The Death of Tragedy. Toward a theory of melodrama in the novel

The present paper goes forth from several observations phrased by E. Lovinescu in his early serial criticism. The Romanian modernist leader used to emphasize on the idea that the perennial elements in literature, namely those that are able to raise the strongest emotions, carrying their resonances deep down to the very marrow of the human being, are purely and thoroughly melodramatic. Actually, when giving a close reading to Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Lovinescu was prone to relieve mainly the psychological meaning as he considered that it was the emotion-procurement which secured a certain time endurance of the dramatic work, and not its sheer aesthetic value. Thereby the modernist critic came to an overt distinction between the psychological and the aesthetic features of the artistic works and hence this brought him to the conclusion that actually the melodrama is not only closer to life than any other literary genre, but also the farthest from art. In exchange, the closest to art’s sophistication seems to be only the tragedy, a canonical species resurrected with gusto by the neo-classicists from the Ancient Greek culture and yet resented by their descendants as awfully artificial. Parting from this, at the Romantic turn-point, the tragedy begins to melt undiscernibly into melodrama. Moreover, the melodramatic, as a proper aesthetic category, grows into the inner structure of modern art, being rendered in various artistic genres such as movies and novels: practically they are being transferred both the theatrical techniques and vision specific to melodrama. This paper endeavours to follow the metamorphoses of this process, underlining altogether Lovinescu’s personal contribution. It in this precise area of critical thought that the Romanian critic set himself up as a predecessor of the nowadays trends to rehabilitate the melodrama.

Keywords: melodrama, melodramatic, tragedy, catharsis, vraisemblance, lyric, epic, dramatic, psychodrama, psychoanalysis, suggestion

I.

1992. Lovinescu, Opere (Works), edited by Maria Simionescu and Alexandru George, Bucharest: “Minerva” Publishing House, 1982-1992.

• * * *, Scrieri (Writings), edited by Eugen Simion, Bucharest: “Minerva” Publishing House, 1969-1982.

II

• Eric Bentley, The Life of Drama, New York: Atheneum, 1964.
• Michael R. Booth, English Melodrama, London: Herbert Jenkins, 1965.
• Peter Brooks, The Melodramatic imagination: Balzac, Henry James, Melodrama & the Mode of Excess, New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1976.
• Mihail Gramatopol, Moira, mythos, drama, Bucharest: EPLU, 1969.
• Robert B. Heilman, Tragedy and Melodrama: Versions of Experience, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1968.
• Hans Robert Jauss, Experienţă estetică şi hermeneutică literară (Aesthetic Experience and Literary Hermeneutics), translated by Andrei Corbea, Bucharest: “Univers” Publishing House, 1983.
• Angelo Mitchievici, Decadenţă şi decadentism în contextul modernităţii româneşti şi europene (Decadence and Decadentism in Romanian and European Modernity), Bucharest: “Curtea Veche” Publishing House, 2011.

1965. L. Moreno, Psichotérapie de groupe et Psychodrama (Group Psychoterapy and Psychodrama), Paris: P. U. F., 1965.

• Evanghelos Moutsopoulos, Categoriile estetice (The Aesthetic Categories), translated by Victor Ivanovici, Bucharest: “Univers” Publishing House, 1976.
• Vasile Popovici, Lumea personajului (The Character’s World), Cluj Napoca: “Echinox” Publishing House, 1997
• Guy Rachet, Tragedia greacă (The Greek Tragedy), Bucharest: “Univers” Publishing House, 1980.
• Frank Rahill, The World of Melodrama, University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1967.
• James L. Smith, Melodrama, London: Methuen, 1973.
• Jean Starobinski, Relaţia critică (The Critical Relation), translated by Al. George, Bucharest: “Univers” Publishing House, 1974
• Anne Übersfeld, Termenii cheie ai analizei teatrului (Approaching Theatre), Iassy: “Institutul European” Publishing House, Iaşi, 1999.
• * * *, Lire le théâtre (Reading Theatre), Paris: Editions Sociales, 1978.
• Ion Vartic, Ibsen şi „teatrul invizibil”. Preludii la o teorie a dramei (Ibsen and the “Invisible Theatre”), Bucharest: “Editura Didactică şi Pedagogică, R. A.” Publishing House, 1995.

