Memory as Performance: Bogdan Coșa Remembers His "First American"

Our online series “My First American: Transatlantic Encounters and Portraits”, where some of the best-known contemporary Romanian writers recall their consequential encounter with the first American seen up and close, continues with poet, prose writer and editor Bogdan Coșa, one of the young stars of Romanian literary scene. With dramatic flair and expressive impetuosity, the multi-awarded author pictures his first meeting with a transatlantic fellow right in the middle of a Disneyesque German schloss. English version of the text by Andrew Davidson-Novosivschei.  

Watch on our Facebook, YouTube, IGTV and Website on Tuesday, May 24, 2 p.m. EST or any time later. 

“My First American: Transatlantic Encounters and Portraits” is an online program developed in partnership with the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Bucharest. Next authors in the series:  Adriana Babeți, Florin Lăzărescu, Elena Vlădăreanu, and Caius Dobrescu.  

Bogdan Coșa (b. 1989) graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Brașov University, then studied  for a master's degree in Bucharest. In 2011 he published “Poker”, the first novel of a trilogy bearing the same title, after winning the Prize for Debut awarded by the prestigious Cartea Românească Publishing House. In 2013 Cartea Românească published his poetry book, „O formă de adăpost primară” / “The Simplest Form of Shelter”, and the second part of his trilogy, entitled “Black Glass”. This book brought him the Young Prose Writer of the Year 2013 award during the 4th edition of the Young Writers' Gala. „Ultraviolență” / “Ultraviolence”, the last volume of the trilogy, appeared in 2017 at Polirom Publishing House. The novel „Cât de aproape sunt ploile reci” / “How Close the Cold Rains Are” (Trei Publishing House) won the Prize for the Best Book of Prose at the Cultural Observatory Awards Gala in 2021. Also in 2021 he published his first children’s book, „Ziua în care Adam a devenit băiat bun” / “The Day Adam Became a Good Boy”. He is the recipient of the creative writing grant awarded by the Cultural Observatory magazine, of the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Fellowship (Akademie Schloss Solitude), and of the H.C. Artmann Stipendium (Literaturhaus Salzburg), and has benefited from residency programs for writers offered by Akademie Schloss Solitude, Literaturhaus Salzburg, International Writers and Translators’ Center of Rhodes, Hessischer Literaturrat, Pécsi Íróprogram, FILIT, and the Mircea Dinescu Poetry Foundation.