Andrei Codrescu

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Biography

Born to a Jewish Romanian family in Sibiu, he published his first poems in Romanian language under the pen name "Andrei Steiu". In 1965 he left the country to escape from the communist regime. After time in Italy, he emigrated to the United States in 1966, where he immediately sought out Allen Ginsberg and was part of the East Village art scene.

In 1981, Codrescu became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He is an editor of the online journal "Exquisite Corpse", and is a MacCurdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He lives in New Orleans.

Codrescu's coverage of the Romanian Revolution of 1989 for National Public Radio was critically acclaimed. He was featured in the film "Road Scholar" which won a 1995 Peabody Award. He reigned as King of the Krewe du Vieux for the 2002 New Orleans Mardi Gras season.

Codrescu [http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/current/penny.php used to] write a regular column for "Gambit Weekly".

Works

Essays

*"The Life and Times of an Involuntary Genius", G. Braziller, 1975 (ISBN 0-8076-0773-8)
*"In America's Shoes", City Lights Publishers, 1983 (ISBN 0-87286-148-1)
*"A Craving for Swan", Ohio State University Press, 1986 (ISBN 0-8142-0415-5)
*"Raised by Puppets, Only to Be Killed by Research", Addison-Wesley, 1989 (ISBN 0-201-12183-2)
*"Disappearance of the Outside: A Manifesto for Escape", Addison-Wesley, 1990 (ISBN 0-201-12194-8)
*"The Hole in the Flag: A Romanian Exile's Story of Return and Revolution", William Morrow and Co., 1991 (ISBN 0-688-08805-8)
*"Road Scholar: Coast to Coast Late in the Century", co-authored with David Graham, Hyperion Books, 1993 (ISBN 1-56282-878-9)
*"The Muse Is Always Half-Dressed in New Orleans : and Other Essays", St. Martin's Press, 1993 (ISBN 0-312-09354-3)
*"Zombification: Stories from National Public Radio", St. Martin's Press, 1994, (ISBN 0-312-11107-X)
*"The Dog With the Chip in His Neck: Essays from NPR and Elsewhere", St. Martin's Press, 1996 (ISBN 0-614-95760-5)
*"Hail Babylon!: NPR's Road Scholar Goes in Search of the American City", St. Martin's Press, 1999 (ISBN 0-312-18107-8)
*"The Devil Never Sleeps: And Other Essays", St. Martin's Press, 2000 (ISBN 0-312-20294-6)
*"An Involuntary Genius in America's Shoes: (And What Happened Afterwards)", Black Sparrow Books, 2001 (ISBN 1-57423-160-X)
*"Ay, Cuba: A Socio-Erotic Journey", co-authored with David Graham, St. Martin's Press, 2001 (ISBN 0-312-19831-0)

Prose fiction

*"Monsieur Teste in America & Other Instances of Realism", Coffee House Press, 1987 (ISBN 0-918273-32-3)
*"The Blood Countess: A Novel", Simon & Schuster, 1996 (ISBN 0-684-80244-9)
*"A Bar in Brooklyn: Novellas & Stories 1970-1978", Black Sparrow Books, 1999 (ISBN 1-57423-098-0)
*"Messiah", Simon & Schuster, 1999 (ISBN 0-684-80314-3)
*"Casanova in Bohemia : A Novel", Free Press, 2002 (ISBN 0-684-86800-8)
*"Wakefield", Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2004 (ISBN 1-56512-372-7)

Poetry

*"The History of the Growth of Heaven", G. Braziller, 1973 (ISBN 0-8076-0692-8)
*"A Serious Morning (Yes! Capra Chapbook Series; no. 9)", Capra Press, 1973 (ISBN 0-912264-61-6)
*"Necrocorrida", Panjundrum Press, 1980 (ISBN 0-915572-53-2)
*"Diapers on the Snow", Crowfoot Press, 1981 (ISBN 0-936462-52-3)
*"Selected Poems: 1970-1980", 1983, Sun Books
*"Comrade Past and Mister Present", Coffee House Press, 1986 (ISBN 0-918273-21-8)
*"Belligerence: New Poems", Coffee House Press, 1991 (ISBN 0-918273-85-4)
*"Alien Candor: Selected Poems, 1970-1995", Black Sparrow Press, 1996 (ISBN 1-57423-013-1)
*"Candoare străină: Poeme alese, 1970-1996", Editura Fundaţiei Culturale Române, 1997 (ISBN 973-577-123-3)
*"License to Carry a Gun", Carnegie-Mellon University Press, 1998 (ISBN 0-88748-280-5)
*"It was Today", Coffee House Press, 2003 (ISBN 1-56689-150-7)

