Doina Ruști

Doina Ruști (, born 15 February 1957) is a Romanian writer and novelist.

Some of her novels are: 2008, ', 2006, and ''Lizoanca la 11 ani'', 2009. Her best-known novel in the English-speaking world is ''The Book of Perilous Dishes''.

Biography

Ruști was born in Comoșteni, Dolj County. She was brought up in a village in the south of Romania by her parents and teachers, struggling to survive in a communist world. Her blood accommodates ancestry ranging from Montenegrin to Jews and especially Danubian Romanians, all with long names ending in ''-escu'', most of them teachers, store keepers, and horse dealers. Her childhood home in Comoșteni preserved the experiences of a Balkan world, collected throughout hundreds of years.

Ruști's youth was spent in a house which had saved the traces of a past rich in events, carriages, coffers, and period clothes, crowned by plenty of books and objects which incited her imagination. But this world had brutally come to an end. When she was eleven, her father was murdered under mysterious circumstances, which have not been elucidated even to this day. The insecurity, oppression, absurd rules and chaos installed at the end of communism blended with the fantastic universe of a village governed by ghost tales, hierophanies, and underground forces, and this dramatic and magical setting inspired the novel ''Fantoma din moară'' (''The Ghost in the Mill''). For this novel, she was awarded the Prize of the Writers' Union of Romania.

Work

A representative contemporary writer, Ruști has a wide variety of topics covered in her novels with a systematic construction. Some of her books were translated into international languages.

Her novel ''Lizoanca la 11 ani'', 2009, 2017 was awarded the Ion Creangă Prize of the Romanian Academy. It was remarked as "one of the most powerful contemporary Romanian novels", from the point of view of its themes and typology construction (according to Paul Cernat, Gelu Ionescu, în vol. ''Târziu de departe'', Ed Cartea Românească, 2012, pp. 112 si urm. Gelu Ionescu is the exeget of Eugen Ionesco.
On its publication, ''Lizoanca'' caused debates, as it brought to the public's attention the story of a child almost unanimously accused of the atrocities committed by the accusers. Translated into German, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, and Serbian, the novel had reviews and kindled debates on taboo themes, such as pedophilia, domestic abuse, the issue of children with incompetent parents (Marina Freier and Magyar Nemzet). For that matter, the topic of family decay as an institution is recurrent in all the novels written by Doina Ruști.

Her bestseller '' (The Phanariot Manuscript)'', 2015, 2016, 2017), which novelizes a18th-century's love story, was followed by Mâța Vinerii (''The Book of Perilous Dishes'', 2017), a tale about sorcerers and magical culinary recipes, translated into English, German, Spanish, and Hungarian. These two books give a perspective on a quite controversial historical period: the 18th Phanariot century. The stodgy style, the poetic overlay and the narrative fluidity were hallmarks of these two books. She is also the author of the novel'' Omulețul roșu (The Little Red Man,'' 2004, 2012), which was awarded the prize of the magazine ''Convorbiri Literare,'' and the multi-awarded ''Zogru'' (2006, 2015), a meta-novel translated into Italian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Spanish.

Ruști brings a specific vision into literature, exhibited throughout all strata of her work, but especially from a linguistic point of view. The creativity of expression lends the marker of her writing.

She also wrote a number of short stories, published in periodicals and anthologies.

Style

Taking an interest in both the fantastic and realist genres, Doina Ruști succeeds in writing as persuasively about the atrocities of the contemporary world and high ideals. Her novels often feature rapists, murderers, people who are starving, become corrupt or consumed by trivial commitments, reminding us of William Faulkner's characters – writer who has always inspired her. Ruști also brings to life fantastic characters, elves, sprites, ghosts, magical cats and sorcerers, which prompted some critics to compare her work with Marc Chagall, with Mikhail Bulgakov's, Süskind's and Márquez's 5/span> (according to Dan C. Mihăilescu, Marco Dotti and Neue Zürcher Zeitung). The diversified themes that are strongly related to the present, as well as the ability of Doina Rusti of switching between registers, place her among the writers of contemporary Romanian literature (according to Nicolae Breban, Norman Manea, Daniel Cristea-Enache).

Doina Ruști – Romanian Novelist and Cultural Voice in Eastern European Literature

Doina Ruști is one of Romania's most respected literary figures, with a career spanning over three decades. Author of fourteen novels, three short story collections, and multiple screenplays, she is widely recognized for her work in blending historical realism with fantastical elements. Her novels explore themes of memory, identity, and power, often set against the backdrop of totalitarian regimes and the shifting cultural landscape of the Balkans (după Pompilia Chifu: ''Doina Ruști, un personaj în propria carte,'' Casa Cărții de Știință, 2025.)
.She is frequently mentioned alongside major names in Romanian literature such as Mircea Cărtărescu, Gabriela Adameșteanu, Varujan Vosganian, and Dan Lungu. Like these contemporaries, Ruști's fiction resonates across generations and national boundaries, having been translated into over 17 languages and published by houses across Europe (după Pompilia Chifu, op.cit). Her work is studied in schools and often compared to Eastern European authors such as Olga Tokarczuk or Herta Müller for its thematic density and emotional reach.

