Elena Ştefoi

Born in 1954 in Bucharest, Romania, Elena Stefoi is a distinguished poet and journalist. Her career began after the fall of the Romanian communist regime in 1989. Stefoi worked as the editor-in-chief of Dilemma magazine from 1993 to 1997.

She began her career in diplomacy at the Romanian ministry of foreign affairs, and later moved to Montreal, Canada to become the general consul. In November 2005, she was appointed Romanian ambassador to Canada.

Elena Stefoi has published five books of poems: The Draught Line (1983, Linia de plutire), Exam Every Day (1986, Repetiţie zilnică), Drafts and Stories (1989, Schiţe şi povestiri), A Few Similarities (Câteva amănunte, 1990) and The Starting Line(1996, Alinierea la start).

Stefoi’s poetry is an ingenious mix of sarcasm and pointed criticism. Her poems first appeared in English translation in Michael March’s anthology of Eastern European authors, Child of Europe.

Stefoi has also written a few books of non-fiction, most notably a book-length interview with politicians Andrei Ples and Petr Roman, titled Transformations, Inertias, Disorders: 22 Months After 22 December 1989 (2002, Transformări, inerţii, dezordini, 22 luni după 22 decembrie 1989).