Universal within the Local 2025: Poetry of Resilience

Poetry Sydney partners with the Australian Romanian Academy to present the Universal within the Local, a bilingual literary arts event that celebrates Romania's National Culture Day, and poet Mihai Eminescu.

This is the third edition of the event, which is exponential in providing the antipodean community an opportunity to connect and strengthen relations between Australia and Romania. The Romanian Parliament introduced a National Culture Day in 2010, to be celebrated on 15 January, the day of the birth of Eminescu. The homage is emblematic of the universality of his Western European influences and his deep national connections.

The 19th century Romanian poet and writer Eminescu is considered a romantic poet who wrote on a wide range of themes from nature to love, to deep social commentary. In the years after his death, his poems and writing continue to have a profound impact. 

Daniel Ionita is the curator and President of the Australian Romanian Academy, who draws on Eminescu and Romanian poetry to challenge this year's participants with a universal theme of resilience in a polarised world.

"There is much in the world, today, to make many people, myself included – despondent, discouraged, ready to give up. Yet, what keeps us alive, and still productive and positive, is resilience. This has many sources and manifests itself in a multitude of conditions. It is not the aim of this event to exhaust the subject, nor would it be possible even if we tried."

Performances responding to this year's theme of 'Resilience' with more to be announced include: Mona Zahra Attamimi, Charles Freyberg, James Gering, Anișoara Laura Mustețiu, C Northey, Adrianna Paul, George Roca and Paul Scully.