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The Kilt Behind the Curtain: A Scotsman in Ceausescu’s Romania
Sent deep behind the Iron Curtain to Bucharest by the British Government in 1967, Ronald Mackay serves as the “sharp end” of a trade initiative. How will he fare in communist-run Romania where suspicion abounds and Ceausescu’s Secret Police are everywhere?
With irony-tinged humour, Ronald tells of seductive informants; an ex-political-prisoner-turned-spy; fearful minorities; a hunting trip with the Communist elite; travels in Dracula’s Transylvania; of running into a company of armed tanks; and of threatening Charles de Gaulle’s attempt to be the first Western premier to court this bright but baffling tyrant-run country.
With irony-tinged humour, Ronald tells of seductive informants; an ex-political-prisoner-turned-spy; fearful minorities; a hunting trip with the Communist elite; travels in Dracula’s Transylvania; of running into a company of armed tanks; and of threatening Charles de Gaulle’s attempt to be the first Western premier to court this bright but baffling tyrant-run country.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2020
9 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Ronald Mackay
14 books40 followersRonald Mackay caught the travel bug early when he biked all over Scotland as a schoolboy. Within a couple of decades he'd lived and worked in the Kingdom of Morocco, Franco's Spain, Ceaușescu 's Romania, Zhivkov's Bulgaria, Echeverría's Spain and Trudeau's Canada -- and that was only the start.
After a lifetime of working internationally, he and his Peruvian wife spend most of their time at their home near Peterborough, on the Shores of Rice Lake in Ontario.
After a lifetime of working internationally, he and his Peruvian wife spend most of their time at their home near Peterborough, on the Shores of Rice Lake in Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 2, 2020
A Real Look Behind the Iron Curtain
I have marvelled at the life of Ronald Mackay who seems to have travelled on the “edge of the precipice” with nary a cautious thought, a life lived like that of Graham Greene or Martha Gellhorn, where the experience mattered more than the consequence. I witnessed this in his previous memoir, Fortunate Isle, in which he landed in the Canary Islands by fortuitous circumstances at the age of 18. In this later memoir, The Kilt Behind the Curtain, chronicling two years of living in Romania in the late 1960’s as a visiting English professor under government auspices, he takes that devil-may-care nonchalance to a whole new level.
Ron gets this appointment via an intergovernmental exchange of university professors. Unlike normal diplomatic personnel, he is free of the strict protocols by which he must live his life and is able to stretch the law with impunity. Conversely, he enjoys no diplomatic immunity. Thus, although supposedly confined to the city limits of Bucharest, Ron travels into the Carpathian Mountains, Transylvania, and all the way north to the Russian border on weekends and longer excursions on the premise that “if the Romanians set my limits, they can enforce them.” His art of the bluff works well throughout his stay and he is left to discover this paradoxical country unfettered, although his apartment is bugged, spies are set on his tail constantly, and his academic colleagues shy away from him for fear that they will have to report their meetings to the dreaded “Base.”
This memoir is part history of the country, part socio-political exposé, and part travelogue, and I was intrigued on all counts, as Romania seems to be constantly relegated to the backwaters in all these areas and plays a minor role in our quotidian consciousness. Yet, there is a lot to unpack here. I learned that Romanians are leftovers of the Roman Empire and consider themselves Latin, although their industriousness, self-control, and persistence likens them to their northern neighbours. They are highly educated and speak multiple languages – four per citizen is average; three, not good enough. It is a nation of many migrations and occupations, with Hungarians, Germans, Saxons and Jews adding to the ethnic mix.
The cloak of Socialism that enveloped the country in 1947 and tightened into a chokehold under Nicolai Ceauşescu in the 1960’s set the country back generations. Everyone dreaded the security service, Securitate; many were induced to become informants. Imports were banned and essential good were in constant and rotating short supply. Even for Ron, coming out of the WWII-ravaged UK, shortages had become a thing of the past in his native country by the ’60’s. Consequent to this scarcity, Romanians believed that Westerners had two of everything, and every transaction was viewed with commercial gain in mind. When he plans to give his Romanian girlfriend “M” (name withheld for obvious reasons) a farewell gift, it was suggested he retrofit his typewriter with Romanian letters, as that would make good barter for an exit visa.
Life in Romania is a struggle: elbows and fists are required to get into busses—and watch out for getting electrocuted; shop shelves are thinly populated; you need to buy empties before you can exchange them for bottles of milk and yoghurt at the travelling street vendor; barter is a more effective form of currency, yet Romanians do not want to get into anyone’s debt for fear the pay-back may have political connotations.
Despite social limitations, Ron is a frequenter of US and UK diplomatic cocktail parties and selectively makes clandestine meetings with some of his bolder Romanian colleagues to get glimpses into their lives. Many live in one-bedroom apartments of single family dwellings, subdivided between several families – a Ceauşescu innovation to free up accommodation for rural migrants streaming into cities. Many in one of those rooms owned the entire house before it was nationalized. Some are contemplating defecting to the west and confide in Ron, seeking his help on the other side. Others are looking for favours from their present political masters by trying to get some “western dirt” out of Ron.
