I wish the view changed and the grass was greener for if there is a fence there is always some side and the grass is different and the words are different on the other side of the rainbow – burned long ago – don’t be upset about flares and torches don’t be upset about roses […]
As we were preparing for our Romanian reviews special this month, I had originally planned to review the forthcoming English translation of The Book of Perilous Dishes by Romania Rocks 2 author Doina Ruști. Due for release by Neem Tree Press in early 2022, the novel is tantalisingly billed as the t
The town of the title of Mihail Sebastian’s 1935 novel is a vague, uncertain place. Referred to in the text only as ‘D…’, translator Gabi Reigh’s introduction (which is as fascinating as her excellent translation) identifies it as Brălia, Sebastian’s hometown. But no streets are named,
Ludovic Bruckstein was a Jewish-Romanian author and playwright who wrote in both Yiddish and Romanian. He grew up in northern Romania, in the village of Sighet, many of whose inhabitants fell victim to the atrocities of the Second World War and the Holocaust. Of Bruckstein’s family, himself and hi
Neither one thing nor the other, yet Stelian Munteanu is known to all: the police force, the secret service, even the shady businessman whose daughter’s body is found on the seashore in South Shields. The British police force do not suspect foul play, and yet Pavel Coman fears otherwise, so he hir
Imagine the moment when the Ceaușescu regime fell and suddenly people were in charge of their own lives for the first time. There was no road map, nor was it possible to call on living memory to help. The responsibility for what happened next fell on everyone. That is the starting point for Visniec
