About Valery Oisteanu
Born 1943. Valery Oisteanu is an American and Romanian poet, photographer, journalist, performance artist and writer.
Valery Oisteanu ( ; born September 3, 1943) is a Soviet-born Romanian and American poet, art critic, essayist, photographer and performance artist, whose style reflects the influence of Dada and Surrealism. Oisteanu is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, a book of short fiction, and a book of essays.
Oisteanu adopted Dada and Surrealism as a philosophy of art and life. He appears regularly at poetry readings in various New York venues, where he presents original performances of Zen and Dada-inspired "jazzoetry". He is a freelance art critic and on the permanent staff of several arts magazines, including The Brooklyn Rail, NYArts, Rain Taxi, the Spanish publication art.es, and the Canadian magazine D'Art International. Oișteanu is a member of Poets and Writers Inc. in New York and the founder and president of PASS: Poets and Artists Surrealist Society.
Poetry written in English Underground Shadows (Pass Press, New York, 1977) Underwater Temples (Pass Press, New York, 1979) Do Not Defuse (Pass Press, New York, 1980) Vis-a-vis Bali (poems and photographic collage; New Observation Press, New York, 1985) Passport to Eternal Life (Pass Press, New York, 1990) Moons of Venus (Pass Press, New York, 1992) Temporary Immortality (Pass Press, New York, 1995) ZEN DADA (Linear Art Press, New York, 1999) Perks in Purgatory (Fly by Night Press, New York, 2009) Anarchy for a Rainy Day (Spuyten Duyvil, New York, 2015) Lighter Than Air (Spuyten Duyvil, New York, 2017) In the Blink of a Third Eye (Spuyten Duyvil, New York, 2020) Here, There and Nowhere (Spuyten Duyvil, New York, 2024)
Poetry written or translated to Romanian: Proteze ("Prosthesis"), Editura Litera, Bucharest, 1970 Poeme din Exil ("Poems from Exile"), Editura Paralela 45, Pitești, 2000 "Anarhie pentru Zile Negre"(Anarchy for a Rainy Day) CDPL, Bucharest,2019 Privileges in Purgatory (Translated to Romanian) Itaca, Dublin,2020 Cit ai clipi dintr-al treilea ochi(Translated to Romanian) Editura MLR, Bucharest, 2023
Prose written in English The King of Penguins (Linear Arts Books, New York, 2000)
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Important facts
People in Valery Oisteanu's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Valery Oisteanu?
American writer and artist
When was Valery Oisteanu born?
Valery Oisteanu was born on 3 September 1943 in Karaganda.
What is Valery Oisteanu's occupation?
Valery Oisteanu is a poet, photographer, journalist, performance artist and writer.
What nationality is Valery Oisteanu?
Valery Oisteanu is American and Romanian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Valery Oisteanu. https://biography.guide/valery-oisteanu/
MLA: "Valery Oisteanu." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/valery-oisteanu/.
Chicago: "Valery Oisteanu." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/valery-oisteanu/.
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