Colourful characters dot the pages: Karen, the glamourous spy planted to date Ron and take him out to upscale restaurants and cultural events that his British diplomatic colleagues can only salivate over: Petru, the homosexual, who takes over from Karen, when Ron showed he was not willing to cross the line with Petru’s now-redundant colleague; Alexandru from Alexandria who takes adult education classes from Ron, and who is anything but whom he claims to be; Dudu and his abortive defection to the west; Dino who invents the most convoluted secret rendezvous process to give Ron a glimpse of a printer’s proof copy of James Joyce’s posthumous love poem translated into Romanian; “C,” the deposed writer from the national writers’ union who shows up uninvited at diplomatic soirees to steal cigarettes. The list goes on…
The most interesting parts to me were the descriptions of Ron’s travels through Romania and into neighbouring Bulgaria, some undertaken with his mother Pearl (another avid and fearless traveller), and others with British and Romanian friends. Scenes of Transylvania, small towns along the Danube Delta, Wallachia and Bucovina are vividly painted with description and incident. Making hotel reservations is anathema to these travellers; they just show up and see what’s on offer at each off-beat location, even if it’s only the back seat of their car. Going off the beaten track to peer into the Russian side of the border is routine stuff for our intrepid Ron, even if the upshot is to be discovered by a Romanian tank brigade, having the tank brigade commander peer into the car, which also carries two unauthorized Romanian women, and having to think on his feet to get out of this jam!
Ronald Mackay has covered a very important time and place in history, one that has vanished, as Communism was dismantled in Romania in the late ‘80’s and the internet made us all similar in boring ways. It’s a testament to vanishing cultural vestiges in a country at the cross-roads of European migration, and to the fearless human spirit that demands the world to be a safe place, despite its quirks, one that we must be free to travel in and experience without fear.
I have marvelled at the life of Ronald Mackay who seems to have travelled on the “edge of the precipice” with nary a cautious thought, a life lived like that of Graham Greene or Martha Gellhorn, where the experience mattered more than the consequence. I witnessed this in his previous memoir, Fortunate Isle, in which he landed in the Canary Islands by fortuitous circumstances at the age of 18. In this later memoir, The Kilt Behind the Curtain, chronicling two years of living in Romania in the late 1960’s as a visiting English professor under government auspices, he takes that devil-may-care nonchalance to a whole new level.
Ron gets this appointment via an intergovernmental exchange of university professors. Unlike normal diplomatic personnel, he is free of the strict protocols by which he must live his life and is able to stretch the law with impunity. Conversely, he enjoys no diplomatic immunity. Thus, although supposedly confined to the city limits of Bucharest, Ron travels into the Carpathian Mountains, Transylvania, and all the way north to the Russian border on weekends and longer excursions on the premise that “if the Romanians set my limits, they can enforce them.” His art of the bluff works well throughout his stay and he is left to discover this paradoxical country unfettered, although his apartment is bugged, spies are set on his tail constantly, and his academic colleagues shy away from him for fear that they will have to report their meetings to the dreaded “Base.”
This memoir is part history of the country, part socio-political exposé, and part travelogue, and I was intrigued on all counts, as Romania seems to be constantly relegated to the backwaters in all these areas and plays a minor role in our quotidian consciousness. Yet, there is a lot to unpack here. I learned that Romanians are leftovers of the Roman Empire and consider themselves Latin, although their industriousness, self-control, and persistence likens them to their northern neighbours. They are highly educated and speak multiple languages – four per citizen is average; three, not good enough. It is a nation of many migrations and occupations, with Hungarians, Germans, Saxons and Jews adding to the ethnic mix.
The cloak of Socialism that enveloped the country in 1947 and tightened into a chokehold under Nicolai Ceauşescu in the 1960’s set the country back generations. Everyone dreaded the security service, Securitate; many were induced to become informants. Imports were banned and essential good were in constant and rotating short supply. Even for Ron, coming out of the WWII-ravaged UK, shortages had become a thing of the past in his native country by the ’60’s. Consequent to this scarcity, Romanians believed that Westerners had two of everything, and every transaction was viewed with commercial gain in mind. When he plans to give his Romanian girlfriend “M” (name withheld for obvious reasons) a farewell gift, it was suggested he retrofit his typewriter with Romanian letters, as that would make good barter for an exit visa.
Life in Romania is a struggle: elbows and fists are required to get into busses—and watch out for getting electrocuted; shop shelves are thinly populated; you need to buy empties before you can exchange them for bottles of milk and yoghurt at the travelling street vendor; barter is a more effective form of currency, yet Romanians do not want to get into anyone’s debt for fear the pay-back may have political connotations.
