Valery Oisteanu (Romanian: Valeriu Oișteanu [vaˈlerju o.iʃˈte̯anu]; born September 3, 1943) is a Soviet-born Romanian and American poet, art critic, essayist, photographer and performance artist, whose style reflects the influence of Dada and Surrealism.
[1] He is the brother of Romanian historian of religion, cultural anthropologist and writer Andrei Oișteanu.
In 1970, Oisteanu made his literary debut in Romania with a collection of poems called Proteze.
Due to his Jewish ancestry, the Communist regime allowed him to emigrate to New York City in 1972 or 1973, and he has been writing in English ever since.
[1] He appears regularly at poetry readings in various New York venues, where he presents original performances of Zen and Dada-inspired "jazzoetry".