Anglo-American models of the interwar „experientialists”

A problem which our litterary history have ussualy ignored was the influence of the English and American Culture towards the Romanian interwar Young Generation, especially from the Criterion group – inspired by the American debates – till some novelistic patterns, poetical or theatrical, inspired by the anglo-saxon sources. Some of the young essaists of the 30‘ts was also particulary interesed by the American or English litterature and cultural mentality. In fact, it was the first time when the Romanian modern culture really meets that pattern, a pattern who became global after few decades. Which were the consequences of those cultural influences – that is the question which this paper tries to answer.

Keywords: authentic, conservative, creuset, generation, imperial identity

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• Jeni Acterian, Jurnalul unei fete greu de mulţumit. 1932-1947, text ales şi note biografice de Arşavir Acterian, Ediţie îngrijită, traduceri din franceză, note bibliografice şi prefaţă de Doina Uricariu, ediţia a II-a, revăzută, Editura Humanitas, Bucureşti, 2007.
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• Lucian Boia, Franţa, hegemonie sau declin?, Editura Humanitas, Seria de autor „Lucian Boia”, Bucureşti, 2010.
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• Petru Comarnescu, Homo americanus. Cu un portret de Miliţa Pătraşcu, Colecţia Criterion, Bucureşti, 1933, Zgîrie-norii New York–ului, Colecţia Criterion, Bucureşti, 1933, America văzută de un tînăr de azi, Adeverul, Bucureşti, 1934, Editura Vremea, Bucureşti, 1933, Chipurile şi priveliştile Americii. Cu 18 gravuri, 2 hărţi şi coperta de Petre Grant, Editura Cugetarea-Georgescu Delafras, Bucureşti, 1940.
• Dicţionarul cronologic al romanului tradus în România de la origini pînă la 1989, Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică şi Istorie Literară „Sextil Puşcariu”, Editura Academiei Române, Cluj-Napoca, 2005.
• Mircea Eliade, Insula lui Euthanasius, Editura Fundaţiilor Regale, Bucureşti, 1943.
• Mircea Eliade, Memorii 1907-1960, ediţia a doua revăzută şi indice de Mircea Handoca, Editura Humanitas, Colecţia „Memorii-Jurnale”, Bucureşti, 1997.
• Mircea Eliade, Oceanografie, Editura Humanitas, Bucureşti, 2008.
• Cătălin Ghiţă, Deimografia. Scenarii ale terorii în proza românească, Editura Institutul European, Colecţia „Academica”, Iaşi, 2011
• Monica Grosu, Petru Comarnescu, un neliniştit în secolul său, Editura Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Colecţia „Biblioteca tînărului scriitor”, Cluj-Napoca, 2008.
• Nicolae Iorga, America şi românii din America. Note de drum şi conferinţe, Vălenii de Munte, 1930.
• Hermann von Keyserling, Analiza spectrală a Europei, traducere de Victor Durnea, Editura Institutul European, Colecţia „Eseuri de ieri şi de azi”, Iaşi, 1993.
• Mac Linscott-Ricketts, Rădăcinile româneşti ale lui Mircea Eliade. 1907-1945, traducere de Virginia Stănescu, Mihaela Gligor, Irina Petraş, Olimpia Iacob şi Horia Ion Groza
  Bucureşti, Criterion Publishing, 2004.
• Andrei Oişteanu, Narcotice în cultura română. Istorie, religie, literatură, Editura Polirom, Colecţia „Plural M”, Iaşi, 2009.
• Adrian Păunescu, Sub semnul întrebării, Ed. Cartea Românească, Bucureşti, 1979.
• Doina Peteanu (Anişoara Odeanu), Publicistică la „Viaţa”, editori Eugen Beltechi şi Gheorghe Luchescu, Cuvînt înainte de Cornel Ungureanu, Editura Orizonturi Universitare, Timişoara, 2009.
• Rodica Pioariu, On Romanian-American Cultural Relations in the Interwar Period, în Analele Universităţii din Alba-Iulia, Philologica, tom 3, 2003.
• Dragoş Protopopescu, Valoarea latină a culturii engleze. O prelegere celebră, ediţie îngrijită de C. George-Săndulescu şi Lidia Vianu, Contemporary Literature Press, Bucureşti, 2011.
• Mihail Sebastian, Jurnal. 1935-1944, text îngrijit de Gabriela Omăt, prefaţă şi note de Leon Volovici, Editura Humanitas, Colecţia „Memorii/Jurnale”, Bucureşti, 2002.
• Mihail Sebastian, Jurnal de epocă. Publicistică, ediţie îngrijită şi studiu interoductiv de Cornelia Ştefănescu, Academia Română, Fundaţia Naţională pentru Ştiinţă şi Artă, Institutul de Istorie şi Teorie Literară „G. Călinescu”, Bucureşti, 2002.
• Simona Sora, Regăsirea intimităţii. Corpul în proza românească interbelică şi postdecembristă, Editura Cartea Românească, Colecţia „Critică şi istorie literară”, Bucureşti, 2008.
• N. Steinhardt, Geo Bogza, un poet al Efectelor, Exaltării, Grandiosului, Solemnităţii, Exuberanţei şi Patetismului Editura Albatros, Bucureşti, 1982.
• N. Steinhardt, Călătoria unui fiu risipitor, prefaţă de Ioan Pintea, Editura Adonai, f. loc., 1995.
• N. Steinhardt. Opere 6. Articole burgheze, ediţie îngrijită, adnotări, cronologie şi indice de Viorica Nişcov, Studiu introductiv de Nicolae Mecu, Mănăstirea Rohia/Polirom, Rohia/Iaşi, 2008.
• Aurel Storin, Teatrul românesc de revistă. Istorie. Dimensiuni. Pericole. Destine, Editura SCRIB, Bucureşti, 2011.
• Stelian Tănase, Cioran şi Securitatea, Editura Polirom, Colecţia „Istorii subterane”, Iaşi, 2008.

