Sandu Florea
Sandu Florea | |
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Executioner, X-Men: The End | |
Awards | Eurocon (1980) |
Sandu Florea (Romanian pronunciation:
Florea has maintained enduring contacts with his native country, and has taken an initiative in popularizing the American comic book style in Romania. He has been described as one of the most successful among his colleagues, and claimed to be one of the most recognizable Romanians in his field.
Biography
Early life and career in Romania
Born in
Sandu Florea published his first comic strip in 1968, with Luminiţa children's magazine. It was a series centered on the anecdotal hero classic
After moving to Timișoara, he became a noted presence among the local
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was creating and publishing comic books dedicated to popular legends, such as a retake on
These works received critical attention, both in Romania and abroad. În lumea lui Harap Alb earned him the a Eurocon award (1980).[3][5][6] This, literary critic Michael Hăulică notes, made Florea one in a final wave of Romanian Eurocon laureates to have emerged under communism (also including writers Vladimir Colin, Ion Hobana and Gheorghe Săsărman).[6]
Florea also received attention from celebrated poet Nichita Stănescu, who discovered in Carusel an unclassifiable and imaginative work. The writer argued: "[Florea] introduces mystery where we usually had happy-endings, imagination where there was lyricism and an indecisive epic where there was nothing. The book he calls Carusel [...] is without precedent, in Romania and everywhere else."[7] In 1982, Stănescu began working with him on the album Semne şi desemne ("Signs and Designs"). Florea printed the lithographs to go with the poems, but the project was cut short when Stănescu died (December 1983).[7]
In the United States
The 1984-1989 interval was described by Florea as "one of the most difficult periods in my life."
Sandu Florea, his wife and two children eventually left for the United States in 1991, moving to
He was accepted by Marvel soon after this, specialized as an inker, and began working on several of its main releases, including, alongside Conan,
2000s initiatives
Florea was selected honorary president of the Romanian Association of Comic Book Fans in 2001.[2] Speaking in 2004, he expressed interest in relaunching the native comic book genre in his native country, and in publishing a new children's periodical with original content.[1] In 2006, he participated in the relaunch of Carusel, in a version argued by Hăulică to have been "professional under any definition."[9]
The publication, which went out of print after only two issues due to distribution problems, included
These initiatives helped cement the artist's reputation in Romania. Sandu Florea claims to be "The only Romanian professional graphic artist who has managed to make a living exclusively out of his drawings, in the old country as well as [...] in America."
An annual Romanian comic book
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s (in Romanian) Petrina Calabalic, "Cartoon Man" Archived 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine, in Bănăţeanul, 6 December 2004
- ^ a b c d e f g h i (in Romanian) Artistul Sandu Florea la Salonul European de Bandă Desenată, Romanian Cultural Institute release; retrieved 23 November 2011
- ^ webzine); retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ a b c d (in Romanian) Cosmin Popan, "Batman, omorât în complicitate cu un român"[permanent dead link], in Cotidianul, 26 November 2008
- ^ a b c d e "Sandu Florea (Romania)", entry in Lambiek's Comiclopedia; retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ a b (in Romanian) Michael Hăulică, "Fantasy & Science Fiction. Premiile care au fost", in Observator Cultural, Nr. 290, October 2005
- ^ Hotnews.ro, 26 August 2011; retrieved 23 November 2011
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j (in Romanian) Dodo Niţă, "Batman R.I.P." Archived 2009-03-06 at archive.today, in Editura Nemira's Nautilus, March 2009
- ^ a b (in Romanian) Michael Hăulică, "Fantasy & Science Fiction. Ah, BD!", in Observator Cultural, Nr. 315, April 2006
- ^ a b c d e (in Romanian) Michael Hăulică, "Fantasy & Science Fiction. BD", in Observator Cultural, Nr. 273, June 2005
- ^ (in Romanian) Ioana Calen, "Cărtărescu e tras în bandă - Provocarea desenată"[permanent dead link], in Cotidianul, 13 June 2006
- ^ (in Romanian) Adrian Grama, Vlad Stoicescu, "Rahan şi Pif, scăpaţi de comunism", in Evenimentul Zilei, 28 June 2008
- ^ (in Romanian) George Onofrei, "Lucian Amarii a cîştigat Premiul Sandu Florea pentru BD. JUP caută pentru benzile desenate editori curajoşi şi fără prejudecăţi" Archived 2009-09-12 at the Wayback Machine, in Polirom's Suplimentul de Cultură, Nr. 203, November 2008
External links
- Sandu Florea at the Grand Comics Database
- Sandu Florea at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Contributions by and about Sandu Florea, in Pro-Scris webzine