OBSERVATOR CULTURAL - Spiritul critic in actiune

Lead article

 

Carmen Musat looks at the alliance between the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic-Liberal Party and concludes that no alliance on our political scene can be regarded as at once legitimate and decent. ‘Basescu’s intellectuals’ suffer from hysterical blindness on this score.

Politics

Ciprian Ciucu writes: young politicians should take Theodor Stolojan’s refusal to be President Basescu’s Prime Minister and puppet as a good example.
Silviu Petre reckons up the probable durability of the governmental alliance.
Stefan Stoica describes the PSD /PDL alliance as political kitsch.
Ovidiu Simonca writes: since we can’t forget the “historic” tensions and rivalries between the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic-Liberal Party, we can only conclude that their current governmental alliance is based on profound forgetfulness.
Caius Dobrescu says that the Romanian state’s paying homage equally to Ticu Dumitrescu, (former President of the Association of Former Political Prisoners) and to Paul Niculescu-Mizil (former acclaimer of the Communist regime) amounts to serious moral confusion.
Bedros Horasangian believes that Theodor Stolojan simply refused to be a puppet in President Basescu’s hands.
Sorin Cucerai writes that sincerity is a moral vice in politics. Honesty is a virtue. Thus, it comes as no surprise that President Basescu proved to be sincere when he used the rhetoric of treachery to attain his goals.

Latest

 

 

 

Mihai Goldner looks at the professional trajectory of essayist and philosopher Aurel Codoban.

 

Book reviews

 

Cezar Gheorghe reads Witold Gombrowicz’ Bakakai (translated by Cristina Godun. Bucharest: Rao, 2008).
Cristian Cercel presents Gregor von Rezzori’s Memoriile unui antisemit (Memoirs of an Anti-Semite, translated by Catrinel Plesu. Bucharest: Humanitas, 2008).
Irina Georgescu reads Peter Esterhazy’s O femeie (A Woman, translated by Anamaria Pop. Bucharest: Curtea Veche, 2008).
Andreea Rasuceanu comments on J.M.G. Le Clezio’s Potopul (The Flood, translated by Viorel Grecu. Bucharest: Art Publishing, 2008) and Raga (translated by Madalin Rosioru. Bucharest: Art Publishing, 2008).

The Observer looks at Stelian Tanase’s body of work and reads his latest volume, Maestro. O melodrama / Maestro: A Melodrama. Dana Pirvan-Jenaru revisits Tanase’s debut novel, Luxul melancoliei (The Luxury of Melancholy, Bucharest: Cartea Romaneasca, 2008). Luminita Marcu, Ovidiu Simonca, Serban Axinte and Antonio Patras read Maestro (Iasi: Polirom, 2008).
Paul Cernat comments on Simona Sora’s Regasirea intimitatii (Refinding Intimacy, Bucharest: Cartea Romaneasca, 2008).
Iulia Popovici and Lorin Ghiman discuss The Illusion of Communism: Critical Readings of the Tismaneanu Report (Chisinau: Cartier Publishing, 2008), a volume coordinated by Vasile Ernu, Costi Rogozanu, Ciprian Siulea and Ovidiu Tichindeal.
Adina Dinitoiu reads Michel Houellebecq and Bernard-Henri Levy’s Ennemis publics (Public Ennemies, Paris: Flammarion, 2008).

Radu Jorgensen publishes the 2nd part of an article on book lists of all sorts.

Carmen Andras responds to Alex Drace-Francis’ article (see Observator cultural, no. 452, December 4, 2008) in which Francis accuses Andras of plagiarism.