Dan Sociu

Dan Sociu was born in Botoşani, Romania, in 1978. His experience of homelessness and unemployment in his early twenties honed his attention to social realities.

Sociu is the author of nine books of poetry, most recently Deep Fakes (World Poetry Books, 2026), and three novels. He has won numerous awards, including the Mihai Eminescu Prize, the Romanian national literary award for emerging talents.

Sociu has worked as an editor and translator of more than thirty novels from English to Romanian, including the poetry of more than thirty British and American poets, in addition to translating articles and plays. He cowrote the Romanian science-fiction film Monarh, directed by Dan Radu Mihai, and contributed to the story for the British movie Universe25, directed by Richard Melkonian, in which he also played the character of “The Saint.” 

Sociu has been an artist in residence at Art Omi in the United States and at both Akademie Schloss Solitude and Literaturhaus in Germany.