Ion Vinea during totalitarianisms (II)

The study is focused on the figure of Ion Vinea, one of the major poets of the interwar period. But the object of the study is not Vinea’s poetry, the author being interested in his activity as a journalist – Vinea being the editor-in-chief of the most influential avant-garde magazine, Contimporanul (1922-1932), and also of Facla (1930-1940), another influential magazine of the period. Even though Vinea has been biased towards leftist intellectuals and journalists, frequently hiring them as editors in the journals and newspapers he ran, after the installation of the communist regime he was immediately purged. This first part of the study examines the years prior to 1945, when Vinea edited the newspaper Evenimentul zilei (The event of the day), aiming at creating an example of free press in an extremely complicated context.

Keywords: Romanian history, interwar period, Ion Vinea, interwar press, Evenimentul zilei, totalitarianism, censorship

• Mihaela Cristea, Despre realitatea iluziei. De vorbă cu Henriette Yvonne Stahl ∕ On the reality of illusion. Speaking with Henriette Yvonne Stahl, Bucureşti, Minerva.
• Virgil Ierunca, Dimpotrivă, Bucureşti, Humanitas, 1994.
• Eugène Ionesco, Jurnal în fărâme ∕ A diary in crumbs, transl. by Irina Bădescu, Bucureşti, Humanitas, 1992.
• Eugen Ionescu, Teatru, vol. II, Bucureşti, Editura pentru literatură universală, 1968
• Florin Mugur, Vârstele raţiunii. Convorbiri cu Paul Georgescu, Bucureşti, Cartea Românească, 1982.
• Miron Radu Paraschivescu, Jurnalul unui cobai ∕ The diary of a labrat, ed. by Maria Cordoneanu, pref. by Vasile Igna, Cluj, Dacia, 1994
• Petre Stoica, Amintirile unui fost corector, Bucureşti, Cartea Românească, 1982.
• Ion Vinea, Săgeata şi arabescul. Articole şi pamflete ∕ The arrow and the arabesque. Articles and pamphlets, ed. and pref. by Dumitru Hîncu, Bucureşti, Minerva, 1984.
• Elena Zaharia, Ion Vinea, Bucureşti, Cartea Românească, 1972.

