Of
Transylvanian Saxon descent, Cisek was born and died in
Bucharest. After attending Bucharest's
Evangelische Schule, he graduated in
German studies and
Art history from the
University of Munich. Noted for his art chronicle and essays in the
literary magazine Gândirea, he helped popularize
modernist and
avant-garde cultural trends in 1920s Romania. After 1930, he entered the
diplomatic corps of the
Romanian Kingdom, serving as Cultural and Press
Attaché in Austria,
Czechoslovakia, and Germany. In 1946-1947, after the start of
Soviet occupation in Romania and until the
Communist regime was established, Cisek was
General Consul in
Berlin. He was imprisoned by Communist authorities, and, after being set free, resumed his work as a writer in Bucharest.
Rehabilitated, Cisek was a recipient of the
Romanian Academy's
Ion Creangă Prize shortly before his death, and became a corresponding member of the
German Democratic Republic's
Akademie der Künste. ==Works in German==