A Modern Day Miortia

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2005/03/writer-scaled.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:6:{s:5:"width";i:2560;s:6:"height";i:1708;s:4:"file";s:25:"2005/03/writer-scaled.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:14:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-336x224.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:224;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-771x515.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:515;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-768x513.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:513;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"writer-1536x1025.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:1025;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"2048x2048";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"writer-2048x1367.jpg";s:5:"width";i:2048;s:6:"height";i:1367;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:16:"writer-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-800x450.jpg";s:5:"width";i:800;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-466x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:466;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-397x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:397;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"writer-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:16:"Antonio Litterio";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:12:"CC BY-SA 3.0";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:14:"Power of Words";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}s:14:"original_image";s:10:"writer.jpg";}
        )

)
1647431708 
1109635200

He’s a writer known for his dark wit and his outsider’s take on the world he lives in. Andrei Codrescu was born in Romania in 1946 and was forced to flee his country twenty years later. He began publishing his work in the seventies and seems to have his hands in all things literary — be it poetry, essays or novels. Codrescu also edits the literary magazine “The Exquisite Corpse”; public radio fans will know him from his regular commentary on NPR’s All Things Considered.

Codrescu is the featured writer at Birmingham Southern College’s Writing Today Conference. He stopped by the studio to speak with WBHM’s Rosemary Pennington about writing and his latest novel Wakefield — the story of a man forced to find his “true life” after the Devil comes calling. But Wakefield’s not the only one going through a crisis, the Devil’s got problems of his own.

Wondering what exactly a “miorita” is?

It’s a lovely Romania folk ballad of a sheep’s devotion to her beloved shepard. She tells the shepard he’s about to be killed and asks him to run away. He refuses, deciding to meet his fate. He then asks his ewe, Miorita, to tell his mother he isn’t dead, but instead married the daughter of a king. Miorita does as he wishes and travels about the land, telling the story of how her beloved married a princess.

The tale has been handed down for ages and changes a bit with each telling, but at its heart is always the willingness of the sheep to turn a tragic situation into a lovely story. The path the sheep took on her mythical travels has been said to define the boundaries of Romania’s artistic imagination; boundaries that are constantly shifting as new Romanian artists, writers and musicians develop.

Looking for more information about Andrei Codrescu?

 

51 dead and more than 100 injured in nightclub fire in North Macedonia

A massive nightclub fire killed 51 people early Sunday in North Macedonia 's eastern town of Kocani, and injured more than 100. The blaze broke out during a concert by a local pop group.

Forget about rare earth minerals. We need more copper

In recent weeks, you've likely heard a lot about rare-earth substances with hard-to-pronounce names, but experts warn that the shortage of another crucial metal, copper, could be just as concerning.

March Madness begins for NPR’s College Podcast Challenge

Our 10 finalists for the best college podcasts in the country include students from some familiar schools, and a few surprises.

NASA’s stuck astronauts welcome their newly arrived replacements to the space station

Just over a day after blasting off, a SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, delivering the replacements for NASA's two stuck astronauts.

Trump enacts a 1790s law to target ‘alien enemies’ for detention and deportation

In a presidential action Saturday, Trump invoked the wartime authority Alien Enemies Act, targeting members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to immediate detention and deportation.

Trump orders strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and issues new warning

Trump said the U.S. would use "overwhelming lethal force" until Iranian-backed Houthi rebels cease their attacks on shipping. The Houthis said nine civilians were killed.

More Arts and Culture Coverage