Cornel Regman – the critic of the next day

After his debut à la manière de Călinescu, where one could notice the pleasures he takes in rendering the analytical discourse as a narrative, in the extensive quotation and the practice of a wide comparatism (besides the debt he pays, thematically and stylistically, to the proletcultism), Cornel Regman starts off, beginning with his volume Cărţi, autori, tendinţe (Books, Writers, Trends), with the process directed against the literary morals, listing in good humour all the maladies of the meta-literary: the improper use of terminology, the abuse of neologisms, or, as appropriate, of regionalisms, the harmful rush for “creativity” in criticism. He becomes a creditable quibbler of the post-war critic phenomenon, the only one imposing this task upon himself and fully respecting it, especially when it comes about the tireless watch over the literary chronicle. Feared, and thus, less loved, he played the part of a law enforcement officer on the field of literary criticism, where he strived to ensure the guard and protection of the critical cause, as his precursor – Şerban Cioculescu. Most of the penalty-charge reports he issued were for the “creative criticism”, for those who put exaggerated stake on intuition, impression and literaturization. His ‘allies’ in this effort were the polemic, after Cioculescu’s manner, and an eye especially trained for finding flaws, syncope, critical heart failures. The part Cornel Regman plays, after he becomes the writer of a column of critics’ critique, is that of “the critic of the next day”, in the rear guard of the literary phenomenon, making interventions which aim to specify, grade and label correctly the literary present.

Keywords: contemporary Romanian literature, post-war literary criticism, literary chronicle, Lovinescianism, Calinescianism, polemic, objective perspective, axiological verdict, colloquial style.

• Grigurcu, Gheorghe, Idei şi forme critice / Critical Ideas and Models. Bucureşti, Ed. Cartea Românească, 1973;
• Manolescu, Nicolae, Literatura română postbelică. Lista lui Manolescu / The Post-war Romanian Literature. Manolescu’s List. Braşov, Ed. Aula, 2001;
• Regman, Cornel, Confluenţe literare / Literary Confluences. Bucureşti, E.P.L., 1966;
• Regman, Cornel, Cărţi , autori , tendinţe / Books, Writers, Trends. Bucureşti, E.P.L., 1967;
• Regman, Cornel, Cică nişte cronicari…/ It’s Said about Some Chroniclers… Bucureşti, Ed. Eminescu, 1970;
• Regman, Cornel, Selecţie din selecţie / Selection from Selection. Bucureşti, Ed. Eminescu, 1972;
• Regman, Cornel, Colocvial / Colloquial. Bucureşti, Ed. Eminescu, 1976;
• Regman, Cornel, Noi explorări critice / New Critical Examinations. Bucureşti, Ed. Eminescu, 1982;
• Regman, Cornel, De la imperfect la mai puţin ca perfect / From Present Perfect to Less than Perfect. Bucureşti, Ed. Eminescu, 1987;
• Regman, Cornel, Nu numai despre critici / Not only about Critics. Bucureşti, Ed. Cartea Românească, 1990;
• Regman, Cornel, Dinspre „Cercul literar“ spre optzecişti / From “The Literary Circle” to the Generation of the Eighties. Bucureşti, Ed. Cartea Românească, 1997.

Eminescian “challenges”. Ioana Em. Petrescu, reading eminescology

This study is sustained by the research that I have been carrying on “Popovici-Petrescu” book fund at “Octavian Goga” Cluj County Library. Accordingly, I was interested in “how were Ioana and Liviu Peterscu actually reading?”- a thorough research on the books in the library that would describe: the literary works annotated by the owners, the anottation’s type and author and so on. It is intended to reconsider the domain of the studies on Eminescu, based on Ioana Em. Petrescu’s annotations found on the volumes of eminescian exegesis.  It is to be emphasized the fact that Ioana Em. Petrescu does not deny for one moment the privileged “position” of “the national poet” within the hierarchy of Romanian literature, as long as this status – “special”, “important”, “unique” – is being demonstrated by solid, plausible arguments and scientific probity. On one hand, annotations found on the margins of the volumes’ pages, highlight a wish for distance and for creation of a personal critical voice towards the exegetic interpretations from which she clearly detaches.On the other hand, annotations “unfold” critical texts that ,,pedal” in the air: either by an excessive usage of the “wooden” language or of the encomiastic one, either because they do not subscribe to the horizon of the specialized bibliography.

