"Aer cu diamante" after twenty years

Many authors wanted to define the '80s and only succeeded in defining themselves. It is hard to say how many of those really belonged to a literary current of the '80s. One thing is certain though: the authors in the "nexus" (as Mircea Cartarescu calls it in the "Postmodernismul Romanesc") have a certain familiarity, a certain poetry, a strange combination of surrealism and street poetry imported from the US, both sprinkled with humour and imagery. When he says "nexus," Mircea Cartarescu talks about the four authors of the first anthology of the "Monday Circle," called "Aer cu diamante" (Air and diamonds). They are the very popular Florin Iaru, Ion Stratan, Traian T. Cosovei and, last but not least, Mircea Cartarescu himself. All those writers started in the circle we talked about, under the protective wing of critic Nicolae Manolescu, in a loving environment. They had a great measure of freedom (there were moments when the attic of the circle was the location of many parties hosted by the DJ Traian T. Cosovei. Some guests came equipped with toy machine guns and "shot" those who wrote bad literature). Although most of the authors that passed through this club regret it, they took different paths and wrote independently. Their poetry was no longer part of the current but it was a good thing nevertheless. The men who made "Air and diamonds" were the prodigy children of the media. They were the ones who felt the sharpest pain when they separated from the group. Once out in the open, they were no longer protected by the aura of the club and people sometimes rejected them just because they used to be part of something that desired change. "Saptamana," the publication of the Securitate, criticised their every published appearance. Ironically, this was the factor that secured their popularity. Today, people realised that nobody can write in the "'80s style" after the '80s have passed. Poetry finally gained its due place in literature. After a lot of fight and reconciliation, the four authors of the "Air and diamonds," older and wiser, decided to publish another book together. It will come 20 years after their last. "Air and diamonds II" will be a book that will attempt to grant value to writing styles in poetry and will depict the authors' evolution. Tudor Jebeleanu was invited to participate; he is the artist who made the graphic and pictures for the first volume and Nicolae Manolescu will write another foreword. We do not know yet what publishing house will be in charge of the book because its printing is rather expensive, authors say. It is certain though that its presence on the market will be a literary event.