NICHOLAS CATANOY: Romanian Exilic Writer to Be Reclaimed as One of Our Own

Abstract

Romanian literary criticism of recent years has been challenged by the increasing number of studies taking up the unresolved issue of whether to consider Romanian exilic writers alongside those in the national canon. This paper aims at highlighting the personality, richness, and value of the work of Nicholas Catanoy, with a view to bridging the gap between the level of consideration given to exilic Romanian writers versus the autochthonous ones. This is considered necessary since exilic work has been unfairly judged by critics in the process of rehabilitation, and, this being a sensitive situation, it requires reflection and consideration before it is resolved. Probably it will still take a long time until a final decision is reached, but steps forward can be taken by examining the complex personality of Nicholas Catanoy, the exilic writer, who deserves to be given a place among local and national writers following his overseas literary recognition.