The Romanian writer and playwright Matei Vișniec was awarded the Order of Honor by the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, in a gesture of recognition of his cultural and civic contribution.
“I was happy to award the writer and playwright Matei Vișniec the Order of Honor, as a sign of gratitude for his exceptional work and for the way he defended, through culture, the freedom of the spirit. A voice in the service of truth, Matei Vișniec explored, with artistic force, the traumas of dictatorship, the absurdity of war and human sensitivity” he wrote the leader of the Republic of Moldova, on Sunday, in a post on Facebook.
“It has contributed to the formation of generations that understand the importance of critical reflection”
President Maia Sandu specified that she conferred this distinction on the Romanian playwright for the impact he had on the public in the Republic of Moldova, especially through the performances staged in Chisinau.
“For three decades, Matei Vișniec has been at home and in the Republic of Moldova. Through his performances in Chisinau, through meetings with the public and through workshops dedicated to young people, he has contributed to the formation of generations who understand the importance of critical reflection and the power of theater to bring people and destinies together.”
this year, Maia Sandu is a special guest of the BITEI 2026 International Performing Arts Festival, a prestigious cultural platform dedicated to contemporary theater and creations that “provoke, inspire and open new perspectives on the world we live in”, Maia Sandu also wrote in the same post.
Matei Vișniec is one of the most appreciated Romanians across the border, his work establishing itself in the world of poetry and dramaturgy, being translated into over 30 foreign languages. After receiving the title of Knight of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture in 2018, in 2020, by French presidential decree, the Romanian was awarded the National Order of Merit, in the rank of Knight, a ceremony that took place only in the fall of this year.
In his novel “Un secol de ceăță”, published by Polirom Publishing House, which he wrote out of the desire to try to understand “why people no longer learn anything from the mistakes of the past and especially why they repeat the errors of voluntary servitude”, he talks all the way about an ideological fog, which we still feel today, it can be observed in mentalities, in the speeches of politicians, and even in some classrooms.
