The University of Bucharest (UB) is to award an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) to poet Ana Blandiana during a ceremony on Thursday. She is regarded as one of the most significant voices in contemporary Romanian literature and an "emblematic personality of the Romanian public sphere."
"By awarding the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Bucharest, the poet Ana Blandiana receives recognition from the UB community not only for the value of a first-rate literary body of work, but also for the civic and moral dimension of a personality who has decisively shaped Romanian culture and public life - a civic force and a beacon of conscience in the face of dictatorship," university representatives stated in a press release.
As the author of 35 books published in Romanian and over 100 volumes appearing in 27 languages, Ana Blandiana has established herself as an essential figure in contemporary Romanian literature through a body of work encompassing poetry, prose, essays, and children's literature.
"Following her literary debut in the magazine Tribuna in 1959, she was subjected to three publication bans over the years: between 1959 and 1964, because she was the daughter of a political prisoner; then in 1985, for publishing four poems in the magazine Amfiteatru; and again between 1988 and 1989, following the publication of a parody of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the form of a children's poem. Even under these conditions, her writings continued to circulate and exert a powerful public influence, including through what became known as the only Romanian samizdat," the statement notes.
According to the same source, after 1989, Ana Blandiana played a vital role in the reconstruction of Romanian civil society. In March 1990, she re-established the "Romanian PEN Club" International Association, serving as its president from 1990 to 2004. In November 1990, she was one of the initiators of the Civic Alliance, which she led between 1991 and 2001. Alongside Romulus Rusan, she initiated in 1993 and realised - under the auspices of the Council of Europe - the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance in Sighet (Maramures), the first of its kind in the world. In 1994, she founded the "Civic Academy" Foundation, the organisation that continues to manage the memorial today.
In parallel, her literary work has achieved extensive international recognition. Over the years, Ana Blandiana has held numerous public readings, lectures, and dialogues with readers at universities, academies, cultural organisations, and poetry festivals across Europe, Latin America, the United States, and South Africa. The translation of her work into 27 languages has facilitated an exceptional international circulation of her writings and strengthened the presence of Romanian literature on the global cultural stage.
Numerous literary prizes confirm the power and relevance of a body of work that has consistently championed authenticity, originality, and the harmony between artistic expression and moral responsibility. These include: the International Herder Prize (1982), the Vilenica International Prize (2002), the "Giuseppe Acerbi" International Prize for Poetry (2005), the European Poet of Freedom Distinction and Award (2016), the Griffin Lifetime Recognition Award (2018), the Golden Wreath of Struga (2019), the Jan Smrek Prize (2019), the "Fondazione Terzo Pilastro" International Prize (2020), the Princess of Asturias Award for Letters (2024), and the City of Pescara Poetry Prize (2025).
Her public career has also been accompanied by numerous honours, including, in Romania, the National Order "For Merit" in the rank of Grand Cross (2000) and the National Order of "Faithful Service" in the rank of Grand Cross (2008). She has also received the title of Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (2009) from the French Republic and the "International Women of Courage Award" granted by the United States Department of State.
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