Dan Lungu at the European Book Club - ”Communism in modern Romanian literature”

The Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv has the pleasure to present, to the Israeli public, the Romanian writer and sociologist Dan Lungu, within the framework of the European Book Club project, organized by EUNIC Israel.

The meeting will take place on the 10th of December, at 19 hours, at Beit Ariela in Tel Aviv (Design Library) and will be held in English. Starting from Dan Lungu’s multi-awarded book ”I’m an old communist hag” (original title „Sunt o babă comunistă”, Polirom Publishing House, 2007), translated into all major languages and screened into a movie a few years later, the author will talk about how different representations of communism find their way into modern Romanian literature. Consequently, literature dealing with communism serves not only as an accesible educational tool for younger generations, but also as a means to make amends with a troubled and divisive period of Romania’s past. Mr. Raphael Vago, as a historian and senior lecturer at the Tel Aviv University, will bring useful contributions to the subject from a historical point of view.

Dan Lungu is a Romanian novelist, short story writer, poet and dramatist, also known as a literary theorist and sociologist. He is also one of the most successful authors to have emerged in post-1990 Romanian literature. Lungu's literary universe, which mainly comprises ”microsocial” images of life under the communist regime and during the subsequent transitional period, bridges a form of Neorealism with Postmodernism. Furthermore, Dan Lungu is also the noted author and co-author of essays and sociological research into everyday life under communist rule, scientific preoccupations which share similarities with his work in fiction. His main interests in the area of historical research include the feminine experience of totalitarian rule, the connection between official propaganda and the actual lives of working class members, and the development of cultural attitudes in relation to communist censorship.

The European Book Club was established in Israel by several EU member states' cultural institutes with the aim of promoting awareness of European literature and fostering intercultural dialogue, also within the framework of EUNIC (European Cultural Institutes). This stage will allow contemporary European writers to present books and essays to the readership in Israel and to serve as a showcase for the European literary scene. Beyond the literary dimension, the European Book Club seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the rich European cultural fabric while discovering, or rediscovering, common threads interwoven within it. 

Through the European Book Club, the project partner countries aim to overcome boundaries, open doors and connect people by language and translation, thus realizing the EU motto - "united in diversity".