Despite a brief involvement as a screenwriter on the 2015 film ''The Miracle of Tekir'', Doina Ruști is primarily — and enduringly — a novelist. Her literary identity has remained firmly rooted in fiction, and her influence within the Romanian literary world far outweighs any incidental connection to film production.

As a writer, scholar, and professor of cultural history, Ruști remains an essential voice in the European literary conversation, particularly amon
women writers from post-communist societies
Her presence at international literary events — including alongsid
Tracy Chevalier in London
and a
festivals
�� confirms her status as a translatable and resonant voice in world literature.

Novels

* ''Ferenike,'
Humanitas, 2025
* Zavaidoc în anul iubirii (Zavaidoc in the Year of Love)
Bookzone
2024
* ''Paturi oculte (Occult Beds)''
Litera
2020
* ''Homeric'', Polirom, 2019
* ''Logodnica'' (''The Fiancée''), Polirom, 2017
* ' (''The Book of Perilous Dishes''), Polirom, 2017
* , Trei, 2009; Polirom, Top 10+, 2017
* ', (''The Phanariot Manuscript'') Polirom, 2015, 2016
* ', 2nd ed, Polirom, Top 10+, 2013
* ''Mămica la două albăstrele'' (''The Story of an Adulterer''), Polirom, 2013
* ''Patru bărbați plus Aurelius'' (''Four Men Plus Aurelius''), Polirom, 2011
* ''Cămașa în carouri și alte 10 întâmplări din București'' (''The Plaid Shirt'' ''and 10 Other Tales from Bucharest''), a narrative puzzle, Polirom, 2010
* ''Fantoma din moară''(''The Ghost in the Mill/Das Phantom in der Muhle''), Polirom, 2008.
* ''Zogru'', Polirom, Iași, 2006, 2nd ed, 2013
* ''Omulețul roșu'' (''The Little Red Man''), Editura Vremea, Bucharest, 2004

Translated work

*
''The Book of Perilous Dishes''
Neem Tree Press, London, 2022
* La gata del viernes (translation Enrique Nogueras, Esdrújula Ediciones, Granada, 2019
*''Das Phantom in der Mühle'' (translation Eva Ruth Wemme), Klak Verlag, Berlin, 2017
*''Lizoanca'' (trad. Szenkovics Enikő), Orpheusz, Budapest, 2015
* ''Eliza a los once años'' (translation Enrique Nogueras), Ediciones Traspiés, Granada, 2014
* ''Zogru'' (translation Szenkovics Enikő), Sétatér Kulturális Egyesüle, 2014
* ''Lisoanca'', Rediviva Ed., Milano, 2013
* ''L'omino rosso'', Nikita Editore, Firenze, 2012
* '' Bill Cinton's Hand'', in Bucharest Tales, New Europe Writers, 2011 (coord: A. Fincham, J. G Coon, John a'Beckett)
* ''I miei ginecologi'', in Compagne di viaggio, Sandro Teti Editore, 2011 (coord Radu Pavel Gheo, Dan Lungu)
* ''Zogru'' (transl. Roberto Merlo), Ed. Bonanno, Roma, 2010
* ''L'omino rosso'' (transl. Roberto Merlo) in Il romanzo romeno contemporaneo (coord Nicoleta Nesu) Ed. Bagatto Libri, Rome, 2010
* ''Cristian'' – Nagyvilag (transl. Noémi László), Budapesta, Sept. 2010
* ''The Winner'' – Nagyvilag (transl. Noémi László), Budapesta, Sept. 2010 etc.
* ''Cristian'' (trans. in fr. Linda Maria Baros), rev Le Bateau Fantôme, no. 8, 2009, Ed. Mathieu Hilfiger
* ''Zogru'' (transl. Vasilka Alexova), Ed. Balkani, 2008
* ''Dicționar de simboluri din opera lui Mircea Eliade'' (frag.) în La Jornada Semanal, nr. 455, 456, Mexico City, 2003 (trans: José Antonio Hernández García)
* ''Lizoanca'' (trans Jan Cornelius), Horlemann Verlag, Berlin

Literary prizes

* The Romanian Academy's Ion Creangă Prize for the novel "Lizoanca at the Age of Eleven", 2009
* The Prize of the Writers Union of Romania for the novel "The Ghost in the Mill", 2008
* The Golden Medal of Schitul Darvari, for literary activity, 2008
* The Prize of the Bucharest Writers Association for the novel "Zogru", 2007