Editing

*"American Poetry Since 1970: Up Late", Four Walls Eight Windows, 1988 (ISBN 0-941423-04-2)
*"The Stiffest of the Corpse: An Exquisite Corpse Reader", Consortium Book Sales & Dist., 1989 (ISBN 0-87286-213-5)
*"American Poets Say Goodbye to the Twentieth Century", co-edited with Laura Rosenthal, Four Walls Eight Windows, 1996 (ISBN 1-56858-071-1)
*"Thus Spake the Corpse: An Exquisite Corpse Reader 1988-1998. Volume 1, Poetry & Essays", co-edited with Laura Rosenthal, Black Sparrow Books, 1999 (ISBN 1-57423-102-2)
*"Thus Spake the Corpse: An Exquisite Corpse Reader 1988-1998. Volume 2, Fictions, Travels and Translations", co-edited with Laura Rosenthal, Black Sparrow Books, 1999 (ISBN 1-57423-101-4)

Other contributions

* Big River Blues, Doubleday Production
* Christopher Felver, "The Importance of Being", Arena Editions, 2001 (ISBN 1-892041-48-0)
* Introduction to John Kennedy Toole, "A Confederacy of Dunces. 20th anniversary edition", Louisiana State University Press, 2000 (ISBN 0-8071-2606-3)
* David Graham: "Land of the Free: What Makes Americans Different", Aperture, 1999 (0893818712)

Chronological Publications List

Books:

