Kirkwood Community College English professor Mircea Tomus was born and raised in Romania, where he began his lifelong journey with literature. He has taught at Kirkwood for more than 35 years and holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Iowa, specializing in Old English poetry and medieval literature.
Before coming to the U.S., he completed his undergraduate degree in English and French, as well as his master’s degree in Romania. Literature runs deep in his family. Both of his parents were professors in the field, and he recalls growing up surrounded by books.
Tomus is also a poet and short story writer who began publishing while still in high school. Several of his books were published in Romania, though one of them was banned by the communist regime, forcing him into exile in the United States as a political refugee. Despite those challenges, he built a successful literary career, publishing poetry, short stories, translations, and essays in various magazines and collections.
Two years ago, he completed a side-by-side Romanian translation of a medieval English poem dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, a work that was very well received. He continues to work on translation projects, including a current one based on a novel written by his father, also a professor of Romanian literature.
When reflecting on his influences, Tomus credits his thesis director, the late Stavros Deligiorgis, as his greatest mentor. He described Deligiorgis as extraordinarily well-read, an exceptional scholar and a lasting model of intellectual curiosity.
At Kirkwood, Tomus strives to inspire his students to approach writing and life with the same curiosity. His teaching philosophy is simple but profound: to make students thoughtful readers and reflective individuals who value the words on the page.
“If I can achieve that,” he said, “then I am happy.”
One of his most memorable teaching moments involved an engineering student who didn’t need the course but wanted to learn medieval literature out of pure interest. Though Tomus didn’t grade him, the student excelled simply for the love of learning.
Beyond the classroom, Tomus believes deeply in the value of fiction, not just as entertainment, but as a “repository of wisdom and past experiences that cannot be conveyed in simple bits of information.”
Fiction, he said, offers truths indirectly, which makes it even more valuable.
He also advises aspiring writers at Kirkwood to keep writing even if they struggle to find publishers, emphasizing perseverance above all else. A book he recommends to his students is the novel “Solaris”.
If given the chance, he says he would love to dine with Geoffrey Chaucer, the medieval writer he described as “funny, insightful and excellent.”
Outside of literature, Tomus unwinds with music. He plays in a band, maintains his own recording studio and believes music and fiction go hand in hand— both are creative expressions that enrich life and connect people.
Categories: Feature