Keywords: eminescology, “Popovici-Petrescu” book fund at “Octavian Goga” Cluj County Library, annotations, obsolete hermeneutical patterns, ”close-reading”, critical and subversive reading

Studies, exegesis:

• Bucur, Marin (coord.), Caietele Mihai Eminescu/Mihai Eminescu Notebooks, studii, articole, note, documente, iconografie şi bibliografie prezentate de Marin Bucur, VI, Bucureşti, Editura Eminescu, 1985.
• Călinescu, Matei, Titanul şi geniul în poezia lui Eminescu/The titan and the genius in Eminescu’s poetry, Bucureşti, Editura pentru Literatură, 1964.
• Ciobanu, Nicolae, Structura fantasticului narativ/The structure of the narrative fantastic, Iaşi, Editura Junimea, 1984.
• Codreanu, Theodor, Dialectica stilului/The dialectic of style, Bucureşti, Editura Cartea Românească, 1984.
• Eco, Umberto, Şase plimbări prin pădurea narativă/Six walks in the narrative wood, Constanţa, Editura Pontica, 1997.
• Gorcea, M. Petru, Steaua din oglinda visului: eseu despre ,,Luceafărul” lui Eminescu/The star in the mirror of the dream: essay about Eminescu’s Morning Star, Bucureşti, Editura Cartea Românească, 1983.
• Ionescu, Cornel Mihai, Cratylos. Oglinda şi punctul/Cratylos. The mirror and the point, în Caietele Mihai Eminescu/Mihai Eminescu Notebooks, studii, articole, note, documente, iconografie şi bibliografie prezentate de Marin Bucur, VI, Bucureşti, Editura Eminescu, 1985.
• Manolescu, Nicolae, Istoria critică a literaturii române. 5 secole de literatură,/The critical history of Romanian literature. Five centuries of literature Piteşti, Editura Paralela 45, 2008.
• Pantea-Cheie, Iosif, Eminescu şi Leopardi / Eminescu and Leopardi, Bucureşti, Editura Minerva, 1980.
• Petrescu, Em. Ioana, Eminescu. Modele cosmologice şi viziune poetică/Eminescu. Cosmological models and poetic vision, Bucureşti, Editura Minerva, 1978.
• Petrescu, Em. Ioana, Studii eminesciene/Studies about Eminescu, ediţie îngrijită, note şi bibliografie de Ioana Bot şi Adrian Tudurachi, Cluj-Napoca, Editura Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, 2009.
• Popa, George, Prezentul etern eminescian/The eternal eminescian present, Iaşi, Editura Junimea, 1989.
• Popovici, Dimitrie, Poezia lui Mihai Eminescu/Mihai Eminescu’s poetry, prefaţă de Ioana Petrescu, Bucureşti, Editura Albatros, 1972.

ADNOTĂRI DE IOANA EM. PETRESCU ÎN (toate volumele se găsesc în biblioteca fondului ,,Popovici-Petrescu” aflat în posesia Bibliotecii Judeţene ,,Octavian Goga” din Cluj-Napoca)/ANNOTATIONS WROTE BY IOANA EM. PETRESCU IN (all the volumes can be found in “Popovici-Petrescu” book fund at “Octavian Goga” Cluj County Library):

• Bucur, Marin (coord.), Caietele Mihai Eminescu/Mihai Eminescu Notebooks, studii, articole, note, documente, iconografie şi bibliografie prezentate de Marin Bucur, VI, Bucureşti, Editura Eminescu, 1985.
• Călinescu, Matei, Titanul şi geniul în poezia lui Eminescu/The titan and the genius in Eminescu’s poetry, Bucureşti, Editura pentru Literatură, 1964.
• Ciobanu, Nicolae, Structura fantasticului narativ/The structure of the narrative fantastic, Iaşi, Editura Junimea, 1984.
• Codreanu, Theodor, Dialectica stilului/The dialectic of style, Bucureşti, Editura Cartea Românească, 1984.
• Gorcea, M. Petru, Steaua din oglinda visului: eseu despre ,,Luceafărul” lui Eminescu/The star in the mirror of the dream: essay about Eminescu’s Morning Star, Bucureşti, Editura Cartea Românească, 1983.
• Ionescu, Cornel Mihai, Cratylos. Oglinda şi punctul/Cratylos. The mirror and the point, în Caietele Mihai Eminescu/Mihai Eminescu Notebooks, studii, articole, note, documente, iconografie şi bibliografie prezentate de Marin Bucur, VI, Bucureşti, Editura Eminescu, 1985.
• Pantea-Cheie, Iosif, Eminescu şi Leopardi/Eminescu and Leopardi, Bucureşti, Editura Minerva, 1980.
• Popa, George, Prezentul etern eminescian/The eternal eminescian present, Iaşi, Editura Junimea, 1989.

