"Last Fall, I walked into the Romanian Cultural Institute of New York for the first time and found the walls wrapped in blown-up images of people passing through or sitting and reading in a gorgeous space somewhere in between cafe and bookstore. And indeed the Institute on that evening mirrored the images upon its walls, if only sparser. Wrapping every wall of the gallery space were also hundreds of books - many in Romanian, others translated, while still others rife with photography - as well as CDs and DVDs. Scattered across the room were simple Romanian peasant stools where people sat flipping excitedly through or starring solemnly into all of these texts. The event was the arrival on American soil of Carturesti: a mash-up, a hybrid creature of the cafe and the library, the student hangout and the community space, the bookstore and the cultural platform. Part of me half expects to run into it as though out of the fog somewhere in Brooklyn or Seattle, but it is inimitable. Even for an American not fluent in the tongue of many of the books, the tea and literature (and music and movies) are a warm welcome here where our available literature is marked by a paucity of foreign authors. I recommend stopping by to amble through the space or to attend their upcoming events. For those of you unfamiliar with Romanian literature, a world remains to open up before you." - a witness: Adam Clark.
It may be hard to believe that a Romanian bookshop opened in the heart of New York City, but that's exactly the case. The "fabulous Romanian book'n'tea shop" (Frommer's description of Carturesti) met the maverick Romanian Cultural Institute to provide a long awaited access gate to Romanian written culture. Together we courageously committed ourselves to traveling and presenting a fine selection of books, films and music (in Romanian and English) across the ocean. We stylishly redesigned a space for Romanian culture lovers on 3rd Avenue at 38th Street, Midtown Manhattan, where you can join us for many events, take a quick look or linger on, with a cup of tea, browsing through the exhibits.
And whether you live in New York City or elsewhere in the US, you can order what you like online at http://usa.carturesti.ro/ or send us any suggestions or requests (and we'll make sure to get it for you) at icrny@icrny.org , You can also send us your feedback by completing THIS FORM. Thank you.
IN THE PRESS
This is how Jennifer Schuessler from The New York Times Book Review described her first experience of the RCINY/ Carturesti space during a literary breakfast organized by the Institute for Romanian writer Filip Florian on April 30.
"From now until July 15, all you need to do to browse the hippest bookstore in Bucharest is stroll to 38th Street and Third Avenue, where a temporary outlet of the chain Carturesti has set up shop in the exhibition space of the Romanian Cultural Institute New York.
Oversize photos on the wall give a sense of the relaxed, Euro-cool mood of Carturesti's nine branches, which are known for funky designs selected in architectural competitions. Shelves and tables feature colorful and attractively designed novels, art books and poetry collections, as well as DVDs and CDs, along with some rustic stools - based on the famous three-legged chairs of Horezu - to sit on."
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Wednesdays at RCINY's Carturesti Book Exhibition: Reading the Tea Leaves (through July 15)
Join us for the regular Wednesdays at 5 o'clock at the exhibition: Classical and contemporary Romanian authors in both Romanian and English will be highlighted in the reading or with the participation of surprise guests, be these writers, translators or even fans of the authors presented. More details...
