Romania : borderland of Europe / Lucian Boia ; translated by James Christian Brown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Boia, Lucian.

Series:

Topographics

Language:

English

Romanian

Subjects (All):

Romania--History.

Romania.

History.

Romania--Civilization.

Civilization.

Physical Description:

328 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : Reaktion Books, 2001.

Language Note:

Translated from the Romanian.

Summary:

Romania occupies a unique position on the borderland of Europe. In this engaging and informative book, the prominent Romanian writer Lucian Boia surveys the history of his native land from the Roman period to modern times, illuminating its complex culture and tumultuous history, and the diversity of its inter-ethnic relations -- sometimes conflictual but always enriching. From Count Dracula and Queen Marie to Mircea Eliade and Nicolae Ceausescu, Boia introduces us to Romania's real and imagined heroes and villains, providing among other things an enlightening account of the Communist era. He shows how the disruptions produced by Communism further held back a country whose historical late-coming had only partly been compensated for by the modernization programme upon which it had embarked in the nineteenth century. Boia argues that Romania today is a land of strong contrasts where striking differences exist between the elite and the rest of the population, and where the match is still being played out between nationalists and partisans of integration in Europe -- a country still trying to fix a contemporary identity and envision a viable future for itself. His occasionally humorous, always affectionate text concludes with a tour of the capital city of Bucharest, whose apartment blocks, palaces, boulevards and public monuments embody Romania's traditional values and contemporary contradictions.

Contents:

I A Look at the Map 11

II An Island of Latinity 28

III How Romania was Created 59

IV Romanian Communism 111

V Between the Past and the Future 152

VI Romanians and Foreigners 191

VII Who's Who in the Romanian Pantheon 226

VIII A Walk through Bucharest 265.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-316) and indexes.

ISBN:

1861891032

OCLC:

47037795