A Forgotten Document as a Plea for Revisiting Ioan Slavici

The present research is focused on a document often left aside by the Romanian historiography – the 1887 memorandum project elaborated by Ioan Slavici. The paper can be considered a forerunner of the 1892 memorandum and represents the result of a deep compromise between the real political ideas of its author and the Romanian National Party’s official agenda. Thus, shortly after its elaboration, Slavici resigned from the leadership of the national movement and never again made mention of the project’s ideas. Alongside the description and analysis of the document’s content, the conclusions of our article explore the possibility of alternative explanations for the strong pro-Habsburg position of the writer, presenting the opportunity of relating his political imaginary with some recurrent psychological behavior identified by one of his recent biographers

Keywords: Ioan Slavici, manuscripts, political ideas, memorandum, Austria-Hungary, Transylvania

Archive sources

• România, Arhivele Naţionale Istorice Centrale Bucureşti, Fond „Partidul Naţional Român din Transilvania”, Dosar 22 / Romania. The Central National Historical Archives in Bucharest, The Romanian National Party from Transylvania (The Romanian National Committee) Fund, File no. 22.

Published sources

• ***, Memorandul Românilor din Transilvania şi Ungaria către Împăratul Francisc Iosif I / The Memorandum of the Romanians from Transylvania and Hungary to Emperor Francisc Iosif the I^st, anexă la vol. Pompiliu Teodor, Liviu Maior, Nicolae Bocşan, Şerban Polverejan, Doru Radosav, Toader Nicoară, Memorandul 1892-1894 / The Memorandum 1892-1894, a II-a, Bucureşti, Ed. Progresul Românesc, 1994.
• Glück, Eugen; Roşuţ, Nicolae, Aradul şi mişcarea memorandistă / Arad and the Memorandum movement, II, Arad, Universitatea Populară Arad, 1976.
• Polverejan, Şerban; Cordoş, Nicolae, Mişcarea memorandistă în documente (1885-1897) / The Memorandum movement in documents (1885-1897), Cluj-Napoca, Dacia, 1973.

Books

• Cipăianu, George, Vincenţiu Babeş 1821-1907, Timişoara, Facla, 1980.
• Maior, Liviu, Filosofia politico-istorică a petiţionalismului românesc / The Memorandum. The political-historical philosophy of the Romanian petitions movement, Bucureşti, Editura Fundaţiei Culturale Române, 1992.
• Popeangă, Vasile, Aradul centru politic al luptei naţionale din perioada dualismului (1867-1918) / Arad, a political centre of the national struggle during the dualist period, Timişoara, Facla, 1978.
• Popovici, Vlad, Tribunismul (1884-1905) / The Tribunism (1884-1905), Cluj-Napoca, Presa Universitară Clujeană, 2008.
• Slavici, Ioan, Închisorile mele. Scrisori adresate unui prieten din altă lume / My prisons. Letters addressed to a friend from another world, Bucureşti, Viaţa Românească, 1921.
• Slavici, Ioan, Românii din Regatul ungar şi politica maghiară / The Romanians from the Kingdom of Hungary and the Hungarian politics, Bucureşti, Lito-tipografia Carol Göbl, 1892.
• Vatamaniuc, Dimitrie, Ioan Slavici şi lumea prin care a trecut / Ioan Slavici and the world he passed through, vo I, Bucureşti, Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, 1968.
• Ungureanu, Cornel, Slavici şi arta autodistrugerii la români / Slavici and the art of self-destruction among Romanians, postfaţă la vol. Ioan Slavici, Primele şi ultimele / afterward to the vol. Ioan Slavici, The first ones and the last ones, Bucureşti, Curtea Veche, 2000.

The paradoxes of Călin-Andrei Mihăilescu

The article continues Andrei Bodiu’s intentions, shown in the article dedicated to Florin Iaru’s book Fraier de Bucureşti / Dupe in Bucharest, to debate a tendency of the publishing year 2011 , the new ethic dimension of the Romanian literature. This second study deals with one excellent book of 2011, written by Călin-Andrei Mihăilescu, Happy New Fear! Andrei Bodiu points out that, beyond the ludic dimension of his texts, Mihăilescu has a strong moral attitude and also an important critical spirit.