Despite social limitations, Ron is a frequenter of US and UK diplomatic cocktail parties and selectively makes clandestine meetings with some of his bolder Romanian colleagues to get glimpses into their lives. Many live in one-bedroom apartments of single family dwellings, subdivided between several families – a Ceauşescu innovation to free up accommodation for rural migrants streaming into cities. Many in one of those rooms owned the entire house before it was nationalized. Some are contemplating defecting to the west and confide in Ron, seeking his help on the other side. Others are looking for favours from their present political masters by trying to get some “western dirt” out of Ron.
Colourful characters dot the pages: Karen, the glamourous spy planted to date Ron and take him out to upscale restaurants and cultural events that his British diplomatic colleagues can only salivate over: Petru, the homosexual, who takes over from Karen, when Ron showed he was not willing to cross the line with Petru’s now-redundant colleague; Alexandru from Alexandria who takes adult education classes from Ron, and who is anything but whom he claims to be; Dudu and his abortive defection to the west; Dino who invents the most convoluted secret rendezvous process to give Ron a glimpse of a printer’s proof copy of James Joyce’s posthumous love poem translated into Romanian; “C,” the deposed writer from the national writers’ union who shows up uninvited at diplomatic soirees to steal cigarettes. The list goes on…
The most interesting parts to me were the descriptions of Ron’s travels through Romania and into neighbouring Bulgaria, some undertaken with his mother Pearl (another avid and fearless traveller), and others with British and Romanian friends. Scenes of Transylvania, small towns along the Danube Delta, Wallachia and Bucovina are vividly painted with description and incident. Making hotel reservations is anathema to these travellers; they just show up and see what’s on offer at each off-beat location, even if it’s only the back seat of their car. Going off the beaten track to peer into the Russian side of the border is routine stuff for our intrepid Ron, even if the upshot is to be discovered by a Romanian tank brigade, having the tank brigade commander peer into the car, which also carries two unauthorized Romanian women, and having to think on his feet to get out of this jam!
Ronald Mackay has covered a very important time and place in history, one that has vanished, as Communism was dismantled in Romania in the late ‘80’s and the internet made us all similar in boring ways. It’s a testament to vanishing cultural vestiges in a country at the cross-roads of European migration, and to the fearless human spirit that demands the world to be a safe place, despite its quirks, one that we must be free to travel in and experience without fear.
November 21, 2020
I picked up this fascinating book to discover what life was really like living in communist run Romania behind the Iron Curtain. The author, Ronald Mackay gives a very well written and superbly informative account of his 2 years living and working in the capital Bucharest.
This is part travel memoir and part historical references to all the beautiful places Ronald visited outside Bucharest. His travels take him up into the Carpathian Mountains, through the tiny rural villages, observing the Romanian people living their lives under extreme conditions. His vivid descriptions of his exploits had me riveted throughout.
Living in Romania was not going to be easy for this young Scottish exchange professor. He describes the work of the secret police, the spies working to inform on westerners and his experiences being tailed constantly. Worryingly his phone was bugged, but this did not deter him, instead, he devised coded messages with his callers to confuse the police! His work at the university gave him much pleasure so learning to adapt to this restrictive intrusive lifestyle was worth the effort.
A great book, very interesting and for me informative, as I now live in Hungary which was once also under the communist regime. I particularly liked the photos throughout the book, a well deserved 5 stars.
This is part travel memoir and part historical references to all the beautiful places Ronald visited outside Bucharest. His travels take him up into the Carpathian Mountains, through the tiny rural villages, observing the Romanian people living their lives under extreme conditions. His vivid descriptions of his exploits had me riveted throughout.
Living in Romania was not going to be easy for this young Scottish exchange professor. He describes the work of the secret police, the spies working to inform on westerners and his experiences being tailed constantly. Worryingly his phone was bugged, but this did not deter him, instead, he devised coded messages with his callers to confuse the police! His work at the university gave him much pleasure so learning to adapt to this restrictive intrusive lifestyle was worth the effort.
A great book, very interesting and for me informative, as I now live in Hungary which was once also under the communist regime. I particularly liked the photos throughout the book, a well deserved 5 stars.
October 22, 2020
What a thoughtful and fascinating memoir. It describes the years the author spent as a visiting lecturer in Bucharest University. At that time in the late 60s Communist Romania was behind ‘the Iron Curtain’ Life was very different and, as a Westerner he was treated with suspicion, yet Ronald Mackay drew on his reserves of strength and came to enjoy and appreciate all that Romania had to offer. He comes across as an extremely perceptive young man able to pick up on the nuances of Romanian behaviour. In fact, he eventually managed to make friends with some Romanians, but under their conditions which appear strange to us. He is never critical but endeavoured to accept that was how things worked.
I was entranced by his descriptions of his sightseeing trips and very much enjoyed the historical details and his evident pleasure in what he saw, especially in the various trips he took with his mother Pearl when she visited. I do think he rather enjoyed the challenges of outwitting the state security and there were definite signs of his Scottish determination and pawky sense of humour.
