Eighteen established writers, one from each city/region, were commissioned to write a chapter in a response to their Arts & Society theme within the context of their city.
Just as Ulysses is innovative in its form and language, so the writers were chosen with a view to reflecting a breadth of genres, styles and innovations. All the (new) chapters from the 18 cities/regions will be brought together in a book to be published in the Autumn 2024: ULYSSES European Odyssey.
Ana Cucu Popescu wrote Cluj-Napoca’s chapter.
Writer’s Statement
I was drawn to this project because of its complexity. The idea of intertwined works from 18 European writers coming together in a book was extremely attractive to me.
Ulysses by James Joyce is a stepping stone in universal literature, so rewriting one of its chapters, and having complete creative freedom while doing that, seemed like one of the most significant challenges a writer can face. I love the idea of literature, and history for that matter, continuously rewriting themselves to create new and relevant realities.
In the context of a social and political system that has proven itself time and time again to be deeply flawed and prone to bring misery and suffering to people, such creative endeavours offer an outlet both for the artists involved but also for their audiences / readers, an opportunity to recontextualise historical events, both past and present, and to understand them better.
Writer’s Biography
Ana Cucu Popescu was born in Târgu Jiu in 1988. She is a playwright and author. She graduated from the Theatrology Department of the Faculty of Theatre and Film at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca in 2010 and gained a masters in Dramaturgy-Filmology within the same faculty in 2012.
She started working as a playwright in 2008 when one of her plays was staged for the first time. Over the following years, she has had more than 15 national premiers. Popescu is interested in interdisciplinary and experimental projects and shows for young audiences.
In 2015 she started teaching creative writing classes to children and adolescents within the Little Stage Theatre School in Târgu Jiu, Romania. Over time she has led many workshops in cultural mediation and education through theatrical means. In 2023 she received the Best Playwriting Prize at the Bucharest Fringe Festival. In October 2023 her book 4 piese cu susul în jos – Antologie de teatru contemporan pentru copii (4 upside down plays – Anthology of contemporary theatre for children) was launched.
She has written many plays, among them The Middle Realm and About Stars, both directed by Delia Gavlițchi in 2019, Upside down and Fox Man or the privilege of being a super hero, staged at the North Theatre Satu Mare in 2021 and What am I looking for?, directed by Radu Tudosie at the Elvira Godeanu Dramatic Theatre Târgu Jiu in 2021.
She currently works as the Literary Secretary at “Puck” Puppet Theater in Cluj-Napoca.