Out of Romania

by Dan Antal

Book by Antal, Dan

Genres: Romania

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jonathan Lipman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird and wonderful account of a young Romanian’s man’s life up to and including the violent revolution and overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Dan Antal was right there when it all happened - but actually his account of growing up in a dark, brutal and corrupt Communist Romania is at least as fascinating and informative as his description of the revolution itself. He intermingles the idealism and confusion of youth with the seismic political events going on inside this most repressive of Communist regimes, enforced as it was by the infamous Securitate. Some have criticised the account as overly personal, but I loved the human touch, which endears, never strays from the wider context, and is told in a charming style and just discernible foreign accent. Imagine The Captive Mind as if told by Conrad. Great stuff; I hope more people will become aware of this work...