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Entries Tagged as '“post-communism”'

Romania Unadulterated: Book Review – “Bread, Salt & Plum Brandy”, by Lisa Fisher Cazacu

September 11th, 2010 · No Comments · Books, International Media, PEOPLE, Reviews

The list of Ubuesque mishaps is endless and a great eye-opener both for the reader who could not imagine it and for the natives who got used to and put up with it for far too long!

But, thankfully, not all natives – for Romania is experiencing a brain drain of unprecedented scale and not just brains but muscles too – Romanians emigrate in droves to get away from the quagmire of corrupt officialdom – in the last two decades more than two millions mostly young able-bodied people have voted with their feet and left their country , not in good hear, but in dispair …

One of the statistics is Lisa’s Romanian husband and this is the SECOND ‘plus’ I had in mind as a benefit of Lisa’s Romanian experience: for this rumbustious and unflappable young lady would not allow her unpleasant experiences tarnish her romance with a dashing Mr. Cazacu. They get married and beat the bureaucracy at its game (o yes, even the American bureaucracy because we learn that there is some…) to live “happy ever after” in Texas!

Who needs a better happy-ending than this? in fact, on reflection there are bits in this account to please each and all readers. I for one, after overcoming the initial shock, I enjoyed this brave story in spite of its stark comments, or perhaps because of it.

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Nobel prize Winner – Exorting Romania to be honest about its Communist Past

October 8th, 2009 · No Comments · Diaspora, PEOPLE

Herta MUELLER 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature (Romanian-born German from the Banat of Timisoara, living in Berlin) ——————————————————————————————— Herta Müller has a sharp sense of realities, as demonstrated in her article published in Tagesspeil of 17 July 2008, which is echoed by the Frankfurter Rundschau: “It is a scandal that Romania put forward as its [...]

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Of Exorcism, Orthodox nuns and Ceausescu’s Children – Letter to an Italian Friend

June 20th, 2005 · Comments Off · Diary, International Media, PEOPLE

Carissima Principessa, You were kind enough to send me a link and I thank you for it: http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2005/06_Giugno/19/suora.shtml Romania, giovane suora muore crocifissa Era stata legata per tre giorni a una croce di legno da quattro suore e da un abate per un rito di esorcismo [img align=right]http://www.romanianstudies.org/images/articles/exorcism/mad_priest.jpg[/img]BUCAREST – Una giovane suora di 23 anni, [...]

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Theft of a Nation, Romania since Communism. (Furtul unei Natiunai)

November 11th, 2004 · Comments Off · Books

http:www.hurstpub.co.uk/ THEFT OF A NATION, ROMANIA SINCE COMMUNISM TOM GALLAGHER Paperback 320 pages (November 1, 2003) £16-50 Publisher: C. Hurst & Co ISBN: 1850657165 Hardback: xxii, 424pp. (Jan. 2005),£45.00 Romanian Publication (in Translation ) Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest November 2004 ‘This is a unique work on an important, but neglected, subject. It deals with the [...]

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Vampirism of New and Old Ottomans

November 4th, 2004 · Comments Off · PEOPLE

Vampirism of the the New and Old Ottomans (Romanian Presidential elections) Editorial One unexpected surprise (and irritation) which the Romanian victors experienced since the Paris Peace Treaty, was the unwelcome association with vampires and vampirism, which came about as part and parcel of the union with Transylvania, after WWI. Ever since the demise of Nicolae [...]

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