A Defense of Beauty: A Lecture by Poet Radu Vancu

Why is beauty necessary? Why is it not barbaric to write poetry after Auschwitz? Vancu addresses poetry's vital role in times of tragedy. Radu Vancu (b. Sibiu, 1978) is a preeminent Romanian poet and public intellectual. His lecture is part of the Marilyn T. and Byron C. Shutz Lecture Series at the University of Missouri- Kansas City. Vancu is author of eleven volumes of poetry and numerous books of prose. He also completed important translations of poetry into Romanian, including Pound’s Cantos and Berryman’s Dream Songs. His lecture will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Paula and Cyrus Conole-Soican, the translators of Vancu's poetry book The Rope in Bloom (2026). The book will be available for purchase and the author will be happy to sign it. For more info on Vancu and his views on civic engagement you can watch the short film Think Freedom: The Catalyst at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRQqPP4I8RY