The Gypsiliad
CANTO THE TENTHArgument Considering the counsel vainOf all the rank and file, The Gypsies chose those of schooled brainTo gather for a whileAnd judge what government is goodFor the entire Gypsihood. 1Now when the maw is well provided for,The mouth is ready and the tongue
Editor's Note
There is an old Romanian saying – Romanians are born poets. Judging by the amount of poetry produced in Romania in the past two centuries, there may be more to it than mere preconception. But although one may discover a fair number of gems upon reading it, and critics
Eugen Ionesco - Interviews
UNDER THE QUESTION MARK: MAN If you were asked to portray yourself as you did in your books, diaries, or in Present Past, Past Present, how would you introduce yourself? Eugène IONESCO: It is very complicated. I don't know. I don't know who I am. I don't
About Drama
Honestly, Corneille bores me. We probably only love him (without believing in him) out of habit. We are forced to. They imposed him on us in school. I cannot stand Schiller. For a long time I thought Marivaux' plays were unserious games. Musset's comedies are thin,
Constantin Brâncuşi: The Temple Of Liberation And The Hieratic Emblem Of The Chimera
The Chimera, a sculpture carved in oak wood between 1915 and 1917-18, currently exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has so far attracted but limited exegesis. Petru Comarnescu, in a conference held in Craiova in 1957, made reference to the body streamlined as to
Brâncuşi And The Significance Of Matter
In a holographic note drawn up in Romanian in the third person, Brâncuşi speaks about himself as about someone else and makes an important remark in connection with his relationship with materials. Turned down in 1910, he exhibited fully carved stone and marble for the
Nicolae Iorga And Music
It comes as no surprise that a genuinely encyclopedic spirit of Nicolae Iorga's caliber, conversant with history, literature, religion, church, army, commerce, education, trades, guilds, arts, etc. , etc. , should be passionate about music. His existence was markedly
Nicolae Iorga
When at only 19, Nicolae Iorga (1871-1940) defended his university degree examinations one of his examining professors characterized him as a true phenomenon both in point of memory and power of ratiocination. Then Iorga worked hard in Paris and in Germany, obtaining a
The Cultural And Intellectual Life Of Bucharest
As a princely seat Bucharest was once, for the Romanian authorities, a citadel watched over by God just like Byzantium was for the Eastern Christian world. Then, naturally, it was also the place where scholars needed by the Prince's Chancellery made their studies. They
Our Defense Abroad
Let us not be deceived by articles and books issued by courtesy or for which we pay, and this so seldom. We are not loved abroad. Even if people remember the fine welcome we give people – which is so comprehensive according to the customs, and at times even sufficiently
Language As An Element Of The Romanian Soul
Among the elements making up the soulful repository of the Romanian people there is none to include more and to bespeak truer than its very language. In connection with this Romanian idiom – which, with due additions, proved apt to voice any idea, no matter how lofty,
Where Do We Stand?
'Where do we stand with the Bulgarians?' I ask my friend, X…'Neither here, nor there. ''What do you mean?…''What, don't you see?''I don't actually… for, as you said: neither here, nor there means we don't