Romulus Bărbulescu (October 27, 1925,

Sulina Sulina () is a town and free port in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja, Romania, at the mouth of the Sulina branch of the Danube. It is the easternmost point of Romania. History During the mid-Byzantine period, Sulina was a small cove, and in th ...

– February 9, 2010,

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

) was a

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

science-fiction writer. In 1963, Bărbulescu published "Constellations from the Waters," the first of 10 science fiction novels that established him and his co-author, George Anania, as pioneers of the genre in Romania. They drew their inspiration from Russian writers like Ivan Efremov or

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky The brothers Arkady Strugatsky (28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Strugatsky (14 April 1933 – 19 November 2012) were Soviet and Russian science-fiction authors who collaborated through most of their careers. Their notable works in ...

, or the Polish author

Stanislaw Lem Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

. In a

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

society where criticizing current social norms was forbidden, alternative reality was good metaphor, and even better, safe. In the 1980s, the government of Romanian President

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...

took control of Anania and Bărbulescu's fan clubs to monitor discussions on utopian societies and social justice.Kevin J. O'Brien �
Science fiction sales – the post-Soviet generation – Technology & Media
at

International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France, for international English-speaking readers. It published under the name ''International Herald Tribune'' starting in 1967, but its ...

October 29, 2006

Published books

* 1983 – ''

Catharsis Catharsis is from the Ancient Greek word , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing", commonly used to refer to the purification and purgation of thoughts and emotions by way of expressing them. The desired result is an emotional state of renewal an ...

'', editura

Albatros An albatross is one of a family of large winged seabirds. Albatross or Albatros may also refer to: Animals * Albatross (butterfly) or ''Appias'', a genus of butterfly * Albatross (horse) (1968–1998), a Standardbred horse Literature * Albat ...

* 1991 – '' Încotro curge liniștea?'', editura Ion Creangă, Bucharest * 1993 – '' Golful ucigașilor'', editura Porto-Franco,

Galați Galați ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the river Danube. and the sixth-larges ...

With George Anania

* '' Constelația din ape'' (1962), '' Colecția "Povestiri științifico-fantastice"'' nr. 174-179 (en. ''Constellations from the Waters'') * '' Statuia șarpelui'' (1967), Editura Tineretului * '' Doando'' (1969) – Editura Tineretului * '' Planeta umbrelelor albastre'' (1969), '' Colecția "Povestiri științifico-fantastice"'' nr. 356-359 * '' Ferma oamenilor de piatră'' (1970), Editura Tineretului (en.
The Stone Men Farm
') * '' Paralela-enigmă'' (1973), Editura Tineretului * '' Șarpele blând al infinitului'' (1977) * '' Cât de mic poate fi infernul?'' (1993), Editura Odeon

Published books

With George Anania

See also

References

External links