HELLMUT SEILER

Hellmut Seiler is a poet, writer, literary critic, translator and editor born 1953 in Rupea (Brașov county). He studied at the Faculty of Philology in Sibiu, where he obtained a diploma on German and British studies. He is also a member of P.E.N. International and, since 2014, he has been working as a Secretary General of the Exil-P.E.N. for the German speaking coutries.

His first volume, „Die einsamkeit der stühle“ („The loneliness of chairs“), was published in 1982 in Cluj, at Dacia Publishing House. Meanwhile, he published a total of 10 books of poetry and aphorisms, among which we mention „Pădurea de interdicții”/”The forest of prohibition” in a Romanian translation by Andrei Zanca. His last books appeared in 2021 – „Gnomen, Gedankensplitter und lyrische Launen”/„Aphorisms and literary whims” and „Schwebezustand Melencolia“/„The melancholy feeling of floating”. 

At the same time, he translated in German a series of volumes of contemporary Romanian poetry, the most representative one being „Schwebebrücken aus Papier“/„Floating footbridges of paper – Contemporary Romanian poets“(2021). 

He was also awarded with many literary prizes in Romania and in Germany – „Adam-Müller-Guttenbrunn-Literaturpreis” prize in 1984 (Timișoara), the „Würth-Literaturpreis“  prize in 2000 and the „Irseer Pegasus“ in 2003.