Dan Sociu

was born in 1978 in Botoêani in the north of Romania.  His first book, borcane bine legate, bani pentru înc² o s²pt²mîn², came out in 2002 (jars with tight lids, money for another week) and was recognized by the National Mihai Eminescu Prize for Poetry debut award.  In 2004, fratele p²duche (brother flea) appeared; this was reprinted in 2007.  In 2005, cîntece eXcesive (eXcessive songs) won the Romanian Writers’ Union Prize for the best poetry book of the year — the first time a book by a non–member was either nominated or won this major prize.  In 2007, he co–authored Poveêti erotice rom²neêti (Romanian erotica) and in 2008, his first novel, Urbancolia, was published to acclaim.  Sociu has translated Charles Bukowski into Romanian.  He is one of nine Romanian poets in the 2008 Graywolf anthology, New European Poets.  In May 2008, he read as part of PEN World Voices in New York, and for summer 2008, he was awarded a residency at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany.  A set of poems from eXcessive songs, which has been translated in full, was published in Calque.