Archives

Excellent articles in Financial Times regarding Roumania and its dealings with the recession: honest, open, informative...and TRUE! Makes suuuuch a nice change. Please read Bucharest Battles Against the Crisis. And then when you've finished that, do go and read another in the same newspaper (September 28) Foreign Investors are Bullish About Pigs. Thank you FT!

Oskar Pastior(1927-2006) was born in Sibiu, Roumania, speaking the out-moded German of his fore-fathers. He said that he had this multilingualism to thank not only for the insights it gave him into the possibilities of writing, but above all the associated "relativisation of normative thinking". In 1945 he was deported to a Soviet Labor Camp in the Ukraine after the Red Army took control of Roumania; he spent five years there as part of Roumania’s reparation for having sided with Hitler. This experience, he says, provided... [Lire la suite]

From evz.ro, another marvellous article on Herta Muller.

Dear Everyone, Teodor Maries has kept my thoughts occupied these last few days. I have tried to find as much information about the chairman of 21st December Association, but there is very little in English.The fact that this man, now on his 70th day of hunger strike, continues to receive so little media coverage is something of an enigma. Even in the Roumanian press, he hardly gets a mention. Just a few videos on Youtubes where he is interviewed by Pro-TV. Nothing much else. See below from Ziua: Bucharest seeks justice in... [Lire la suite]

Nowhere on this article does it use the word 'gypsy' or 'roma' or 'rroms'. Nope. What do they say? "Roumanian people" is what. Shame on you, Canadian press. The photo comes from the Roumanian site Ziare.com, where one finds the original story and the afore-mentioned pix obviously to differentiate between the Roumanian population and the criminals - gypsies, naturally: 7 roving theft suspects arrested Last Updated: Friday, October 9, 2009 | 11:21 PM AT Comments10 Recommend7 CBC News Shelly Fogoa said the thieves... [Lire la suite]

More great news! Why could Roumania not award Doina Cornea a prestigious prize of their own. What is the highest honour one can bestow on a Roumanian citizen? The cross of the Royal House? How long has that existed and who else has won it? This is somewhat embarrassing for the Roumanian government who do not seem to recognise such bravery, determination, courage and honour. Prizes should be handed out in bushels in the country of my heart: Teodor Maries, Ana Blandiana, Herta Müller, Monica Lovinescu, Virghil Ierunca, Doina Cornea and... [Lire la suite]

Dear Everyone, Wow, what a few days it's been...Herta Muller winning the Nobel prize for literature for one thing (see below post). No one deserves it in the literary world more than she, and I am so, so glad that for once, the Nobel Prize has gone to someone who writes like a human being rather than a brain on legs. Herta Muller's books are rarely found in English and so maybe this will catalyse a mass-translation project. Here's hoping. My one sadness is that having been so rejected, annihilated, horrendously persecuted and... [Lire la suite]

What marvellous news! This excellent author, so persecuted under Roumanian communism, heavily censored and spied upon, followed even as far as Germany, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Rarely have I heard of anyone who deserves it more than she and I am unable to tell you how thrilled I am. Herta Muller Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature New York Times By MOTOKO RICH and NICHOLAS KULISH Published: October 8, 2009 Herta Müller, the Romanian-born German novelist and essayist who has written widely... [Lire la suite]

Le Théâtre de l’Orme (www.amsorme.com ) est un petit théâtreparisien niché dans les restes d’un vieil immeuble, lui-même àl’intérieur d’une cour d’un autre immeuble. Ce petit lieu jouit d’uneatmosphère d’exception, grâce d’un côté à sa forme toute à faitoriginale, mais surtout des deux artistes qui le dirigent, Laurent(Laurentiu) Azimioara et Ada d’Albon, deux artistes roumains telsqu’on les aime, qui sont des mélanges magiques de sensibilité, talent,énergie et amour.Dans ce théâtre donc, vous pouvez voir jusqu’au 10 octobre « Dans... [Lire la suite]

Please, please go and see this blog and read the following: It is wonderful, wonderful, wooooonderful that voices can be heard, that there are people who really do care about the future of Bucharest, its scars and its tears. A demonstration (pretty violent) took place on 30th September to STOP the fifty plus propositions to demolish parts of historical Bucharest and SUCCEEDED!!! Whooohooohoooo! The townhall didn't dare go against the furious mob of architects, students, journalists and heavens knows who else out there with their... [Lire la suite]