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Sarah in Romania
30 novembre 2009

Book recommendation - "Dracula is Dead"

Dear Everyone,

DraculaisDeadI cannot comment on the article below as I haven't read the book. However, London seems to be quite taken with it and it's reported to be the long overdue reference to Roumania we've all been waiting for. If it's a history book by which I mean a REAL one, then anyone delving as I write, please let me know and I'll get to it. Rosapepe was a 'wishy washy' US ambassador to Roumania. David Funderburk, I'm told, was by far the very best. The country certainly needs some positive and optimistic publicity. We could well do without more Antony Bourdains on the subject of Roumania. Even the last Lonely Planet didn't do much for Roumania's reputation. Perhaps 'Dracula is Dead' will be kinder? The authors say that Roumania has emerged from the traumas of communism and repression to be a thriving 'New Italy', though, and I'm really not sure how complimentary that is! For you to judge, my dears.

The London Launch of ‘DRACULA IS DEAD’
the book by Sheilah Kast and Jim Rosapepe that finally lays the Count to
rest

On Monday, 23 November 2009, the infamous Count Dracula was finally put to
rest in a ceremony taking place at the Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural
Centre in London.

It was not exactly garlic and stakes through the heart that annihilated him,
but an extraordinary book written by former US ambassador to Romania, Jim
Rosapepe, and his wife, award-winning journalist Sheilah Kast. A photo
gallery documenting the event is available here
<http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/photos/2009/11/book-launch-dracula
-is-dead-by-sheilah-kast-and-jim-rosapepe/> .

The book, appropriately called ‘Dracula is Dead’, takes readers on a
memorable tour of Romania – past, present, and future. Through a series of
colourful vignettes, the authors introduce us to the people, places, and
history of Romania, transporting us to a vibrant country many know little
about.

jim_sheilahThe authors believe that when people think about Romania, what most often
comes to mind are images of Dracula’s fog-enshrouded castle in Transylvania,
bleak orphanages, and an oppressed people reeling from Nicolae Ceausescu’s
regime. They wanted to set the record straight, presenting a thriving nation
that has overcome centuries of tyranny to emerge as a true success story
with a bright future – that’s why they call Romania the New Italy.

In a conversation with Nicolae Ratiu, host of the evening and Chairman of
the Ratiu Foundation, Jim and Sheilah confessed that their motivation for
filling the void in the literature about Romania was the fact that they
believe the time has come for people to stop putting Dracula and Romania in
the same equation. Jim and Sheilah also wanted to explain the impact of the
fall of Communism in Europe and to help the public understand the growth of
democracy throughout the world.

Nicolae Ratiu congratulated the authors on their achievement, wishing them
many more successes on the forthcoming launch of the book on the Romanian
market. He then invited all present to a traditional Romanian foods buffet,
accompanied by Romanian wine.

Spicing things up and adding an extra dimension to the event, Romanian
violin genius Bogdan Vacarescu and accordionist extraordinaire Zivorad
Nikolic enchanted the audience with a toe-tapping, dance-inducing selection
of Romanian and Balkan tunes.

Not only Dracula was laid to rest this evening, people also danced on his
grave.

// // // // // // // //

‘DRACULA IS DEAD: How Romanians Survived Communism, Ended it, and Emerged
since 1989 as the New Italy’ by Sheilah Kast and Jim Rosapepe 
Hardcover, 424 pages, 32 black-and-white photographs, 12 maps, Bancroft
Press (November 2009).
ISBN 978-1-890862-65-7.
For more details and to purchase a signed copy, please go to
www.DraculaIsDead.com <http://www.draculaisdead.com/

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