Ana Radu Chelariu

Ana Radu Chelariu was born in Bucharest, Romania, on November 19th 1946. Early on she became fascinated by the world of imagination; she begins her career writing original fairy tales for the Radio-TV Romania, and was awarded First Prize for an original fairy tales transmitted on the radio broadcasting for children “Inşir-te mărgărite”, prize handed by Victor Eftimiu. The interest in fairy tales, particularly the relationship between myth and fairy tales, she presented in the final graduation thesis at the University of Buchrest, entitled “Nemesis in the folktale type A-Th 325, the Wizard and his Apprentice”, work created under the direction of Prof. Mihai Pop and Pavel Ruxăndoiu. She publishes articles, book reviews, and stories for children, in magazines such as Neue Literatur and Cutezătorii; she works as a freelance editorial advisor for the publishing house Cartea Românească under the directorship of Marin Preda. In 1978 she publishes a book of original fairy tales The Secret of Happyness, Ion Creangă Publishing House, Bucharest. Ana emigrates to the United States in 1979, and continues her studies graduating in 1981 from Rugers University with a Master in Library Science. Working as the director of a North Jersey public library she continues her studies in mythology and folklore. As a member of the Society of Romanian Studies she presents her studies on myth-folktale relation at various conferences organized by the Society, published afterwards in English in the “Romanian Civilization” magazine. In 2001 she publishes together with the Romanian writer Nina Ceranu Libertăţile bufniţei [The Owl Freedoms], Ana@West and Nina@East, collection of e-mail correspondece between two writers who never met in person. The book was reviewed in a few newpapers: Ildico Achimescu, National Premiere, in Timişoara was published the first epistolary novel on the Internet; Ion Arieşanu: Looking through books; Alex. Stefănescu: Chat on the Internet. In 2003 Ana Chelariu publishes the Metaphor of the Metaphor, a study of mythology, Cartea Românească Publishing House, Bucharest, a book presented at the National Book Fair, Bucharest, November 2003. The book was also presented at the Mihai Eminescu literary club, New York City, January, 2004, featured in its magazine Lumină Lină, and at the Romanian Cultural Institute, New York City, in February 2004. There were book reviews published, such as: Mircea A. Diaconu: “Un teritoriu fascinant şi recuperat, mitologia comparată [A Fascinating and Retrieved Territory, Comparative Mythology]”, [Dacia Literară, XV, nr. 55, 4/2004, Iaşi], Timotei Ursu “Tot despre Crăciun [About Christmas Again]”, in Lumea Liberă [Free World], New York City, nr. 798, 22 ianuarie, 2004. In the same year, 2003, she publishes at the Eubeea Publishing House, Timişoara, a bilingual children’s story, Romanian-English, Nea Nae mănâncă luna/Master Nick Eating the Moon. She publishes in Balkanistica, vol. 16, 2003, (South East European Studies Association, Univ. of Mississippi) a book review of The 3000-Year-Old Hat: New Connections with Old Europe: the Thraco-Phrygian World, by Irina and Nicolas Florov, Vancouver, 2001. Continues to publish articles on various topics, particularly on the Romanian mythology in relation with the Indo-European culture in the Journal of Romanian American Academy, the magazine Origini [Roots], and the Internet publication of the Romanian language, Conexiuni. In 2013 she publishes ‘The Two Pennies Pouch; a Romanian folktale, based on Punguța cu doi bani’, by Ion Creangă, Amazon. Com., with illustrations by Serban Chelariu. Participates annually with communications at the conferences organized by the International Association of Comparative Mythology. Presently, she retired from the position of the director of Cliffside Park Free Public Library in New Jersey. She is member of the Romanian American Academy, the Society of Romanian Studies, the South-East European Studies, International Association of Comparative Mythology, The Institute of Archaeomythology, New Jersey Library Association, American Library Association.