Nina Cassian
(b. 1924)

Born in Galati, Romania, Nina Cassian has published more than 50 volumes of work, including poetry, fiction, and children's books. In addition to her writing talents, she has also been a journalist, film critic, and translator.

After Romania came under Soviet rule and Cassian's first collection of poems was published in the late 1940s, Cassian was labeled an "enemy of the people" because of her poetry. In an attempt to appease the authorities, she changed her writing style but found it incredibly frustrating to do so and ultimately stopped writing poetry for two years. During this time she wrote children's books and composed classical music. After her husband, the writer and critic Al. I. Stefanescu, died, she was allowed to leave Romania in order to teach creative writing at New York University. In 1985, her life was dramatically affected when authorities killed her friend, who was carrying Cassian's poems satirizing the Romanian government in his diary. Fearing for her own life, Cassian applied for political asylum in the United States, which she received. Since the fall of communism, she has returned to Romania several times. However, she continues to live in New York City.

About poetry, Cassian has said, "You can't appreciate its effect immediately, but through our daily routine we are often mentally and physically blind, and poetry helps us to see and hear better."

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