In 1968, the Romanian geophysicist Constantin Roman defied Communist restrictions and travelled to England on a NATO travel grant. Under Ceausescu’s dictatorship, obtaining a passport was short of a miracle and in the first chapter we are let into the secret of how this was made possible.
I must confess I admired your inventiveness, perseverance and tenacity with which you focused on your goals, the courage you displayed in approaching influential people, without prior introduction, the manner in which you presented logical arguments in obtaining what you were about to achieve
Entries Tagged as 'Romania'
Out of Ceausescu’s Hell: a Romanian at Cambridge
February 25th, 2010 · No Comments · Books, Diaspora, PEOPLE
Tags:"Constantin Roman"·"History of Science". "Continental Drift"·cambridge·Diaspora·memoirs·migration·Romania
Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba: Cât de subversiv putea fi Noica
February 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · OPINION, PEOPLE, Reviews
IsabelaVasiliu-ScrabaNoica-subversivMEANDRE2009/21febr. 2010/185760car.
Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba
Cât de subversiv putea fi Noica*
«Având presimtirea dezastrelor teritoriale din vara acestui an apocaliptic m’am încumetat [eu, Lucian Blaga] să afirm că noi, Românii, vom avea un viitor de natură spirituală cum n’am avut niciodată». Desprinsă din Prelegerea inaugurală din anul universitar 1940-1941 ţinută la Universitatea din Cluj mutată la Sibiu (1) din [...]
Tags:"IsabelaVasiliu-Scraba"·communism·Heidegger·Noica·Philosophy·Romania·subversive
Vera ATKINS – a Romanian MATA HARI in the services of the SOE
February 16th, 2010 · No Comments · Books, Diaspora, PEOPLE, Reviews
Before the occupation of France Vera enrolled as a student in modern languages at the Sorbonne, followed by one year course at a finishing school in Lausanne, a privileged education in an incubator reserved for the young ladies of upper class families. This background was going to keep her in good stead as an intelligence operative during WWII, a role defined by Ian Fleming in his classic retort:
“In the world of spies, Vera Atkins was the boss.”
In 1940 Vera returned to England, where her career as an SOE operative took off under Maurice Buckmaster (1902-1992). During her career as an SOE officer the indomitable Atkins sent 470 agents including 39 women behind enemy lines into German-occupied French territory. Her spying persona inspired film makers as she became Miss Moneypenny in a James Bond movie and also the main character in Genevieve Simms movie Into the Dark.
Tags:"Count von Schulenburg"·"Ian Fleming"·"James Bond"·"Miss Monneypenny"·"Vera Atkins"·Carpathians·Galati·London·Romania·SOE·spymistress
Al. O. Teodoreanu, aka ‘Pastorel’ – Romanian Poetry in Translation (X)
February 12th, 2010 · No Comments · PEOPLE, Poetry, Translations
At Stalin’s death I cried my eyes out / The secret being truly gritty: / We’ll have instead to go about / Licking the arse of a Committee.
