romanian book review

Edited by the Romanian Cultural Institute

A Beginning

Einstein said, in an inspired fashion– like many other times – that if

you want to reach different goals, thenyou cannot afford to do the same thing allthe time. Our major goal today, at theRomanian Cultural Institute, is to carryout the mission entrusted to us by the law- that of making Romanian cultureknown, to ensure its visibility and bringprestige to it– in a way which is ampler,more efficient and more lasting in itseffects. The very activities intended forthis purpose had to be reconsidered andstill need reevaluation. This is the reasonwe drew up the framework program ofthe overseas subsidiaries, we reset theselection of the authors that requestsubsidized translations, we adopted awider, synchronized concept of culture,we diversified the range of scholarshipsand conceived new programs, we soughta better junction with what is done in thecountry, and we organized the series ofpolitical debates and took many otherinitiatives.

One of the present concerns of theRomanian Cultural Institute is

displaying the major books published inRomania, organizing, in adequate forms,traveling exhibitions with current arts inour country or with technical innovationsin Romania, as well as concerts relevantfor the Romanian music andperformance arts. For exhibiting thebooks, one of the appropriate means,according to our experience, is publishinga review, with at least a monthlyappearance, which will draw attention, inmajor international languages, to what isprinted by our publishing houses.

This review is launched with thecurrent issue. We connect to its

appearance at least four exigencies. Thefirst is to select the truly relevant booksfor Romanian culture and to avoid givingway to pressure other than merit. Thesecond is the exigency of synchronization– to select and present, as conclusively aspossible, publications synchronous withwhat is being done in their field in theEuropean space. The third is thecomparative exigency – to present thebooks as credibly as possible bycomparison with what is happening in theinternational community of the respectivefield. The fourth and last exigency is topractice the pluralism of approaches thatrepresents the fertilizer of any culturalaffluence.

Awell-known dilemma, but toolittle heeded, is this: if one brings

changes in an institution, one inevitablydisturbs certain people, who react, but ifone does not change the situation, thenGod is discontent. I believe that, just likenot using reason is against the will ofGod, not being keen on the criterion ofvalue is against God in Heaven. With theassurance that the work, the book, theidea or the new outlook are what weshould be interested in and guided bywhen we insert ourselves into culture, Iwish wholeheartedly to the review whichbegins its history with the current issue tobe able to carry out, from the start andonward, the exigencies under which itsinauguration occurred.

ditorialbyANDREIMARGA

EISSUED MONTHLY � No. 1 � FEBRUARY 2013 � DISTRIBUTED FOR FREE

In the next issue: PARIS BOOK FAIR, 2013

In this issue:

RomanianBookReview

BOOKS AUTHORED BY:Constantin Abăluţă � Gabriela Adameşteanu � Radu Aldulescu �

Ştefan Bolea � Cosmin Budeancă � Mihai Chiper � Marius Chivu� Dan Mircea Cipariu � Magda Cârneci � Nicolae Coande � VasileSebastian Dâncu � Gellu Dorian � Horia Dulvac � Marius Ghilezan� Daniel Ilea � Solomon Marcus � Horia C. Matei � MirceaMihăieş � Dan C. Mihăilescu � Anca Mizumschi � Silviu Neguţ� Ion Nicolae � Octavian Pantiş � Irina Petraş � Andrei Pleşu� Nicolae Prelipceanu � Constanţa Roşoiu � Constantin Schifirneţ �

Bogdan Suceavă � Matei Vişniec � Vlad Zografi.

ANDREIPLE{U

LIVIU IOANSTOICIU

NICOLAEPRELIPCEANUHe is the laureate of the 2012

edition of the “MihaiEminescu” National PoetryPrize for Opera Omnia. Theprize was awarded to NicolaePrelipceanu in a festivity heldin Botoşani.

The volume The Parables ofJesus. Truth as a Story byAndrei Pleşu, published by theHumanitas Publishing House,was awarded the 2012 Book ofthe Year title by the Românialiterară magazine.

At the third edition of the YoungWriters’ Gala, the RomanianCultural Institute awarded the 2012Poetry Book of the Year prize toLiviu Ioan Stoiciu for ForbiddenSubstances published at TracusArte Publishing House.

Superlatives of 2012 Literary Year