Thousands of Romanians bid farewell to Adrian Paunescu

The Romanian Athenaeum, the Boteanu Church and the Writers Alley of Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest turned out to be not specious enough for those who went Sunday to say goodby to poet Adrian Paunescu. Writers, artists, politicians and ordinary people cried and lit candles near the poet's catafalque, Info-Prim Neo's correspondent in Bucharest reports. On Saturday evening, the coffin with Adrian Paunescu's body was moved to the head office of the Writers Union at the Romanian Athenaeum. A service was held at the Boteanua Church on Sunday, stating at 11.00. Afterward, the body was taken to the Bellu Cemetery. Those who came to bid farewell to Adrian Paunescu included Bessarabians. They all said only nice words about the poet, describing hims as a powerful man that opened ways for entire generations. The head of the Writers Union of Moldova, academician Mihai Cimpoi said Bessarabia is grieving. “The fact that Adrian Paunescu's last trip was to Bessarabia is symbolic as he loved this place more than his life,” he stated. “It is sad that Adrian Paunescu departed this life, but he left his great work,” said poet Valeriu Matei. “Paunescu had the courage to tell the truth about Mihai Eminescu, the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the loss of Bessarbia.” Raisa Vieru, the wife of the late poet Grigore Vieru, also came to say goodby to Adrian Paunescu. “He was Grigore Vieru's best friend and supported him in everything. His death is a great loss. In the 1980s, the young people in Moldova waited impatiently for Thursday, when Radio Romania broadcast poems and songs in Romanian by the Literary Club “Flacara”,” she said. “Adrian Paunescu was my spiritual father,” said singer and composer Victor Socaciu. “We worked a lot together. The period of the Literary Club “Flacara” was a prolific period for us. Romania lost its greatest patriot and a very famous person.” Under the applause of thousands of people, Adrian Paunescu was buried near Mihai Eminescu, Ion Luca Caragiale, Nichita Stanescu, George Cosbuc and Marin Preda.