Romania Books

Mad Forest is a fascinating look at Communist Romania before, during, and right after the revolution. I had the privelage of working on a college production of this play, and, each time it was performed, I found something new or amazing about it.
The play follows two families (Bogdon's family and Mihai's family) in Communist Romania. The play uses language (or, in the first scene, the lack of it) to convey the danger of their lives. Just as the conversation is suppressed, the people themselves are suppressed. (For our production, we talked to a Romanian woman who said people were afraid to talk to their next door neighbors, because they did not know the person was in Securitate (the secret police). The second act contains "sound bites," if I can call them that, to describe the events of December 1989, when the Communist government was overthrown. This part of the play is especially chilling and brilliant. The third act shows the chaos following the collapse of communism. The characters talk and argue, and almost explode with emotion, as Churchill once again uses language to show the chaos. The third act, like the aftermath of the revolution, was unsettling. I would advise anyone who wants to read this, to learn a little bit about the revolution, so you understand what happened. All in all, a fantastic, powerful, moving play.

This is a book that must be read by anyone interested in the Holocaust and Jewish life. It is unlike any Holocaust autobiography in that it involves Jewish life in South America. Even after living through the tragedies of the Holocaust Salomon Encourages joy and happiness. As a College student, and as Salomon's grandson this book touched my life in a very special way.

The "Miorita" is a heartwarming journey into the Romanian psyche. This story of the little lamb and her gentle Shepherd is one of the four narrative dramas that Romanians memorize in primary school, and then carry with them all of their lives. A true literary treasure! This translation evokes the northern wilds of Romania in vocabulary germane to its location. It conjures up unforgettable images of tender, guileless concern of the Shepherd; surrounded by villainous enemies. The fine black and white photography that serves to illustrate this pastoral folk story is ever-so-carefully wedded to its poetry. Simply a cultural masterpiece!

What a BEAUTIFUL book! I'm an middle aged woman and I fell in love with this book! The story tugs at your heart and the illustrations are remarkable! I've never even heard of this story, written by Queen Marie of Romania, but I am SO glad that I found it! Enjoy, and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BOX OF TISSUES NEAR BY!

although i have read previously some books by the world's most renowned scholar of comparative religion, this one struck me as a particularly outstanding collection of stories. "doctor honigberger's secret" is, please allow me to say, stunning for the fact that you are compelled to read it more than once. at the end, you feel like you have watched the film eyes nailed shut, as you, most probably, would feel with each eliade narrative. "rejuvenated by lightning" is a pleasant piece of fiction, notable for both its taste of irony and its authentic inventions.

This is a wonderful biography of one of the greatest talents and most controversial personalities of Open Tennis which I highly recommend to any tennis fan. The book, written by someone who knew well and understood Nastase goes a long way in exploring and analyzing the multifacets of Nastase's complex character and personality.

From the summer of 1972 until the end of 1973 the richly gifted Nastase was the best player in the world. The United States champion of 1972 and the French champion of 1973, he was also the runner-up in three other Grand Slam finals, one of these being the memorable 1972 Wimbledon final. In doubles and mixed doubles Nastase shared a total of five Grand Slam titles. Nastase won Grand Prix Masters tournament four years out of five, a record only surpassed by Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras. His Davis Cup record is also phenomenal, playing and wining more Davis Cup matches than anybody else except Nikki Pietrangeli. His combined singles titles (57) and doubles (51) of Grand Prix, WCT and ATP sanctioned tournaments of Open Tennis is only surpassed by John McEnroe: no coincidence here since they are the two greatest natural talents seen in 35 years of Open Tennis.

Despite such an impressive career, still regarded by some to be an underachievement considering such a vast potential and natural talent, is sad that Nastase is still remembered by some, particularly in the United States, mostly for his antics rather than for his brilliance and pure artistry displayed on the tennis court. To some extent this is his own fault for being at times too eager to cultivate his image of enfant terrible to an American audience all too enthusiastic to indulge in show business.