Keywords: contemporary Romanian literature, Călin-Andrei Mihăilescu, Happy New Fear!, jocularity, ludical dimension, Şerban Foarţă, Mircea Cărtărescu

• Călin-Andrei Mihăilescu, Happy New Fear!, Bucreşti, ed. Curtea veche, 2011
• Florin Iaru, Fraier de Bucureşti/ Dupe in Bucharest, Bucureşti, ed. Polirom, 2011
• C. Negruzzi, Opere I,/ Literary Works I, Bucureşti, ed. Mineva 1974
• M. Kogălniceanu, Scrieri literare/ Literary Works, Bucureşti, 1976

Voronca, Fondane şi Michaux. Comparative Premises

This article focuses on Ovidiu Baron’s book, Paysage et image poétique chez Ilarie Voronca, Benjamin Fondane et Henri Michaux (Landscape and poetical image at Ilarie Voronca, Benjamin Fondane and Henri Michaux). The study is a comparative analysis of the three authors from the perspective of the poetical image and trying to highlight the artistic features of the two Romanian poets, Ilarie Voronca and Benjamin Fundoianu, and to provide new openings to the exegesis of Henri Michaux.

Keywords: Ilarie Voronca, Benjamin Fondane, Henry Michaux, comparative analysis, poetical image

• Baron, Ovidiu, Paysage et image poétique chez Ilarie Voronca, Benjamin Fondane et Henri Michaux / Landscape and poetical image at Ilarie Voronca, Benjamin Fondane and Henri Michaux Editura InfoArt Media, Sibiu, 2010.

Poetics of the memory: Walter Benjamin and George Steiner

The present study draws a succint comparison between the autobiographic writings of Walter Benjamin, Berlin childhood around 1900, and George Steiner, Errata. An examined life. Both books are the result of what their authors’ memory manages to coagulate from their biographic experience; even more, their approach is morphologically quite similar. Nevertheless, the results are remarkably different: Benjamin’s is a rich poematic prose, or even better an ample poem, while Steiner’s is a narrative examination of the main topics of his intellectual life. Which proves that there are different types of poetics of memory, depending on how one recollects the world – as a poem or as a story.

Keywords: Walter Benjamin, George Steiner, autobiography, poetics of the memory

• Walter Benjamin, Copilărie berlineză la 1900 / Berlin childhood around 1900, introd. study by Peter Szondi, afterword by Theodor W. Adorno, transl. and notes by Andrei Anastasescu, Bucureşti, Humanitas, 2010.
• George Steiner, After Babel. Aspects of language and translation, Oxford Universitw Press, Oxford – New York, 1992.
• George Steiner, O autobiografie, transl. and notes by Diana Constantinescu-Altamer, Bucureşti, Humanitas, 2008.

Abstract

Exile, for Edward Said, is a painful yet enriching condition of humanity. Indeed exile accounted for his extraordinary productivity in theorizing about and strategizing for social justice for the displaced, the marginalized, the silenced. And yet, recently, exile has been transformed from the exquisite, and sometimes exclusive, punishment of special individuals (like the great Latin poet Ovid) into a cruel punishment of whole communities and people, often as a result of impersonal forces such as war, famine or disease. During the last century especially the Arab world has been affected by this painful reality and this specific fact determined some new thematic trends and certain specific stylistic values in the field of Algerian literature, discussed within this essay in relation with the novels of Rachid Mimouni and Malika Mokeddem. Subsequently, there are some new aesthetic orientations that mark the contemporary French novel, and this is the situation of Faïza Guène. Therefore, this essay entitled “The Arab World beyond Veils and Prejudices” analyses certain aspects related to the exile, the solitude and alienation that affect the people (and especially women) in this part of the world.

Keywords: Arab world, contemporary novel, fiction, solitude, alienation, exile.

• Faïza Guène, Azi ca mâine şi poimâine. Traducere de Ramona Hărşan, prefaţă de Alexandru Matei, Bucureşti, IBU Publishing, 2009.
• Rachid Mimouni, Onoarea tribului. Traducere de Miruna Ion, Bucureşti, IBU Publishing, 2009.
• Malika Mokeddem, Femeia interzisă. Traducere de Cristina Radu, Bucureşti, IBU Publishing, 2009.
• Edward Said, Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lectures, New York, Vintage Books, 1996.