Mag. Gerhard Reiweger, ambassador of the Republic of Austria in Bucharest, presented Prof. Dr. habil. Eleonora Ringler-Pascu with the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art on the occasion of the international conference for theatre studies, “Theatre and Politics”, which took place on October 13th to 14th, 2017 at the West University of Timisoara for the second time. The former Franz Werfel scholarship holder received this prestigious award for her merits as literature mediator, for her translations of Austrian literature, for her work as theatre scholar and university lecturer, as co-founder and former head of the Austrian Library, and for her decisive part in the opening of the Music and Theatre University towards Europe and the whole world. Eleonora Ringler-Pascu spent a research period at the University of Vienna as a Franz Werfel scholarship holder from 1994 to 1997. She is a university professor at the University of Music and Theatre, Department: Music – Performing Arts, Drama (in Romanian and German language) at the West University of Timisoara as well as Erasmus+ coordinator and head of the Doctoral School for Music and Theatre and editor of the journal for theatre studies, “DramArt”. Moreover, she heads the Romanian-German Cultural Society in Timisoara. Important publications: Unterwegs zum Ungesagten. Zu Peter Handkes Theaterstücken “Das Spiel vom Fragen” und “Die Stunde da wir nichts voneinander wussten” mit Blick über die Postmoderne, Peter Lang V., Frankfurt am Main, 1998; Österreichisches Gegenwartstheater zwischen Tradition und Innovation, Excelsior Art, Timisoara, 2000; Österreichische Literatur ohne Grenzen. Publication in memory of Wendelin Schmidt-Dengler: Attila Bombitz, Renata Cornejo, Slawomir Piontek, Eleonora Ringler-Pascu (eds.), Praesens, Vienna 2009; Kurzdrama – Minidrama, Excelsior Art, Timisoara 2009; Drama der Antike, Editura Universităţii de Vest, Timisoara 2010; Translation – Peter Handke: Absenţa (Die Abwesenheit), Editura Excelsior, Timisoara 2000, Thomas Bernhard: Immanuel Kant, Editura Diacritic, Timisoara, 2013; all studies and articles published in specialist journals. We wish to congratulate Eleonora Ringler-Pascu on this prestigious distinction and we are very proud that two “Werfelians” have been distinguished for their merits as mediators of Austrian literature!
