✨ Romanian poetry took centre stage at this year's European Poetry Festival and, for the very first time in the festival's history, it had a dedicated night. The concluding event at the 9th festival edition, the evening brought together a full house of festival friends, writers, artists, literature lovers and members of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London community for a dynamic and playful night of live literature. Representing Romania, Simona Nastac, Chris Tănăsescu (

What a delightful afternoon we had celebrating the launch of "Pass:ages", the debut volume of acclaimed mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose, just out from Tango Publishing House in the translation of Matthew McMillan. Opened by RCI London Director Aura Woodward, the event brought together an enthusiastic audience for an afternoon that moved seamlessly between reflection, storytelling and music. In conversation with celebrated soprano Nelly Miricioiu, translator Matthew McMillan an

Last weekend, together with the Embassy of Romania in the UK/ Ambasada României în Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii şi Irlandei de Nord and the Consulate General of Romania in London/ Consulatul General al României la Londra, we welcomed members of the Romanian diaspora at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London for “A Hand for the Poet…on Stage” (Aplauze pentru poet pe scenă), a moving performance that brought to life the works of some of Romania’s most beloved poets across

Last night, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London became a meeting place for some of the most exciting literary voices of the diaspora from the Republic of Moldova, in a celebration of contemporary writing that crossed borders, languages and lived experiences. Our guest authors were Anda Vahnovan, Vica Demici and Stela Brinzeanu. The evening opened with a welcome address by RCI London’s Deputy Director Raluca Ioana Cimpoiasu, who acknowledged the growing international rec

A powerful and deeply moving presence at this year’s European Writers’ Festival, Liliana Corobca opened the festival’s second day with the panel Personal Histories, introduced by the chair of the festival’s programming panel, European Literature Network director Rosie Goldsmith. Joining writers Fabio Andina (Switzerland) and Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs (Faroe Islands), in a conversation moderated by broadcaster and artist Bidisha Mamata at the British Library, Liliana brought extr

Another wonderful evening with celebrated author Tatiana Țîbuleac last night, this time at UCL discussing her books and identities in Moldova, Romania and the diaspora. Here, Tatiana was in dialogue with Associate Professor Ramona Gönczöl and the journalist, author and publisher Paula Erizanu, as well as UK-based Romanian and Moldovan students Maria Popa, Ecaterina Rotaru and Cristina Bradescu. The event concluded our programme at this year's London Book Fair and it was organ

What a memorable evening we shared at the Romanian Cultural Institute London, celebrating the launch of Ludovic Bruckstein’s “Maybe Even Happiness” and a double anniversary: 15 years of Istros Books and 20 years of the Romanian Cultural Institute’s Translation and Publication Support programme. The evening was opened by Aura Woodward, RCI London director, setting the tone for an event rich in emotion, reflection, and literary camaraderie. Although Alfred Bruckstein, Ludovic B

🌿📚 Still under the spell of The Summer My Mother Had Green Eyes Last night at Hatchards, the oldest bookshop in the United Kingdom and official bookseller to the Royal Household, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London hosted the central event of its programme for the London Book Fair 2026: the launch of the English edition of Vara în care mama a avut ochii verzi / The Summer My Mother Had Green Eyes, the nineteenth translation of Tatiana Țîbuleac’s acclaimed novel. It wa

📚 Last night, in the wonderful setting of the Waterstones bookshop on the King's Road, the Romanian programme associated with The London Book Fair 2026 officially began. The first event, “Romanian Literature Now: Translation, Voice, Identity”, showcased recent titles by Romanian authors published in English, either in the original or in translation. The following titles were presented: 📖 Pain is a Foreign Country: An Anthology of Recent Romanian Poetry, ed. Paul Doru Mugur

The London Book Fair has just started and Romania participates for the 16th time. Romania's stand was officially opened by HE Laura Popescu, Romania's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, in the presence of HE Ruslan Bolbocean, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the United Kingdom. Aura Woodward, Director of Romanian Cultural Institute in London said that the focus this year is Romanian literature as it is written, translated and published across languages, geographies and