*’’2007: Submarinul iertat. with Ruxandra Cesereanu. A long collaborative poem, Timişoara, Romania: Editura Brumar.
*’’2007: Femeia neagră a unui culcuş de hoţi, Bucharest: Editura Vinea. An art-book of early poetry recovered via the Rare Books collection at Emory University.
*’’2006: New Orleans, Mon Amour: Twenty Years of Writing from the City, New York and Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books. Essays, stories.
*’’2006: Miracol şi catastrofă: Dialogues in Cyberspace with Robert Lazu, Timişoara, Romania: Editura Hartman. A book-length interview in Romanian.
*’’2004: Wakefield: a novel New York and Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books.
*’’2003: It Was Today: New Poems Minneapolis: Coffee House Press
*’’2002: Casanova in Bohemia, a novel New York: The Free Press
*’’2001: An Involuntary Genius in America’s Shoes (and What Happened Afterwards) Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press, Re-issue of The Life & Times of an Involuntary Genius, 1976, and In America’s Shoes, 1983, with new forward and coda-essay..
*’’2000: The Devil Never Sleeps & Other Essays. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Essays.
*’’2000: Poezii alese/Selected Poetry, bi-lingual edition, English and Romanian Bucharest: Editura Paralela 45, 2000) Poetry.
*’’1999: A Bar in Brooklyn: Novellas & Stories, 1970-1978 Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press.
*’’1999: Messiah, a novel. New York: Simon & Schuster.
*’’1999: Hail Babylon! Looking for the American City at the End of the Millennium. New York: St. Martin's Press 1999, New York and London: Picador, 1999. Essays.
*’’1999: Ay, Cuba! A Socio-Erotic Journey. With photographs by David Graham. New York: St. Martin's Press, New York and London: Picador. Travel/Essay.
*’’1997: The Dog With the Chip in His Neck: Essays from NPR & Elsewhere. New York: St. Martin's Press, New York and London: Picador.
*’’1996: Alien Candor: Selected Poems, 1970-1995 Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press.
*’’1995: The Muse Is Always Half-Dressed in New Orleans. New York: St. Martin's Press. New York and London: Picador,1996. Essays.
*’’1995: The Blood Countess, a novel. New York: Simon & Schuster. New York: Dell.
*’’1995: Zombification: Essays from NPR. New York: St. Martin's Press. New York and London: Picador.
*’’1994: The Repentance of Lorraine, a novel. New York: Rhinoceros Books. Reprint with new introduction of 1976 Pocketbooks edition by “Ames Claire”)
*’’1993: Belligerence, poems. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press.
*’’1993: Road Scholar: Coast to Coast Late in the Century, with photographs by David Graham. A journal of the making of the movie Road Scholar. New York: Hyperion.
*’’1991: The Hole in the Flag: a Romanian Exile's Story of Return and Revolution (New York: Morrow. New York: Avon.
*’’1991: Comrade Past and Mister Present, poetry Minneapolis: Coffee House Press.
*’’1990: The Disappearance of the Outside: a Manifesto for Escape. Boston: Addison-Wesley Co.1990; reissued by Minneapolis: Ruminator Press, 2001, with new essay)
*’’1989: At the Court of Yearning: Poems by Lucian Blaga, translation of Romania's modern poet. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
*’’1988: A Craving for Swan, essays. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
*’’1987: Monsieur Teste in America & Other Instances of Realism, stories. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press.
*’’1987: Raised by Puppets Only to Be Killed by Research Boston: Addison-Wesley.
*’’1983: In America’s Shoes San Francisco: City Lights.
*’’1983: Selected Poems 1970-1980 New York: Sun Books.
*’’1982: Necrocorrida, poems. San Francisco: Panjandrum Books.
*’’1979: The Lady Painter, poems. Boston: Four Zoas Press.
*’’1978: For the Love of a Coat, poems. Boston: Four Zoas Press.
*’’1975: The Life & Times of an Involuntary Genius, memoir. New York: George Braziller.
*’’1974: The Marriage of Insult & Injury. Poems. Woodstock: Cymric Press.
*’’1973: The History of the Growth of Heaven, poems. New York: George Braziller.
*’’1973: A Serious Morning, poems. Santa Barbara: Capra Press.
*’’1971: Why I Can’t Talk on the Telephone, stories San Francisco: kingdom kum press.
*’’1970: License to Carry a Gun, poems. Big Table Poetry Award. Chicago: Big Table/Follet. Reprinted by Pittsburgh: Carnegie-Mellon University Press.

Note: Most of the fiction, poetry, and several of the essay books were published in translation in Romanian, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Greek, Czech, Slovak, and Russian.

Editor/Founder:

*’’1983-1997 Exquisite Corpse: a Journal of Books and Ideas
*’’1997-ongoing Exquisitecorpse.org
*’’2004-ongoing: Exquisite Corpse Books

Anthologies Edited:

*’’2000: Thus Spake the Corpse: an Exquisite Corpse Reader 1988-1998. Volume Two, Fictions, Travels, and Translations. Co-edited with Laura Rosenthal, Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press.
*’’1999: Thus Spake the Corpse: an Exquisite Corpse Reader 1988-1998. Volume One, Poetry and Essays. Co-edited with Laura Rosenthal, Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press.
*’’1996: American Poets Say Goodbye to the 20th Century. Co-edited with Laura Rosenthal, New York: 4 Walls/8 Windows Press.
*’’1988: American Poetry Since 1970: Up Late. New York: 4 Walls/8 Windows Press.
*’’1990: The Stiffest of the Corpse: an Exquisite Corpse Reader, 1983-1990. San Francisco: City Lights Books.

External links

* [http://www.codrescu.com/bio/index.html Andrei Codrescu's webpage]
* [http://www.literati.net/Codrescu/ "Codrescu" on literati.net]
* [http://www.corpse.org "Exquisite Corpse", Codrescu's online literary magazine]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2100359 "Andrei Codrescu", NPR Biography]
* [http://www.3ammagazine.com/litarchives/2003/mar/interview_andrei_codrescu.html 2003 interview]
* [http://www.authorviews.com/authors/04bookfair/codrescu.php AuthorViews interview from 2004 New Orleans Bookfair]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16747752 "Jet Lag a Tool for Recapturing Youth in Romania"] , NPR, "All Things Considered", November 29, 2007