The Observer, in short

Lead article Carmen Musat says that Romanian people and institutions have short memories. She expresses surprise at CNSAS’ being declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court—CNSAS is the National Council for Examining Securitate Files—and underlines a list of events connected to CNSAS with question marks. Politics Bedros Horasangian looks at CNSAS from a different perspective and invites us to take a lesson from Alexandru Vlad’s narrative, Curcubeul dublu (The Double Rainbow, Iasi: Polirom, 2008). Ciprian Ciucu throws up his hands in the face of administrative and governmental stupidity. Carmen Musat and Ovidiu Simonca interview Marius Oprea, the Prime Minister’s councilor for national security and President of the Institute for Investigating the Crimes of Communism. In the interview, Oprea discusses CNSAS at length. Michael Shafir looks at possible consequences of the emergent Magyar Party, the Civic Magyar Union. Book reviews Paul Cernat reads Ruxandra Cesereanu’s publications for 2007: Submarinul ierta ( The Forgiven Submarine), poems written with Andrei Codrescu, (Timisoara: Brumar, 2007) and Nasterea dorintelor lichide (The Birth of Liquid Desires, Bucharest: Cartea Romaneasca, 2007). Luigi Muresanu comments on Rilke’s Ingerul pazitor (The Guardian Angel, Bucharest: Humanitas, 2007), an anthology and translation by Ioana Pirvulescu. Andrei Corbea praises Carmen Elisabeth Puchianu’s book-length […]