Gent

listen to Georges Boulanger playing Gypsy Serenade click here to read more At the beginning of the 20th century, the Danube Delta was a cradle of violinists born in the towns on the land (Sulina, Tulcea) that the great river crosses just before opening its arms, as if

I heard this story in Sulina one night, while waiting for a plate of golden herrings about to come out of the oven, as a boy about 10 years old was running towards us from the direction of the sea and shouting at the top of his lungs: “Rusalfa! Rusalfa! I’ve seen a rusalfa!”

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

From the hotel on the lake we proceeded to the fisheries. Leaden clouds began to lour in the sky, a sharp wind began to blow; and the willows on the banks writhed in every direction. Far off, in the lakes, as far as our eyes could see from the upper deck of the ship, the

The Stork's an absolutely cool girl…None is svelterIn the Delta – She'll shriek, she'll jog, she'll comb the bogIn search of the odd fish and frog. She walks aroundTouching the groundWith one foot at a time, thereforeHer feet are never ever sore.

At times, in vernal Romania, one may observe large birds migrating in triangular formation, high above towns, in a north-westerly direction. Their elongated necks remind one of our storks, still – the swift, fast propelling pinion flaps make one acknowledge a different

excerpts Whether you travel through the Delta on water, or view it from the air (from a helicopter or a plane), the reed is the dominant element of the landscape. It occupies a foremost position in the Delta's treasure, and constitutes an immense source of richness.

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

excerpts Abroad. An incredibly large number of young people have gone abroad. To study, to work. The ego of those living in the countryside is much bigger. On entering Sarinasuf, there is only the sign marking the exit from the village. The sign that marks the entrance

Where do I come from? I come from my childhood. I come from my childhood as from a country. Antoine de Saint-Exupery Is fascination with childhood a convention? No, inasmuch as, for most of us, childhood was filled with wonderful things and games, fairy tales and ingenuity,

Queer figures constitute the salt and pepper of literature since, at least, Petronius's Satyricon and Apuleius's The Golden Ass. Writers are mesmerized by irregular minds, behavioral oddities and abnormalities because people at large crave for the dark side. From

Just like all the other peoples, when they don't hate them outright, many Romanians have less than a high opinion of their neighbors: Bulgarians are seen as coarse – but resourceful – vegetable growers, Hungarians – as bloodthirsty (but proud, hardworking, reliable)