Tags:"Al. O. Teodoreanu"·"Political prisoner"·"Stalin's death"·1953·censorship·dictatorship·epigrama·epigrams·Literature·Pastorel·poet·Romania·satyre
Mircea Eliade într-o colaborare cu bucluc
February 11th, 2010 · No Comments · Diaspora, OPINION, PEOPLE
Desemnat de Sorin Antohi drept “noul Eliade”, Ioan Petru Culianu a reprezentat “un fenomen exploziv introdus în cultura română de după 1989”. Sigur, ar fi contra-productiv să repunem în circulaţie ditirambii prin care s-a realizat această masivă manipulare, care în sine ar fi fost chiar benefică, dacă numele discipolului Culianu n-ar fi fost folosit permanent pentru a-l înlătura din cultura românească pe marele Eliade prin acuzaţii nefondate de anti-semitism. Si, evident, dacă interesul s-ar fi axat exclusiv pe noutatea adusă de psiho-sociologul Culianu (1950-1991) în cele trei cărţi publicate cu ajutorul lui Eliade în Franţa la Payot şi Flamarion, apoi traduse în engleză şi italiană. Dar, mai ales, dacă “fenomenul exploziv” n-ar fi fost declanşat de lansarea unor neadevăruri prin editurile Humanitas, Nemira şi Polirom (urmate inconştient de Editura Academiei), inventându-se doctorate în număr excedentar şi săltându-l pe Culianu în scaunul de conferenţiar de istoria religiilor când n-a apucat să fie decât visiting professor, ba încă imaginându-l (în locul ocupat din 1986 de prof. Wendy Doniger) drept “urmaş al lui Eliade” la vremea când nu-şi trecuse încă doctoratul de Stat…
Tags:"·"Andrei Plesu"·"Groningen University"·"History of Religions"·"Horia Stamatu"·"Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba"·"Marieta Sadova"·"Mircea Eliade"·"Monica Lovinescu"·"Neuer Weg"·"Noapte de sânziene"·"Oglinda literară·"Paul Goma"·"Sorin Antohi"·"Virgil Ierunca"·Chicago·communism·Culianu "Ioan Petre Culianu"·dialogue·Italy·Literature·Nicolschi·Nikolsky·Noica·Paris·Payot·Philosophy·Romania·Scânteia
SFIDAREA IDIOCRATIEI, Constantin ROMAN, Prefata – John F. DEWEY (Recenzie – Partea I)
February 9th, 2010 · No Comments · Books, Diaspora, PEOPLE, Reviews
Universul din care provine Constantin ROMAN este estompat de sita vremii. Odata ajuns in Anglia, meleagurile lasate in urma sunt distruse de sistematizarea revolutiei culturale ale lui Nicolae Ceausescu, iar ruinele lor raman dincolo de frontiere ostile.
Tags:"Centre for Romanian Studies"·"dictatura comunista"·"John F. Dewey"·"Sfidarea idiocratiei"·Anglia·Bucuresti·bursier·cambridge·Memorii·Peterhouse·Romania
40th BERLIN Film Festival (Feb. 2010):
February 5th, 2010 · No Comments · International Media, Reviews
Povestea Grupului Gavrilă primul film al trilogiei „Apoape linişte“ despre Rezistenţa Anticomunistă „Portretul luptătorului la tinereţe“ a fost selectat şi va fi prezentat la Festivalul Filmului de la Berlin
When the Soviet Army marched into Romania in 1944, a part of the Romanian population went “into the mountains”. Over a thousand armed resistance groups took refuge in the inaccessible forests of the Carpathian Mountains where they waited in vain for the support of the Western Allies. Thirty of them held their ground well into the 1950s. One was led by Ion Gavrilă-Ogoranu, who managed to remain undetected until 1976 when he was arrested.
Tags:"40th Berlin Film Festival"·"Ion Gavrila Ogoranu"·"Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man"·"Portretul luptătorului la tinereţe"·2010·anti-communism·Berlin "Film Festival"·Berlinale·Carpathians·Fagaras·fighters·movie·Romania·trilogy·„Apoape linişte“
Cambridge Memoir (II) – Peterhouse
December 3rd, 2009 · No Comments · Books, Diaspora, PEOPLE, Uncategorized, quotations
Cambridge Memoir (II) – Peterhouse
17. Lord Dewar’s rescue
No sooner that I accepted, with great glee, my Presidency of the Peterhouse Grad. Soc. the style of leadership had to change. New blood was needed to inject some tonus in the proceedings and I was determined to encourage more social contacts amongst its members, [...]
Tags:"Continental Drift"·cambridge·Dewar·Memoir·painting·Peterhouse·portrait·Romania
Cambridge Memoir (I) – Peterhouse
December 2nd, 2009 · No Comments · Books, Diaspora, Uncategorized, quotations
Peterhouse has the oldest Hall in Cambridge, going back to its foundation, in 1284. The Hall was restored in the 19c century when it was decorated by William Morris. It could take up to over one hundred undergraduates, but as their number grew, two sittings were introduced and eventually a self-service system. Formal dinners got fewer and attendance was no longer compulsory. However, as meals were heavily subsidized from college funds and benefactions,
Tags:"Continental Drift"·book·cambridge·etract·Memoir·Peterhouse·Romania