This is such a beautifully written and informative memoir which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The various photos added to the appeal. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I was entranced by his descriptions of his sightseeing trips and very much enjoyed the historical details and his evident pleasure in what he saw, especially in the various trips he took with his mother Pearl when she visited. I do think he rather enjoyed the challenges of outwitting the state security and there were definite signs of his Scottish determination and pawky sense of humour.
This is such a beautifully written and informative memoir which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The various photos added to the appeal. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
October 22, 2020
This is a fascinating and very well written memoir covering an amazing posting for a young academic to a communist country behind the iron curtain, at a time, when few people knew anything about Romania. It reflects great credit that Ronald Mackay was not only able to survive the frequent loneliness which he experienced whilst in the company of his Romania peers and students, but was able to manage some social intercourse and avoid any “trouble” with the state security services who, obviously, had him under surveillance.
He describes how he came to love the beauty of the architecture in Bucharest and in other cities, the beauty of the countryside and also how he enjoyed the challenges of a community, society, and culture so very different from his native Scotland. It reflects further recognition that he remained to complete his contract and added these unique experiences to his already comprehensive and adventurous travels, usually off the beaten track.
The book is written in a style which is easy to read, informative and often amusing.
He describes how he came to love the beauty of the architecture in Bucharest and in other cities, the beauty of the countryside and also how he enjoyed the challenges of a community, society, and culture so very different from his native Scotland. It reflects further recognition that he remained to complete his contract and added these unique experiences to his already comprehensive and adventurous travels, usually off the beaten track.
The book is written in a style which is easy to read, informative and often amusing.
December 29, 2020
Having visited Romania in recent years myself and after feeling the ghosts of Ceausescu’s cruel regime in conversations I had with people there, I was excited to win this memoir in a draw. I've read Ronald Mackay's first book Fortunate Isle and loved it, so I knew I would have a treat with this book and I wasn't disappointed at all. In fact, I was completely riveted. It's the most interesting book I've read in a long time and I was completely absorbed in the author’s account of his two years as a university lecturer in Bucharest in the late 1960s.
My impression is that Ronald Mackay was a courageous, very open young man, and he made many friends in the country as a result. He travelled far and wide across this beautiful land and in it he found people of grace, learning and dignity in spite of the rigours of the regime they lived under.
I would recommend this memoir to everyone interested in communist Eastern Europe and especially in Romania. I would also recommend it to travellers to the country as it explains so much about the attitudes, feelings and character of what we can find there today. A wonderful book which I'm sure I'll read again.
My impression is that Ronald Mackay was a courageous, very open young man, and he made many friends in the country as a result. He travelled far and wide across this beautiful land and in it he found people of grace, learning and dignity in spite of the rigours of the regime they lived under.
I would recommend this memoir to everyone interested in communist Eastern Europe and especially in Romania. I would also recommend it to travellers to the country as it explains so much about the attitudes, feelings and character of what we can find there today. A wonderful book which I'm sure I'll read again.
Read
November 21, 2020A very informative memoir.
In 1967 Ronald traveled to Romania to take up a position as Visiting Professor of Phonetics at the Bucharest University.
Life behind the Iron Curtain is no bed of roses, but Ronald is not to be deterred, and sets out to visit as much of this fascinating region as he can.
Amidst copious amounts of red tape and clandestine meetings he comes to know a few of the locals, each with their own story to tell (or not to tell on a few occasions).
A well written and informative memoir which I would highly recommend.
In 1967 Ronald traveled to Romania to take up a position as Visiting Professor of Phonetics at the Bucharest University.
Life behind the Iron Curtain is no bed of roses, but Ronald is not to be deterred, and sets out to visit as much of this fascinating region as he can.
Amidst copious amounts of red tape and clandestine meetings he comes to know a few of the locals, each with their own story to tell (or not to tell on a few occasions).
A well written and informative memoir which I would highly recommend.
October 28, 2020
Behind the iron curtain.
Romania, enjoyed hearing about this little known country during the Iron curtain period with one of the worlds terrifying leaders N. Ceauseseu. It was a difficult life for the Romanians and the stories are fascinating about life lived during that time period. Also, about the history of the country and good description of the people and beautiful country . Well written and informative.
Romania, enjoyed hearing about this little known country during the Iron curtain period with one of the worlds terrifying leaders N. Ceauseseu. It was a difficult life for the Romanians and the stories are fascinating about life lived during that time period. Also, about the history of the country and good description of the people and beautiful country . Well written and informative.
