Slam

A Worried Man

It had been three days since the wind had been blowing from the east, the earth had dried up, and in the thicket from the edge of the village, on the bank of Siret, the cornel trees started to bloom, yellowish. Dumitru Onisor's youngest son took out six sheep to graze

Clockwork Animals

Mom and Dad weren't well-off or anything and, apart from that, the 60s offered only a limited choice of toys, at least in our neck of the woods. Back when he was working for the Maintenance Department of the Bucharest Transport Services, Dad would bring me – on Father

Cismigiu & Co.

excerpt  Among our scholarly workmates three or four quickly distinguished themselves, and they would compete against each other for first place in our class. Our former prize winning classmate, Motas Constantin, had moved to a science class. Now two pupils, Ciurea Constantin

At Medeleni

excerpt Danutz dashed from one end of the house to the other. His hands were hungry: they had been waiting for so long to get hold of the kite string! Although ready to run, after he had slammed the entrance door closed, he slowed down and eventually sat on the porch stairs

The Colored Continent

excerpt AUREL FRECKLE ENTERS ZOOLOGY COUNTRY SUSPECTING NOTHING OF THE UNEXPECTED EVENTS THAT AWAIT FOR HIM THERE.  So, Aurel got out of the car, ready to head for Zoology Country, and Rodica Pencilcase slammed the door of the colored car with all her might, started the

Teodosie The Little

excerpt The Catdog was in a great big huff and, in order to make it more obvious to Teodosie that he was out of sorts, he kept opening and closing the drawers and doors of the cupboards with a loud bang. What is it you are looking for in the cupboard, Teodosie demanded to

Little Fingers

excerpts The wind is chilly and it is as though it has a taste, a taste of mulberries. The boat passes by a white poplar. Over the water hang scattered streaks of haze, whelps of mist. The boat leaves behind it a row of dwarf willows. What a bluish-black night, like ink!

The Boars Were Mild

Condrat stands, props the oar against the thick trunks of the oaks and pushes the boat through the wood. Bits of ice slam against the ribs of the boat-bits of ice mixed with broken boughs, clots of floating vegetation, old leaves, cormorant and heron feathers. The storm

Achilles' Heel At The Mouths Of The Danube

If ever there was an Achilles' heel in both ancient and recent European history, then that was the Danubian delta. The inferior course of the Danube has often been both a defensive and an offensive line for all the great empires establishing their political borders

The Book Of The Danube

excerpt Further down from Isaccea, at Ceatal, the Delta begins, as the Danube splits into the Chilia Arm, which flows along the Bessarabian bank. Downstream, after Tulcea, there is another Ceatal, whence the Danube splits in two: the Sulina Arm and the St George Arm. Let

The Danube Delta From 800 To 1900

The Delta has undergone tremendous changes over the centuries. The oldest written sources, from the Greek-Roman times, concur only partly; yet in majority they offer hints of modifications. Numerous ancient references have been used to identify and track down geo-morphologic

Loosening The Lace

Time. Lighting. The artist. Coercion. An indefinable instinct (common sense?). Arousal. Prurient interest, as defined in the Roth or Miller tests. The function (sexual proxy) assigned by the individual viewer or reader. Beauty, shape, or truth versus lust. Communication