esdrújula Ediciones, Granada, 2019 *''Das Phantom in der Mühle'' (trad. Eva Ruth Wemme), Klak Verlag, Berlin, 2017http://orpheusz.hu/ *''Lizoanca'' (trad. Szenkovics Enikő), Orpheusz,
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, 2015 * ''Eliza a los once años'' (trans. Enrique Nogueras), Ediciones Traspiés, Granada, 2014 * ''Zogru'' (trad. Szenkovics Enikő), Sétatér Kulturális Egyesüle, 2014 * ''Lisoanca'', Rediviva Ed., Milano, 2013 * ''L'omino rosso'', Nikita Editore,
Firenze Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, 2012 * ''Bill Cinton's Hand'', in Bucharest Tales, New Europe Writers, 2011 (coord: A. Fincham, J. G Coon, John a'Beckett) * ''I miei ginecologi'', in Compagne di viaggio, Sandro Teti Editore, 2011 (coord Radu Pavel Gheo, Dan Lungu) * ''Zogru'' (transl. Roberto Merlo), Ed. Bonanno, Roma, 2010 * ''L'omino rosso'' (transl. Roberto Merlo) in Il romanzo romeno contemporaneo (coord Nicoleta Nesu) Ed. Bagatto Libri,
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, 2010 * ''Cristian'' – Nagyvilag (transl. Noémi László), Budapesta, Sept. 2010 * ''The Winner'' – Nagyvilag (transl. Noémi László), Budapesta, Sept. 2010 etc. * ''Cristian'' (trans. in fr. Linda Maria Baros), rev Le Bateau Fantôme, no. 8, 2009, Ed. Mathieu Hilfiger * ''Zogru'' (transl. Vasilka Alexova), Ed. Balkani, 2008 * ''Dicționar de simboluri din opera lui Mircea Eliade'' (frag.) în La Jornada Semanal, nr. 455, 456, Mexico City, 2003 (trans: José Antonio Hernández García) * ''Lizoanca'' (trans Jan Cornelius), Horlemann Verlag, Berlin


Literary prizes

* The Romanian Academy's Ion Creangă Prize for the novel "Lizoanca at the Age of Eleven", 2009 * The Prize of the
Writers Union of Romania The Writers' Union of Romania (), founded in March 1949, is a professional association of writers in Romania. It also has a subsidiary in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The Writers' Union of Romania was created by the communist regime by taking ...
for the novel "The Ghost in the Mill", 2008 * The Golden Medal of Schitul Darvari, for literary activity. 2008 * The Prize of the
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
Writers Association for the novel "Zogru", 2007


Bibliography

* Pedro Gandolfo – '' Un espiritu ligeramente inqueto'',
El Mercurio ''El Mercurio'' (known online as ''El Mercurio On-Line'', ''EMOL'') is a Chilean newspaper with editions in Valparaíso and Santiago. Its Santiago edition is considered the country's newspaper of record and it is considered the oldest daily in ...
, 19 August 2018 * Adina Mocanu – ''La infancia en femenino las niñas'', Icaria Editorial, Barcelona, 2016, p. 2017. * Ramón Acín – ''Turia'', 115, Instituto de Estudio Turolenses, 2015, p. 323 * Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary Cinematic Monsters,
Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...
, New York, 2015 * Antonio J. Ubero – ''Las fabricas del odio'', La Opinión, 3 01, 2015 * Emanuela Illie – ''Fantastic și alteritate'', Junimea, 2013, p. 92 și urm. * Roberto Merlo – ''Quaderni di studi italieni e romeni'', 5, 2010, Edizioni dell'Orso, p. 121 * Daniel Cristea Enache – ''Timpuri noi'', Ed. Cartea Românească, 2009, pp 172; 174 * Dan C. Mihăilescu – ''Literatura română în postceaușism, II. Prezentul ca dezumanizare'', Ed. Polirom, 2006, p. 248


Notes


References


External links

* Official sit
Doina RuştiYou Tube Doina Ruști channelAmazonLITERA

Radio Romania International – Romanian Writer Doina Rusti
* Doina Ruști pe Internet Movie Database


Observator Cultural: Ficțiune și magie în decorul Bucureștiului fanariot



Evenments


Frankfurter Bukmesse

Das Phantom
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusti, Doina 1957 births Living people Romanian women novelists Romanian women short story writers Romanian short story writers People from Dolj County 21st-century Romanian novelists 21st-century Romanian women writers Slavery in the Ottoman Empire Romanian novelists