May 27, 2022
A truly memorable memoir describing the author's two-year stint as a teacher in Romania during the sixties when the country was under the steel grip of communism. Every page makes for interesting reading. The author knew he would find a different country and that he would be watched but he soon learned that things were to affect him more than he could have imagined. But he was undaunted and played them at their own game, enjoying trying to throw off tails or to simply make them work extra by purposely taking a totally different route to the intended one, before jumping on a bus and going in another direction. He is befriended by a stunning, voluptuous woman who finally admits she has been sent to have a liaison with him in order to spy on him; she is replaced by a man (surely, if he spurned a beautiful woman, he must prefer males!) but he soon manages to spot the spy. His friends and students fascinate him as he slowly begins to understand their history, what they have suffered and lost and how they manage to remain dignified while trying to fight the system without putting themselves at risk.
The author himself is astonished at how highly-educated these people are, at how many languages they speak and their enthusiasm for learning. He ignores imposed travel restrictions to explore the country, making this both an historical and a travel memoir. The book is full of anecdotes that reveal the author's sense of humour and his thirst for knowledge of the country.
He soon understood why work colleagues would not engage with him outside the university. Everyone was suspicious of everybody else. Who knew which 'friend' may be part of the Securitate? The author did manage to make friends, despite all the difficulties and he also discovered that there were places in the mountains or far-flung corners where people would open up more.
When the author has long left Romania and settled in Canada, he was to receive a visit from the secret service who were suspicious of him and wanted to know about his political leanings and what friends he kept and who he knew in Romania. Amazing. I hope there will be a future book as I am sure there is much more to tell.
The author himself is astonished at how highly-educated these people are, at how many languages they speak and their enthusiasm for learning. He ignores imposed travel restrictions to explore the country, making this both an historical and a travel memoir. The book is full of anecdotes that reveal the author's sense of humour and his thirst for knowledge of the country.
He soon understood why work colleagues would not engage with him outside the university. Everyone was suspicious of everybody else. Who knew which 'friend' may be part of the Securitate? The author did manage to make friends, despite all the difficulties and he also discovered that there were places in the mountains or far-flung corners where people would open up more.
When the author has long left Romania and settled in Canada, he was to receive a visit from the secret service who were suspicious of him and wanted to know about his political leanings and what friends he kept and who he knew in Romania. Amazing. I hope there will be a future book as I am sure there is much more to tell.
November 24, 2020
Ron Mackay's two year university teaching post in 1960's Communist Romania is an adventure not to be missed. Naive concerning Ceausecu's iron-fisted rule and imbued with endless enthusiasm and grit, twenty-three year old Mackay arrives to teach in a setting unlike anything he or most of us has ever experienced. His living quarters and phone are bugged; his university compatriots will barely speak to him; he is told he cannot leave Bucharest during his tenure; grocery shopping and public transit are often free-for-alls where knee-groining and pushing are the norm.
Mackay learns quickly to circumvent most obstacles. He takes delight in entering his room, then knocking to reopen the door and speak in several different voices as if friends have come to call. He has spirited conversations with his students and gradually learns how to survive in an atmosphere permeated by Secret Police and informants. He ignores the travel restrictions placed on him and, during the two years, freely travels to many parts of this picturesque country, finding in more remote areas, citizens less restricted and slightly more at ease. He assumes, however, that his travels are kept track of and that his sight-seeing must be deemed a non-security risk.
Reading this book at any time would be an eye-opener but especially, now, during Covid it is a heightened reminder of how fortunate we are living in a democracy as imperfect as it is. It is also a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit, to the Romanian people who carried on, making the best of difficult and ruthless day-to-day situations.
Mackay learns quickly to circumvent most obstacles. He takes delight in entering his room, then knocking to reopen the door and speak in several different voices as if friends have come to call. He has spirited conversations with his students and gradually learns how to survive in an atmosphere permeated by Secret Police and informants. He ignores the travel restrictions placed on him and, during the two years, freely travels to many parts of this picturesque country, finding in more remote areas, citizens less restricted and slightly more at ease. He assumes, however, that his travels are kept track of and that his sight-seeing must be deemed a non-security risk.
Reading this book at any time would be an eye-opener but especially, now, during Covid it is a heightened reminder of how fortunate we are living in a democracy as imperfect as it is. It is also a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit, to the Romanian people who carried on, making the best of difficult and ruthless day-to-day situations.
November 30, 2020
What a wonderful read - Mackay has a knack for recalling details and making the reader feel a part of the experience. Bravo.
December 4, 2020
A memoir that takes the reader into a world that usually diplomats get to see, but as a free agent in his role as professor, Ron MacKay gets a more intimate view.
August 15, 2025
What a life Ronald Mackay has lived! I loved listening to this intriguing audiobook about the scary and exciting time Ronald Mackay spent in Romania, vividly imagining the bustling streets full of strangers speaking a language he had yet to learn. The risks were high; he had little money, yet he witnessed a country that remains a distant dream for many. I was on the edge of my seat listening to his perilous adventures, but the humorous incidents had me laughing a lot. Overall, this book is a five-star audiobook.
