Aurel Dragoș Munteanu (16 January 1942 – 30 May 2005) was a

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

author and the director of

TVR TVR Electric Vehicles Limited is a British manufacturer of sports cars. The company manufactures lightweight sports cars with powerful engines and was, at one time, the third-largest specialised sports car manufacturer in the world, offering ...

following the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...

of 1989, making him a key part of the National Salvation Front's ability to gain support. He was born in Lăpușna, at the time in Lăpușna County,

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...

, now in

Hîncești District Hîncești () is a district () of Moldova, with the city of Hîncești as its administrative center. As of 1 January 2011, its population was 122,000. History The district has been inhabited since the Stone Age (40,000–30,000 BC). On the te ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

. A few years later, he took refuge with his family in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, where he attended high school in

Turda Turda (; , ; ; ) is a Municipiu, city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the European route E81, and from nearby Câmpia ...

, and then the Faculty of Philology of the University of Cluj. Upon graduation, he became an assistant at the Pedagogical Institute in

Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...

. He debuted with a volume of short stories, then moved to

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, where he published the novels ''Singuri'' (1968), ''Scarabeul Sacru'' (1970), ''Marile Iubiri'' (1978), and a book of essays. In October 1988, he wrote a letter to

Dumitru Radu Popescu Dumitru Radu Popescu (; 19 August 1935 – 2 January 2023) was a Romanian novelist, poet, dramatist, essayist and short story writer. He was a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy and was, between 1980 and 1990, Chairman of the Romanian W ...

, president of the

Writers' Union of Romania The Writers' Union of Romania (), founded in March 1949, is a professional association of writers in Romania. It also has a subsidiary in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The Writers' Union of Romania was created by the communist regime by takin ...

, with the request to protect the poets

Mircea Dinescu Mircea Dinescu (; born November 11, 1950) is a Romanian poet, journalist, and editor. Biography Early life and poetry He was born in Slobozia, the son of Ștefan Dinescu, a metalworker, and Aurelia (born Badea). Dinescu studied at the Faculty ...

Dan Deșliu Dan Deșliu (August 31, 1927 – September 4, 1992) was a Romanian poet. Born in Bucharest, his parents were Ștefan Deșliu, an accountant at the Bulandra Theatre company and later administrator of the Workers' Theatre, and his wife Elena ( ...

, Ana Blandiana, and other persecuted writers. The letter was made public on

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

, after which Munteanu found himself under investigation by the

Securitate The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...

. Munteanu held various positions as the Romanian Ambassador to the United States,

Ambassador to the United Nations An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

, and president of

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

. On 9 February 1990, Munteanu was released from the office of President of the Romanian Radio Channel and on 23 February 1990, he was appointed ambassador and Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations. He died of cancer at age 63, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and was buried in the city.

References

1942 births 2005 deaths People from Hîncești District Babeș-Bolyai University alumni United Nations Security Council officials People of the Romanian revolution Ambassadors of Romania to the United States Permanent representatives of Romania to the United Nations Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C. Romanian male writers Romanian television people {{Romania-bio-stub