The Romanian Cultural Institute in London recently hosted a special evening marking the publication, by Doubleday, of Fiona Sampson’s "Becoming George" - an outstanding new biography that has already attracted significant critical acclaim and excellent reviews. The event was opened by RCI London director Aura Woodward, who welcomed the audience and presented the dynamic structure of the evening, emphasising the value of such initiatives for Romanian–British cultural dialogue

On Saturday, we celebrated Romania’s National Culture Day with a bilingual poetry recital. 🎭 The live Romanian-language performances were delivered by actors Emilia Popescu and Demeter András, while English-language readings were presented, on screen, in the interpretation of Sir Michael Pennington, Anamaria Marinca and the late Ion Caramitru. 📖 Entitled “A Hand for the Poet … on Stage”, the recital featured verses by Mihai Eminescu, Tudor Arghezi, Marin Sorescu and Nichita

The UK tour of acclaimed Romanian author Mircea Cartarescu has ended but the butterflies in the tummy are still there. The tour ended on Thursday with a grand finale at Romanian Cultural Institute in London in front of a full house. Mr. Cărtărescu took us on a memorable journey of his writings, and literature in general. Everything from matrix, quantum physics, 16th century paintings in Naples to his writing habits was in the mix as we celebrated the publication into English

Romania’s Royal Women Reimagined Last week, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London concluded a vibrant and eventful October with the launch of Alta Ifland ’s historical novel " Two Queens and a Chronicler " at Wembley Library . The event opened with a warm welcome by Library and Outreach Officer Mollie Aldridge , followed by Councillor Teo Benea , representing Brent Council, who spoke about the importance of bringing Romanian cultural events closer to the local community

European Poetry Festival Thu 03 Jul | Norwich This summer, Romania-based Moldovan-Bulgarian poet Lena Chilari makes her UK stage debut at the 8th edition of the European Poetry Festival. Lena Chilari , a Romania-based Moldovan-Bulgarian spoken word artist and performer, took to the stage in Norwich and Liverpool, for this year’s European Poetry Festival (EPF), delivering powerful bilingual performances in front of full-house audiences. At the beautif

Lettre Internationale, Romanian Edition, Launches in London We have launched the latest issue of Lettre Internationale , a literary and cultural magazine published by the Romanian Cultural Institute. Acclaimed British authors Zinovy Zinik and Matthew Caley joined Lettre editor Adrian Mihalache to explore the concept of the "underdog" in significant works of universal literature. It was a short voyage into literary history! At the Romanian Cultural Institute in London , we

Launch of “Time, Death, and the Unspeakable Secret”, the third volume by Mircea Eliade in English translation, hot off the press from Istros Books! Journalist George Stanică moderated a conversation that explored Eliade’s cultural legacy and contemporary relevance. This was part of the launch event celebrating the publication of Mircea Eliade ’s book “Time, Death and the Unspeakable Secret”, recently published by Istros Books. 🗓️ When: Thursday 29 May, 7 pm 📍 Where: RCI Lon

"Journal of Joy" Launches in Belgravia UK launch of Nicolae Steinhardt’s “Journal of Joy”, the first official translation of the uplifting and revelatory Romanian classic. “This is the Journal of Joy , a joy founded on the Resurrection, unconquerable by the manifest powers of death. Now at last available in English, its joy can help transform the petty anxieties that beset us.” - Archpriest Andrew Louth, Professor Emeritus, Durham University. The launch of Nicolae Steinhardt

on Literary Translation Our last event in Romania's programme at The London Book Fair brought together Romanian and British publishers and authors whose meaningful work in promoting international literature and cross-border dialogue across the years has made our world richer. Our guest speakers were Denisa Comanescu (Humanitas), Dan Pleşa (Vellant), Monique Charlesworth (Moth Books) and Neil Astley (Bloodaxe Books), in a conversation chaired by cultural manager, translator, a

An Evening with Award-Winning Poet Ana Blandiana We had a memorable evening celebrating the power of poetry to uplift, to make room for the light to fill the crevices of our lives. The highlight event of Romania’s participation in this year’s London Book Fair was dedicated to one of the country’s most revered literary figures, poet and activist Ana Blandiana. She was joined by the acclaimed British poet and biographer Fiona Sampson MBE FRSL, a long-standing supporter of Roman