June 28, 2023
This is a remarkably well written and detailed memoir about the author’s two years spent in Romania during the 1960s. He recounts his time there in an easy to read and welcoming voice that makes the reader wish he could pick up the phone and continue the conversation with him at the book’s end.
February 16, 2021
This is a memoir written by a Scotsman, who in his youth spent two years as a visiting professor of linguistics at the university of Bucharest in Ceaușescu's Romania in the late 1960s.
It's a fascinating read and a peek behind the Iron Curtain into a surveillance society very different from the liberal ones in the west.
It's actually quite impressive how Mackay managed to fit in and make the best of his time in Romania, I'm sure not everyone would adapt so well as living in such society has its own challenges, especially as a foreigner...
For starters, Romanians were discouraged from interacting with westerners and were required to report all their interactions back to the communist party - if you were in contact with a westerner too often, you would get into trouble. Later in the book MacKay meets a person who spent six years in prison because a British MP sent him a postcard so serious consequences were possible.
He did manage to make some friends later on however and even had an affair with one his students, so it wasn't all bad, although most of his colleagues at the university chose to avoid him.
There are also some interesting depictions of everyday life, such as shopping and how there could be sudden shortages of goods even for weeks at time: "Toilet rolls? Where did you buy such treasure?”.
All in all, he seems to have enjoyed his time and also spent a lot of time exploring the country, despite being warned not to do so without written permission from the authorities:
"...but I’ve decided it’s up to them, not me, to enforce their rules! This trip is a test of their capabilities. They either stop me or they don’t!"
and off he went every time he could.
A good read.
It's a fascinating read and a peek behind the Iron Curtain into a surveillance society very different from the liberal ones in the west.
It's actually quite impressive how Mackay managed to fit in and make the best of his time in Romania, I'm sure not everyone would adapt so well as living in such society has its own challenges, especially as a foreigner...
For starters, Romanians were discouraged from interacting with westerners and were required to report all their interactions back to the communist party - if you were in contact with a westerner too often, you would get into trouble. Later in the book MacKay meets a person who spent six years in prison because a British MP sent him a postcard so serious consequences were possible.
He did manage to make some friends later on however and even had an affair with one his students, so it wasn't all bad, although most of his colleagues at the university chose to avoid him.
There are also some interesting depictions of everyday life, such as shopping and how there could be sudden shortages of goods even for weeks at time: "Toilet rolls? Where did you buy such treasure?”.
All in all, he seems to have enjoyed his time and also spent a lot of time exploring the country, despite being warned not to do so without written permission from the authorities:
"...but I’ve decided it’s up to them, not me, to enforce their rules! This trip is a test of their capabilities. They either stop me or they don’t!"
and off he went every time he could.
A good read.
December 6, 2020
The title, The Kilt Behind the Curtain, caught my attention immediately. It had three elements that pre-disposed me to like it even before I started reading it – written by a Scotsman (I traveled to Scotland in 2000 so I am drawn to anything Scottish), it focused on Romania, an Eastern country that had few western visitors, and the author taught English abroad. As a career ESL teacher, I am always interested in other instructors’ experiences teaching abroad. That was my initial motivation to read it.
But this memoir encompassed so much more. Rarely, if ever, have I read such a detailed account of teaching, living and thriving in another country with such restrictions. The author was his own person from the start, intuitively knowing how to respond to various people with a mixture of candor and humor, starting with the doctor who gave him his physical back in Scotland.
Professor Mackey’s memoir is complex. He shared what it was like for him on a daily basis, details of his routine and teaching schedule, the students and his social life in exquisite detail. But what stood out to me was how, with very little instruction, the author adjusted to unspoken restrictions – very astute and wise beyond his years!
His travel included some unexpected and unusual scrapes. Readers will really enjoy going through these accounts! His travel incorporated the measures he used to adapt because of the restrictions of the time. But I also loved his in-depth descriptions of the areas, houses, people and activities he and his mother, “Pearl” experienced. The photographs enhanced my understanding of life in Romania.
His memoir also offered tremendous insights into the political and socio-cultural behavior of Romania under post-war communism. It could certainly be used as a resource text book in college and university classes in the area of politics, culture, anthropology, and most especially, ESL!
I took my time reading it, savoring all his experiences. His resourcefulness in handling sensitive issues and his observations of himself as well as descriptions of others made me chuckle. He had such a unique and entertaining style of writing. I loved the way he showed the mannerisms and speech of the Americans he came across there. Just precious! The tone of the memoir itself retained an air of the clandestine for various reasons.
I would recommend this book to everyone! It offers so much variety. The author has a unique style of writing. His words encompass a love for family, acceptance of local mores, culture, and attitudes, and he thinks on his feet! It receives a strong 5 out of 5 stars from me! This is the first book I have read by this author but I will definitely seek out more in the future.
But this memoir encompassed so much more. Rarely, if ever, have I read such a detailed account of teaching, living and thriving in another country with such restrictions. The author was his own person from the start, intuitively knowing how to respond to various people with a mixture of candor and humor, starting with the doctor who gave him his physical back in Scotland.
