Dumitru Radu Popescu (Romanian pronunciation: [duˈmitru ˈradu poˈpesku]; born August 19, 1935) is a Romanian novelist, poet, dramatist, essayist, short story writer, and formerly communist politician. A former member of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party (1979-1980), he is a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy and was, between 1980 and 1990, Chairman of the Romanian Writers' Union.
His 1973 novel Vînatoarea Regală ("The Royal Hunt") was translated into English in 1988.
Born in Păuşa village, Nojorid (Bihor County), he attended the Cluj University of Medicine and the University of Cluj's Faculty of Philology. Popescu then worked as a reporter for the literary magazine Steaua from 1956 to 1969, and then as editor of Tribuna magazine, from 1969 to 1982. From 1982 he was editor in chief of Contemporanul.
He received the Prize of the Romanian Writers' Union on five occasions (in 1964, 1969, 1974, 1977 and 1980), and the Prize of the Romanian Academy in 1970.