Marin Mincu (1944–2009)

Mincu's anthology, three decades after it has been first published, is still a great anthology of the Romanian literary avant-garde, even though the textualist point of view is hardly relevant already, if else for the reason that it tends to minimize the differences between poets, for instance making Roll the equal of Voronca, while post-1947 Gellu Naum is virtually non-existent (problem that is not fixed in „O panoramă critică...”, 2007). Tristan Tzara's most innovative poems out of his first poems are once again left out... Not to mention that the notes on Urmuz are very questionable.

But there are many positive aspects. In this particular 2006 edition you can find several poems by Tașcu Gheorghiu, the legendary surrealist poet that has only published one poem during his lifetime (Ughi). Several less known poets, such as Virgil Gheorghiu, V.V. Martinescu or Dan Faur, get their redemption. The texts written directly in French by the Romanian surrealists (some of them extremely rare) are noted down together with great translations by Marin Mincu's wife, Ștefania Mincu. There are over 30 pages of poems by Virgil Teodorescu (a poet that has been virtually unedited after his death). And all that without mentioning the features of the preface, like I said a tad too textualist, but also quite useful in entering the pits of the very difficult texts of the avant-garde.… (altro)

Mincu's anthology, three decades after it has been first published, is still a great anthology of the Romanian literary avant-garde, even though the textualist point of view is hardly relevant already, if else for the reason that it tends to minimize the differences between poets, for instance making Roll the equal of Voronca, while post-1947 Gellu Naum is virtually non-existent (problem that is not fixed in „O panoramă critică...”, 2007). Tristan Tzara's most innovative poems out of his first poems are once again left out... Not to mention that the notes on Urmuz are very questionable.

But there are many positive aspects. In this particular 2006 edition you can find several poems by Tașcu Gheorghiu, the legendary surrealist poet that has only published one poem during his lifetime (Ughi). Several less known poets, such as Virgil Gheorghiu, V.V. Martinescu or Dan Faur, get their redemption. The texts written directly in French by the Romanian surrealists (some of them extremely rare) are noted down together with great translations by Marin Mincu's wife, Ștefania Mincu. There are over 30 pages of poems by Virgil Teodorescu (a poet that has been virtually unedited after his death). And all that without mentioning the features of the preface, like I said a tad too textualist, but also quite useful in entering the pits of the very difficult texts of the avant-garde.… (altro)