Liviu Cangeopol

Liviu Cangeopol (b. March 28, 1954) is a Romanian writer, journalist, and political dissident.

Biography

Born in Iasi, Cangeopol studied Languages and Literature in his home town and Accounting and Business Administration in the United States. He made his writing debut in Dialog Magazine (1978). Cangeopol published the only anti-communist book that was written and made public while still living under the Romanian Communist Regime, What Else Could Be Said – Free Discussions in an Occupied Country, (1989 -- Agora-USA, 1990 -- Minerva Publishing House, 2000 -- Nemira Publishing House) with co-author Dan Petrescu.

This book is considered one of the most vehement protests written against Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his regime.

In April 1988, Paris daily Libération published an interview with Cangeopol, Be Satisfied Mr. President – Your Name will Remain in History. Broadcast on Radio Free Europe, Cangeopol’s interview accused President Ceausescu of violating human rights and free speech (this was a very dangerous and an extremely rare act at the time.)

In September 1989, just three months before Romania ended its 45 years of Leninism, Cangeopol immigrated to the United States with his family. He began his journalistic career in New York at Romanian Free World. Cangeopol also published his work in other newspapers such as New York, Romanian Times, Cultural Observator, Contrapunct, Vatra, Flacara Iasului, etc. Cangeopol has been an American citizen since 1996.

Cangeopol is one of the few Romanian human rights activists whose name appeared in Pace of Democratic Reforms and Status of Human Rights in Eastern Europe, written by United States Congress. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations. (U.S. G.P.O., 1990)

On December 18, 2006, the then Romanian President Traian Basescu, while presenting a report condemning the acts of the former Communist regime, extended special appreciations to Cangeopol and to six other people for the integrity and courage in their fight for justice under the communist regime.

Published work

• What Else Could Be Said – Free Discussion in an Occupied Country, (co-author Dan Petrescu) (1989 -- Agora-USA, 1990 -- Minerva Publishing House, 2000 -- Nemira Publishing House).
• The Smile - A Portrait of Seashore at Dusk, (Humanitas Publishing House, 2007)