Professor Mackey’s memoir is complex. He shared what it was like for him on a daily basis, details of his routine and teaching schedule, the students and his social life in exquisite detail. But what stood out to me was how, with very little instruction, the author adjusted to unspoken restrictions – very astute and wise beyond his years!
His travel included some unexpected and unusual scrapes. Readers will really enjoy going through these accounts! His travel incorporated the measures he used to adapt because of the restrictions of the time. But I also loved his in-depth descriptions of the areas, houses, people and activities he and his mother, “Pearl” experienced. The photographs enhanced my understanding of life in Romania.
His memoir also offered tremendous insights into the political and socio-cultural behavior of Romania under post-war communism. It could certainly be used as a resource text book in college and university classes in the area of politics, culture, anthropology, and most especially, ESL!
I took my time reading it, savoring all his experiences. His resourcefulness in handling sensitive issues and his observations of himself as well as descriptions of others made me chuckle. He had such a unique and entertaining style of writing. I loved the way he showed the mannerisms and speech of the Americans he came across there. Just precious! The tone of the memoir itself retained an air of the clandestine for various reasons.
I would recommend this book to everyone! It offers so much variety. The author has a unique style of writing. His words encompass a love for family, acceptance of local mores, culture, and attitudes, and he thinks on his feet! It receives a strong 5 out of 5 stars from me! This is the first book I have read by this author but I will definitely seek out more in the future.
November 7, 2020
Dr Mackay has written an extremely valuable historical document. His memoirs offer a foreigner’s perspective -- a very rare one -- on life behind the Iron Curtain in the 1960s. At a time when very few Westerners were allowed to visit the country (or had any desire to do) and even fewer Romanians were allowed to travel abroad, Ronald managed an extraordinary feat. He not only taught English courses at the University of Bucharest, but went on hiking trips in the Carpathians and other parts of this hidden gem of Eastern Europe. He mingled with Romanians although many of these Romanians were no ordinary people. As an ordinary Romanian myself, I particularly appreciated his offering me a glimpse into what the cultural life was like at that time in Romania. For instance, Leon Levitchi and Dan Dutescu, his colleagues at the University of Bucharest, were scholars who translated Shakespeare’s works into Romanian and wrote textbooks from which many generations of Romanians (including myself) mastered English fluently. He also befriended Dino Sandulescu, a James Joyce scholar; their friendship would last until the latter passed away recently. The book is full of fascinating characters, particularly “M”, his brilliant, intriguing female student. Their relationship would take, let me just say, an interesting turn...
Before I started reading this book, I suspected Ronald of having been a “fellow traveller”. Those of us who survived Communism always start from a presumption of guilt regarding anyone who would have an interest in visiting a Communist country. My suspicions were dispelled after reading his memoirs and meeting the author in person. Now I like to entertain the thrilling fantasy (which I know will amuse him a great deal as this is the first time I share it with him) that he was a spy for the British. Maybe the fact that he comes from the land of Sean Connery has something to do with my fantasy. A retired university professor, living on the shores of beautiful Rice Lake, Ronald has led a life that has been anything but dull. At barely 18, the young Scot went to work as a day labourer on a banana plantation in the Canary Islands where he became fully fluent in Spanish. I also recently found out that he worked in the Canadian Arctic for 10 years. The number of places he visited and worked for is simply mind-blowing!
Leaving the joke about your spying aside, there is one thing I know for sure- that Ronald is the only person I have ever met that I can call a "world citizen".
Before I started reading this book, I suspected Ronald of having been a “fellow traveller”. Those of us who survived Communism always start from a presumption of guilt regarding anyone who would have an interest in visiting a Communist country. My suspicions were dispelled after reading his memoirs and meeting the author in person. Now I like to entertain the thrilling fantasy (which I know will amuse him a great deal as this is the first time I share it with him) that he was a spy for the British. Maybe the fact that he comes from the land of Sean Connery has something to do with my fantasy. A retired university professor, living on the shores of beautiful Rice Lake, Ronald has led a life that has been anything but dull. At barely 18, the young Scot went to work as a day labourer on a banana plantation in the Canary Islands where he became fully fluent in Spanish. I also recently found out that he worked in the Canadian Arctic for 10 years. The number of places he visited and worked for is simply mind-blowing!
Leaving the joke about your spying aside, there is one thing I know for sure- that Ronald is the only person I have ever met that I can call a "world citizen".
November 18, 2020
Remarkable Insights
I enjoyed this memoir so much that I read it twice to make sure I had missed nothing. It provides some remarkable insights into life behind the Iron Curtain in the late 1960s, as seen through the eyes of a westerner.
Ronald Mackay was no normal visitor to Romania. The British Council had appointed him as a Visiting Professor of Phonetics at Bucharest University. Although not the most highly qualified candidate, he got the job because of his past work and independent travel experiences. They felt these would help him cope with the difficult circumstances of living in a communist state.
