Matei-Brunul
2020 Nominated

Matei Brunul

Translated from the Romanian by Alistair Ian Blyth
artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

The year is 1959, one of the darkest periods of Romania’s communist regime. Political prisoner Bruno Matei, a puppeteer of Italian ancestry, has been released from jail a broken man, suffering from amnesia. An uneasy relationship forms between ‘Matei Brunul’ and Bojin, the secret policeman who keeps him under constant surveillance. Gradually, the secret police try to remold Matei’s mind by rewriting his past. In parallel, a harrowing second narrative reveals Matei’s prison experiences.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Lucian
Dan Teodorovici

Lucian Dan Teodorovici is a novelist, author of short fiction, and screenwriter. His novel Our Circus Presents was published in English translation by Dalkey Archive Press in 2009. Matei Brunul (2011) has earned widespread critical acclaim in Romania and won a number of major international awards including the Augustin Fratila literary prize.

Lucian Dan Teodorovici is a novelist, author of short fiction, and screenwriter. His novel Our Circus Presents was published in English translation by Dalkey Archive Press in 2009. Matei Brunul (2011) has earned widespread critical acclaim in Romania and won a number of major international awards including the Augustin Fratila literary prize.

ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Alistair
Ian Blyth

Alistair Ian Blyth is a Translator with more than 15 years’ experience of translating from Romanian into his native English. His many translations from Romanian include: Little Fingers by Filip Florian; Our Circus Presents by Lucian Dan Teodorovici; Occurrence in the Immediate Unreality by Max Blecher; Coming from an Off-Key Time by Bogdan Suceava; and Life Begins on Friday by Ioana Parvulescu. In 2019, he was the recipient of a Modern Languages Association of America award for his work.

Alistair Ian Blyth is a Translator with more than 15 years’ experience of translating from Romanian into his native English. His many translations from Romanian include: Little Fingers by Filip Florian; Our Circus Presents by Lucian Dan Teodorovici; Occurrence in the Immediate Unreality by Max Blecher; Coming from an Off-Key Time by Bogdan Suceava; and Life Begins on Friday by Ioana Parvulescu. In 2019, he was the recipient of a Modern Languages Association of America award for his work.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
Romania
Original Language
Romanian
Publisher
Dalkey Archive Press
Translator
Alistair Ian Blyth
Translation
Translated from the Romanian by Alistair Ian Blyth

RELATED FEATURES

News April 2 2026

Past Winner Spotlight: Michael Crummey

Michael Crummey reflects on winning the 2025 Dublin Literary Award with his novel The Adversary and shares his views on libraries, literature and more
News March 11 2026

Translator Spotlight: Jo Heinrich

Jo Heinrich reflects on translating the 2023 Dublin Literary Award winner Marzahn, Mon Amour and life as a literary translator.
News February 17 2026

2026 Dublin Literary Award Longlist is Revealed

Delve into the 20 novels longlisted this year.
Video December 31 2025

Bidding farewell on our 30 Years Anniversary Year

Let's take a look back at some highlights from past years.

STAY CONNECTED

Stay in touch and sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and updates on the Dublin Literary Award.