Eighteen established writers, one from each city/region, will be 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 will be chosen with a view to reflecting a breadth of genres, styles and innovations. Each writer will ideally attend their own city’s event. All the (new) chapters from the 18 cities/regions will be brought together in a book publication: ULYSSES European Odyssey.
Ana Cucu Popescu will write Cluj’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 is 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 seems 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 recontextualize historical events, both past and present, and to understand them better.
Writer’s Biography
Ana Cucu Popescu graduated from the Theatreology Section of the Faculty of Theatre and Film at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca (2010) and the Dramaturgy-Filmology Masters within the same faculty (2012). She started working as a playwright in 2008 when one of her plays was turned into a show for the first time. In the following years, she has delivered more than 15 national premiers..
Ana 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 conducted many workshops in cultural mediation and education through theatrical means. In September 2023, she received the prize for best playwriting at the Bucharest Fringe Festival. In October 2023, her book “4 piese cu susul în jos – Antologie de teatru contemporan pentru copii” was launched.