Interviews

* Featured guest on ''ALTCEVA cu Adrian Artene'' – Romania's most-watched cultural podcast (2025): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5aLRCOKtcE
* Mimicking culture, interest, literature and even love. Ileana Marin interviewing Doina Ruști: https://www.doinarusti.ro/stire/2025/interviu-ileana-marin/en/index.html
* Magical Food, Latin Deities, & Balkan Tradition: An Interview with Doina Ruști by Alyse Mgrdichian: https://www.doinarusti.ro/stire/2022/interview-in-shelfmedia/en/index.html

Bibliography

* Adina Mocanu – ''La infancia en femenino las niñas'', Icaria Editorial, Barcelona, 2016, p. 2017.
* Ramón Acín – ''Turia'', 115, Instituto de Estudio Turolenses, 2015, p. 323
* Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary Cinematic Monsters, Routledge, New York, 2015
* Emanuela Illie – ''Fantastic și alteritate'', Junimea, 2013, p. 92 și urm.
* Roberto Merlo – ''Quaderni di studi italieni e romeni'', 5, 2010, Edizioni dell'Orso, p. 121
* Daniel Cristea Enache – ''Timpuri noi'', Ed. Cartea Românească, 2009, pp 172; 174
* Dan C. Mihăilescu - ''Femeie cu omuleț'', în vol.I Literatura română în postceaușism, II. Prezentul ca dezumanizare, Ed. Polirom, 2006, p. 248
* Dan C. Mihăilescu - ''Literatura româneasca în postceausism''. II. Proza. Prezentul ca dezumanizare, cap. Realismul apocaliptic și deriziunea, Ed. Polirom, 2006, p. 251
* Geo Vasile - ''Elixirul narațiunii'', in ''Romanul sau viața. Prozatori europeni'', Ed. Muzeul Literaturii Române, 2007, p. 343 și urm.
* Gelu Ionescu - ''Târziu de departe'', Ed. Cartea Românească, 2012, pp. 112 si urm
* Tania Radu - ''Jocuri riscante'', in ''Chenzine literare'', Humanitas, 2014
* Andrei Simuț - ''Romanul românesc postcomunist între trauma totalitară și criza prezentului. Tipologii, periodizări, contextualizări'', chapter III.3. ''Panoramări ficționalizante ale trecutului comunist: Un singur cer deasupra lor, Fantoma din moară, Pupa russa'', Editura Muzeul Literaturii Române, 2015
* Călin Teutișan - cap ''Fantasticul levantin'', în ''Enciclopedia imaginariilor din România. Vol. I: Imaginar literar'', coord. Corin Braga, Polirom, 2020.
* Raluca Andreescu, in ''Studies in Gothic Fiction'', Zittaw Press, 2011
* Abina Puskás-Bajkó -''Maiorca or on the gypsy magic realism of seduction in Doina Ruști's Manuscrisul fanariot, în Journal of Romanian Literary Studies'', no. 6/2021, p. 546.
* Adriana Raducanu
''Confessions from the Dead: Reading Ismail Kadare's Spiritus as a ‘Post-Communist Gothic’ Novel'', în ''Postcolonial Europe? Essays on Post-Communist Literatures and Cultures''
Editors: Dobrota Pucherova and Robert Gafrik, Brill, 2015
* Christene d’Anca - Mediating a loss of history in Doina Rusti's The Ghost in the Mill by Journal of European Studies, vol. 48, 3-4: pp. 265–277. , First Published October 22, 2018.
* Dana Sala - ''Alessandro Baricco's Seta (Silk) and Doina Ruști's Manuscrisul fanariot (The Phanariot Manuscript)'', in ''Weaving a Narrative from Metamorphoses'', 2015 ALLRO, Volume 22, Article code 487-121
* Alina Bako - Images of Alterity in the Contemporary Feminine Prose, Speculum, 2017
* Bianca Burța Cernat, Ficțiune și magie în Bucureștiul fanariot, ''Observator Cultural'', nr. 863, 2017

References

External links

* Official sit
Doina RuştiYouTube Doina Ruști channelAmazonLITERA

Radio Romania International – Romanian Writer Doina Rusti
* Doina Ruști pe Internet Movie Database


Observator Cultural: Ficțiune și magie în decorul Bucureștiului fanariot


Doina Ruști - Prozatoare

Evenments

Frankfurter Bukmesse

Das Phantom

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusti, Doina
1957 births
Living people
Romanian women novelists
Romanian women short story writers
Romanian short story writers
People from Dolj County
21st-century Romanian novelists
21st-century Romanian women writers
Slavery in the Ottoman Empire
Romanian novelists