Nastase (followed closely by another of my favourites, John McEnroe) was always for me the most enjoyable player to watch. Richard Evans (alongside another Brit, Rex Bellamy) is the tennis writer whose knowledge and style I appreciate and admire most. For these two reasons alone I find this book to be a real treat. On a final note, I find fascinating the fact that Evans was the only skilled and curageous enough writer to tackle two very challenging subjects, such as the geniuses and controversial temperaments of Nastase and McEnroe - he also wrote a highly successful biography of John McEnroe: "McEnroe - A Rage for Perfection", updated 8 years later as "McEnroe - Taming the Talent".

PS As a tip, if you are presented the choice, get the English edition of this book, published by Aidan Ellis Publishing Ltd. as "Nastase" in 1978. This has two pages of colour pictures, whereas the American edition has all the pictures black and white.

Katherine Verdery is an American anthropologist working primarily in Romania. She has written a number of books on this fascinating and often troubled country.

When I started working there in 1992 I found it very difficult to understand quite what was going on, and the background to many of the debates I was encountering.

Verdery's book examines the background to National Ideology in Romania, both its historical roots in the 17th and 18th centuries and its more recent history under the communist regime. She also provides an in-depth theoretical analysis of the communist "command economy" and its impact on academic debates in Romania. The book provides several case studies including literary criticism and history.

I read this book with utter fascination and it formed the key to my understanding of many of the problems I encountered. It is not an easy read, it is a theoretical academic book, but it is a brilliant one and is essential reading for anyone engaging with the academic sphere in Romania.

Each month half of my paycheck goes to used bookstores where I seek out the strange and unusual. My eyes lit up when I came across A Night in Transylvania. The dust cover was missing so I had no idea what the book was about until I opened it up and saw The Dracula Scrapbook. Then I was sold.
The whole book is a wonderful look at Count Dracula in pop culture. It contains hundreds of rare photos and memorabilia from the past. I freaked out when I saw the picture of an old book and record set produced by Marvel Comics back in '76 called Dracula with the tagline "Terror in the Snow!" Does anyone else remember that item? If memory serves correctly there was a Frankenstein edition as well as Werewolf By Night. (Secret shame, I still own several issues of the old Werewolf By Night and Tomb of Dracula comics.) Anyway it is nice to look at the old photos of past classic Dracula movies while reading along with the text.
But that's not the best part of the book. The book takes you on a text and photo tour of all things related to Dracula and vampires that exists in Translyvania. With today's high airline tickets, its difficult to go over there to see it for yourself so for now the book makes for an enjoyable mental trip. If you have an extra $4000 laying around, I sugguest the Halloween Party at Castle Bran (billed as Dracula Castle) as part of Translvania's Dracula Tour. You get picked up at the local international airport via horse and buggy and take a similar route to Jonathan Harker on his first trip to Castle Dracula. You even get to ride through the Borgo Pass. The locals get behind the event and dress up as vampires and other characters from the movies and novels. Then you spend the night at Castle Bran for a Vampire Party with the other guests which includes a blood looking red wine to drink.
Looking through this book caused me to think about how long Dracula and Frankenstein's monster have both survived throughout history. If you had the chance to visit some rustic living in some remote swamp area where cable tv isn't available, that person would know the name of Dracula. Its such a popular character that I don't think there's anywhere in the world where people wouldn't know about him. You would think that those of us who grew up watching Creature Feature and had seen all the old Universal and Hammer Dracula movies and the Coppola version, wouldn't care to see another one, but the Dracula movies keep coming and the public still goes out in droves to see 'em. There's something cool about being a vampire. You get to meet beautiful women (or handsome men), stay up all night and party till dawn, and you never die unless its you turn to get staked. But don't worry, the scriptwriters will find a way for you to come back in the sequels.
That being said, A Night In Translyvania is a great find for anyone interested in classic horror and Dracula related tourism.
If you find a copy, snatch it up.

The best description of war yet. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting. Please read this book. It is a must.

Just finished the book for a class. Easily one of the best books I have ever read.