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New Romanian Fiction

January 2015

In this collection, originally featured in the January 2015 issue of Words Without Borders, we present a selection of new Romanian writing by Mircea Horia Simionescu, Razvan Petrescu, and Tatiana Niculescu Bran, guest edited by noted translator Jean Harris.

Grin and Bear It: Transformative New Romanian Fiction

To make haz de necaz is to transform tribulation through the play of wit.

The Agent

By Tatiana Niculescu Bran

“Little lady, do you have a craving for cozonac?”

Translated from Romanian by Jean Harris

The Ditch

By Răzvan Petrescu

The shovels’ dull thud mixed with the steady patter of rain.

Translated from Romanian by Florin Bican

Onomasticon

By Mircea Horia Simionescu

As a child, he suffered from the disease called humility. Poor man!

Translated from Romanian by Sean Cotter