The 80’s Generation and their Short Prose Fiction
The article signed by Ovidiu Moceanu brings forth the moment when the 80’s generation started its affirmation, and it emphasizes the implications of the young writers’ interest in short prose fiction. The return to short prose fiction does not equate a transitory preoccupation and, when a generation aims at revitalizing its structures, one cannot talk about an epiphenomenon. It is a generally accepted fact that the previous decade had focused on the Romanesque convention. Caiete critice (no. 1-2/1983) of the Viaţa Românească Journal marks an essential moment in the evolution of the novel and accomplishes a significant image from within, from the perspective of those “involved”. The survey on the situation of “today’s Romanian novel” is conducted at a time when people talk about the “resurrection of the short prose fiction”. Terms such as „text”, „textualization”, „experiment” abound and the preoccupations for finding new narrative solutions prevail. The theory the writers report themselves to (the nouveau roman, the texts of the “Tel Quel” group, R. Barthes’ writings, generative grammars) is, undoubtedly, interesting.
In the ’80s, a fertile route can be glimpsed by means of books belonging to Mircea Nedelciu (Aventuri într-o curte interioară / Adventures in an Inner Yard, Efectul de ecou controlat/ The Effect of Controlled Echo, Amendament la instinctul proprietăţii/ Amendment to the Ownership Instinct, Zmeura de câmpie/ Field Raspberry), Gheorghe Crăciun (Acte originale/copii legalizate/ Original Documents/ Legalized copies), Alexandru Vlad (Aripa grifonului/ The Gryphon’s Wing), Sorin Preda (Povestiri terminate înainte de a începe/ Stories ended before beginning), George Cuşnarencu (Tratat de apărare permanentă Treaty for Permanent Defence), Nicolae Iliescu (Departe, pe jos…, Far away, walking…..), Aurel Antonie (Mozaicul/ The Mosaic), Carmen Francesca Banciu, Tudor Dumitru Savu, I. Lăcustă, some of the authors published in the anthology Desant ‛83 etc., many being on the way to their editorial debut at the time, but well/known figures in journals.
Keywords: short prose fiction, text, textualism, experience, the 60’s generation, the 80’s generation, structure, innovation, modernity, tradition.