Moldova's cultural tradition has been determined primarily by the Romanian origin of its majority population and cannot be understood outside of the development of classical Romanian culture, in which it played a remarkable role. The roots of Romanian culture reach back to the second century A.D., the time of Roman colonization in Dacia. During the centuries following the Roman withdrawal in A.D. 271, the population of the region was determined by contact with the Byzantine Empire, neighboring Slavic and Magyar populations, and later the Ottoman Turks. Beginning in the nineteenth century, a strong West European determine came to be noticeable in Romanian literature and the arts. The resulting mélange has produced a valuable cultural tradition. Although foreign contacts were an inevitable consequence of the region's geography, their determine only served to enhance a vital and resilient popular culture.

Prominent modern writers include Vladimir Besleaga, Pavel Botu, Aureliu Busioc, Nicolae Dabija, Ion Druta, and Grigore Vieru. In 1991 a total of 520 books were published in Moldova, of which 402 were in Romanian, 108 in Russian, eight in Gagauz, and two in Bulgarian. In the early 1990s, Moldova had twelve professional theaters. All performed in Romanian except the A.P. Chekhov Russian Drama Theater in Chisinau and the Russian Drama and Comedy Theater in Tiraspol, both of which performed solely in Russian, and the Licurici Republic Puppet Theater which performed in both Romanian and Russian. Members of ethnic minorities manage a number of folklore groups and amateur theaters throughout the nation.