France Awards Doina Cornea The Legion of Honor

Doina Cornea will be awarded Friday with the France's Legion of Honor by the France ambassador to Bucharest Henri Paul.

The event will take place at the French Cultural Center in Cluj-Napoca.Organizers said the ceremony will be one for a close knit circle of friends of Cornea's.

Born on May 30, 1929, Cornea is a former anti-communist dissident.
She had a career as a writer and translator. She translated from Mircea Eliade and Vladimir Ghika. The Humanitas Publishing House in Bucharest published The Power of Fragility (Puterea fragilităţii) in 2006, and Open Letters and Other Writings (Scrisori deschise şi alte texte) in 1991. While the Criterion Publishing House in Paris published "Liberté? Entretiens avec Michel Combes", in 1990. At the end of June was put on the market in Bucharest her latest publication, titled Journal, The Last Notebooks, 1988-1989 (Jurnal. Ultimele caiete, 1988 - 1989).

In September 2008 Cornea suffered a brain vascular accident, and she made scarce public appearances since. She is a member of the National Peasant Christian Democrat Party, the Cluj branch.
The Legion of Honor is the highest French civilian award. The French ambassador last week bestowed the same award on writer Ana Blandiana, president of the Civic Academy Foundation.

• Translated by AAP