Cristina Boncea · Writer · Poet · Essayist · Translator · Literary reviewer

i was once the almée of a sheikh
the pharaoh’s mistress or something like that
among cacti & sand

now my temples throb
when i have to ask for something at the store
from the lady behind the counter
with stuffed peppers and deli meats
one voice says: i have a career are you stupid!?
the other repeats mechanically: could i please have
350 grams of saxon salami
‘cause my mom serves it with potatoes.

– Delululand, OMG Publishing, 2025

Works

Cristina Boncea (b. January 1, 1998) is a Romanian writer from Târgu Jiu, raised in a family of musicians and currently based in Brașov. She made her literary debut at seventeen with Octopussy (Herg Benet, 2015), a provocative novel that drew polarized reactions for its explicit language and treatment of taboo subjects. She studied Philosophy at the University of Bucharest, followed by an MA in Clinical Psychology and an MA in Cultural Innovation at Transilvania University of Brașov, with a focus on creative writing, literary translation and cultural management.

Active in the literary field since 2014, she has published reviews, essays and cultural journalism in Romanian literary and cultural magazines including Familia, Observator Cultural, Steaua, Tomis, Echinox and Matca Literară. She has read and performed her work at Other Plans III in London, at the invitation of poet Sam Riviere, Discuția Secretă in Arad, Institutul Blecher in Bucharest and Reduta Poetică in Brașov. Since 2025, she has also co-hosted and moderated Dactăr Nicu’s Skyzoid Poets, a contemporary poetry reading series in Brașov, alongside her work in literary translation, editing and creative writing workshops.

Moving across fiction, poetry and the personal essay, her writing draws extensively on autobiographical material while resisting straightforward confession. Her work explores the construction and performance of identity, intimacy and memory through dark humor, absurdity, pop-cultural references and the language of the digital world. Personal experience often intersects with the social afterlife of post-communist Romania and the rapidly shifting cultural codes through which people relate to one another and understand themselves.

Awards

First Prize in Poetry
Elite Literary Awards International, 2026
First edition · 19–35 age category · CEPEC Romania

Selected Writing

• On the Shore of Lake Snagov
  You know what happened next, things were going well for us… We were going to change the world. I trusted them. But that night, Alek had brought a hammer from home and a couple of paddles to use as oars. He gave us both some compote, then we got in the car and drove back… Read more: On the Shore of Lake Snagov
• nothing but the VAT of you
  the boot nailed into the chest in the xenon beams, you travel miles propelled by tearswith Fortuna holding your handa three-hundred-year-old curse you always look disillusioned, demonetizedat the plexiglass between you. you no longer descend into the cavernafter bugs the bunny, you laugh maniacally when the fireflickers closer to your cheek. perhaps the horns were… Read more: nothing but the VAT of you
• pink demons with little horns
  i entered your living room & it was cramped. it reminded me of my former coworker’s apartment in Brooklyn. just like my grandparents’. knickknacks, a framed wedding photo, sepia-toned. the couch released dust particles every time a butt sank into it. i planted my butt down, waiting for you; i’m always waiting for some boy… Read more: pink demons with little horns

Available for readings, literary festivals, panels, workshops, translation projects and international residencies.

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Photos by Raluca Dicu Photographer.