An Amazing Young Romanian Writer

Cristian Mihai, an amazing young Romanian writer.

“Writing is like playing an instrument by ear.  You don’t know why it sounds good, you don’t know how you’re capable of making it sound good, you just do.”—Cristian Mihai

I found Cristian Mihai by accident on the Web.  No that’s not right, let me correct it.  Cristian Mihai found me by placing an avatar indicating he liked several of my snapshots.  Out of curiosity, I clicked his avatar and opened an amazing treasure of words, ideas, styles, messages and books.  I found the vibrating work of a young Romanian writer who writes in English from a place called Constanta.

Without a shadow of doubt, Mihai is a seasoned word warrior ready to do battle in the arena we call publishing.  His books are growing in popularity even as we speak.

This is how Mihai defines himself:  “Cristian Mihai (born 25 December 1990) grew up in Constanta, Romania. And he’s still growing up, or at least trying to. Sometimes he writes. Sometimes he gets lucky and writes something good.  He can’t, however, draw a straight line. No matter how much he tries. Not even with a ruler. And, please, don’t ever ask him to sing.”

Mihai prefers to write fiction novels and short stories.  At his young age he has written the following books:

BOOKS

I.  Short Stories

1. Remember ($2.99)
2. A Sad, Sad Symphony ($2.99)
3. One (Free)
4. Mememto Mori (Free)
5. Crossroads (Free)
6. Mr. Nobody (Free)

II.  Novels

1. The Writer ($4.99)
2. Jazz ($2.99)

Oh, before I go on, let me add that Mihai is also a blogger and a photographer.  The name of his blog is, you guessed it, Cristian Mihai.

If you want to contact him, he has included a Contact Form where you can communicate with the writer.  This is how he addresses the Contact Form:  “If there’s anything you might want to share with me, including love/hate mail, interesting information, some long and/or complicated words, feel free to use the contact form below.”  I think it’s a neat way to keep in contact with his readers; this creates a tight bond which benefits both parties, the reader and the writer.

Please allow me to share with you an extract of a blog post written by Mr. Mihai.  It will give you a taste of his writing style.  The name of the blog post is The Portrait of a Writer.

I began writing in my most vulnerable years. I was dumb and arrogant, as most teenagers seem to be, and I did my best to pour greatness into every sentence I wrote. But I was also lying to myself, writing about what I didn’t know, pretending to know, and I got caught and people could see that I wasn’t willing to let them in – I  was building this wall to protect my true self from anyone who would be searching for it behind my words. There was nothing that belonged to me in the stories I wrote.

There’s this poem by a Romanian poet, Mihai Eminescu. It’s called To My Critics, and the last verses go like this:

It is easy to write verses
Out of nothing but the word.

All we are doing are self-portraits. As simple as that. We accumulate knowledge and wisdom and power, and we get our hearts broken, and we write. We write for others to absorb what took us so long to understand.

Maybe this is the big difference, the so-called rift between commercial and literary fiction. There are writers and there are storytellers.

Storytellers weave beautiful, intricate stories. They carefully build settings, masterfully sculpt characters. Their stories make use of the reader’s imagination – they make him dream. And then there’s the other class, the ones who make us feel.

Ever read a paragraph of wonderful prose? Just words that seem to melt together to form a hint of perfection? An almost divine symphony that leaves you wanting for more? One word after another slowly unveiling the pale grandeur of the human mind. That can’t be made into a movie. It’s not a visual experience, it’s not a tangible universe that’s being described.

There are those who are willing to shut out the world and rummage through their minds for memories they wish they had forgotten. The good and the bad, the tragedies, the pain, the bitter melancholy that engulfs all moments of happiness. By being alone, even in the most crowded of places, an artist is capable of understanding the world around him. All that he has gained, all that he has observed, lies behind a wall. He can jump over it and find the much-needed inspiration to create art, or he can choose to write words.

There’s this wall. And there’s the artist on the other side. He just has to jump.”

This young Romanian writer has developed the writing skills to make you feel and that is why I got hooked to his words.  After I finish writing this blog post, I intend to download his book “The Writer”.  I know deep inside it will be a great read.  My Kindle is waiting patiently by my side.

I agree with Mihai when he made the distinction between writers that make you release your imagination into the wild, and others that make you feel.  I prefer the latter.  The first ones aim at your head—ideas—, the second group aims at your heart—emotions.

Good Day and enjoy your reading whatever it might be.

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