In the next episode of our online series "My First American: Transatlantic Encounters and Portraits", where some of the best-known contemporary Romanian writers recall through vivid vignettes and memorable portraits their momentous encounter with the very first American seen in flesh and blood, author and screenwriter Florin Lăzărescu evokes the eye-opening relation with his American mentor. Tune in to find out "What We Talk about When We Talk about Mr. Lawson". English version of the text by Gabi Reigh.
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A very prolific and versatile writer, Florin Lăzărescu (b. March 28, 1974) is a well-established author leaving in Iași, Northeastern Romania. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Letters at the University of Iași (1998) and a founding member of FILIT - Iași International Festival of Literature and Translation. Screenwriter of the short film Lampa cu căciulă / The lamp with a Hat (2006, directed by Radu Jude, winner of best short film at the Sundance Film Festival). Co-writer of the medium-length film A Shadow of the Cloud… (directed by Radu Jude, which premiered at Cannes in 2014) and of the feature film Aferim! (2015, directed by Radu Jude, winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, nominated for Best Screenplay at the European Film Academy Awards in 2015, winner of the Gopo Award for Best Screenplay in 2016). Florin debuted as an author in 2000 with a volume of short stories: Cuiburi de vîsc / Mistletoe Nests (Outopos, Iași). He has also published the novels Ce se știe despre ursul panda / What Is Known about the Panda Bear (Polirom, 2003), Trimisul nostru special / Our Special Envoy (Polirom, 2005, 2014), Amorțire / Numbness (Polirom, 2013), the collections of stories Lampa cu căciulă / The Lamp with a Hat (Polirom, 2009) and Întîmplări și personaje / Stories and Characters ( Polirom, 2015), and the children's book Puiul de balaur, puiul de zmeu și puiul de om / Dragon Baby, Ogre Baby and Human Baby (Cartier, 2019). His latest novel is entitled Noaptea plec, noaptea mă-ntorc / I Leave at Night, I Return at Night (Polirom, 2021). His books have been translated and published in 10 languages.
“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: Elena Vlădăreanu, and Caius Dobrescu.
Watch the previous episodes here: Ep. 1 / Ana Maria Sandu Ep. 2 / Bogdan Coșa
Ep. 3 / Adriana Babeți