Interview

In the first of a new series of interviews with translators and writers, we are delighted to introduce Felix Rian Constantinescu, whose work we have recently published here at Alluvium.

Alluvium: Felix, firstly thank you for agreeing to speak with us. Could you start by introducing yourself and your work?

Felix: Hi Literary Shanghai. Professionally speaking, I see myself first as a poetry translator. I translated my first poems when I was in seventh grade – the work of Anne Sexton. I also translated some work by Ruckert – a minor German poet – from a Gothic lettered book printed in 1843 in Leipzig. But broadly speaking, I’m a poet, author, and writer of short plays.

Alluvium: What challenges do you face in your work as a translator?

Felix: I see myself as a millionaire fisherman. I buy lakes and lie in wait, reading anthologies to find a beautiful poem to translate. As part of my job I collect anthologies. I even have Chinese literary magazines in English dating back as far as 1986 and 1990. I’m a great believer that more poetry should be published and translated, especially in smaller countries like Romania. For me, China is definitely the future.

Alluvium: In the context of the recent Sino-Romanian project to translate the works of the great Romanian masters into Chinese, have you translated any work from Chinese into Romanian?

Felix: In 2018 I translated work by four Chinese poets – An Qi, Li-Young Lee, Ah Xin and Ba Ling. They are all contemporary poets, but in my opinion masters of the craft.

Alluvium: What, in your opinion, makes a good translator?

Felix: To put it quite bluntly, self-identification as a poet. To translate poetry, you must be able to write it.

Alluvium: What do you find most rewarding about the translation process?

Felix: That the poems are ‘out there’ being read. A poem is like a cabin – a place to go to and read or brood over things like love and death. It’s a great feeling when someone totally unknown to you translates your work and publishes it on a renowned website with your name on it. The most rewarding thing about translating is being read, I believe. To be read is to be loved.

Alluvium: For readers unfamiliar with Romanian literature, who are the most interesting “masters”, in your opinion?

Felix: I am the child of Romanian and French teachers, so I grew up with poetry. My father once told me that if he were stranded on a desert island with only one Romanian poetry book, it would be by Alexandru Philippide. My mother loved Ion Pillat and Ștefan Octavian Iosif, and I’m a fan of Octavian Goga. Other notable names are Mihai Eminescu, Alexandru Macedonski, George Coșbuc, Lucian Blaga, Ion Barbu, Tudor Arghezi, Vasile Voiculescu, Nichita Stănescu, and Marin Sorescu.

Alluvium: And who is the most interesting Romanian author writing today?

Felix: Linda Maria Baros.

Alluvium: Finally, what are your hopes for the future in your career as a writer and translator?

Felix: My main hope is to carry on translating and being published for the rest of my life,  translating as many beautiful works as possible.

Alluvium: Thank you!