Very early on he decided not to stick to rules the Rector’s office gave him to stay within the city’s confines. He figured it was not his responsibility to carry out the job of the authorities. The freedom he gained enabled him to see a lot of the country during his two-year stay there. He spent part of this time with his mother, who visited him several times and accompanied him on trips deep into the countryside.
More remarkable than this breaking of the rules, was that he got to socialise with Romanians, who had very restricted lives under the Ceausescu regime. Because the secret police bugged his flat and his colleagues avoided him at the University, the author could have led a lonely life. Instead, he met people by letting them come to him first. This required patience, but it paid off in the end. The most fascinating parts of Ronald’s narrative are the thoughtful profiles of the characters he encountered. He describes their backgrounds and how they survived, and sometimes thrived, in such challenging circumstances.
This book must be unique in the way it uncovers so much about Romania; its people, its past, and the hardships that its citizens lived through during the communist era. Only an outsider with the tenacity, courage, and sensitive curiosity of the author could have produced such an insightful view of society at the time.
This a must-read for lovers of history and memoir.
I enjoyed this memoir so much that I read it twice to make sure I had missed nothing. It provides some remarkable insights into life behind the Iron Curtain in the late 1960s, as seen through the eyes of a westerner.
Ronald Mackay was no normal visitor to Romania. The British Council had appointed him as a Visiting Professor of Phonetics at Bucharest University. Although not the most highly qualified candidate, he got the job because of his past work and independent travel experiences. They felt these would help him cope with the difficult circumstances of living in a communist state.
Very early on he decided not to stick to rules the Rector’s office gave him to stay within the city’s confines. He figured it was not his responsibility to carry out the job of the authorities. The freedom he gained enabled him to see a lot of the country during his two-year stay there. He spent part of this time with his mother, who visited him several times and accompanied him on trips deep into the countryside.
More remarkable than this breaking of the rules, was that he got to socialise with Romanians, who had very restricted lives under the Ceausescu regime. Because the secret police bugged his flat and his colleagues avoided him at the University, the author could have led a lonely life. Instead, he met people by letting them come to him first. This required patience, but it paid off in the end. The most fascinating parts of Ronald’s narrative are the thoughtful profiles of the characters he encountered. He describes their backgrounds and how they survived, and sometimes thrived, in such challenging circumstances.
This book must be unique in the way it uncovers so much about Romania; its people, its past, and the hardships that its citizens lived through during the communist era. Only an outsider with the tenacity, courage, and sensitive curiosity of the author could have produced such an insightful view of society at the time.
This a must-read for lovers of history and memoir.
January 1, 2021
Having so much enjoyed Ronald Mackay’s earlier memoir, Fortunate Isle, which is set in the Canary Isle of Tenerife during the General Franco dictatorship, I knew I would find this excellent account just as fascinating. It was also a relief to discover that life under Franco was considerably easier in the Canaries than under the communist regime in Romania.
The first thought I had when reading this beautifully written book, was that it had the ingredients and the flow of a spy novel, with a touch of irony and evident Scottish humour reminiscent of Graham Green’s famous “Our Man in Havana”.
There was something hinting constantly at my imagination about what an apparently innocent young man was really doing in Bucharest. Was it possible to use phonetics to teach English to eager Rumanian students with a Scottish accent? Was Ronald Mackay really only doing an innocent teaching job behind the cold, Secret Police infested Iron Curtain? After all, being courted by a seductive long-legged agent, spending a night in mixed dormitories in the Carpathian mountains, being bugged, followed and invited to Embassy cocktail parties are all perfect ingredients for a fictional spy novel. One can’t help wondering, as the author takes everything in his stride, even when the Land Rover in his name is used for covert operations, if the author is as innocent as he makes out, or if he is actually involved in the shadowy, seeking of information for the British spy network.
And yet, with all its intriguing twists and turns, this is an honest, delightful and unassuming memoir of a man who showed considerable courage and made many friends along the way. It is also a book which could easily be used to study of the greyness, cruelties and baffling nature of communist regimes, and about how ordinary people still maintain their grace and dignity in spite of the absurd hardships . I highly recommend this book.
The first thought I had when reading this beautifully written book, was that it had the ingredients and the flow of a spy novel, with a touch of irony and evident Scottish humour reminiscent of Graham Green’s famous “Our Man in Havana”.
There was something hinting constantly at my imagination about what an apparently innocent young man was really doing in Bucharest. Was it possible to use phonetics to teach English to eager Rumanian students with a Scottish accent? Was Ronald Mackay really only doing an innocent teaching job behind the cold, Secret Police infested Iron Curtain? After all, being courted by a seductive long-legged agent, spending a night in mixed dormitories in the Carpathian mountains, being bugged, followed and invited to Embassy cocktail parties are all perfect ingredients for a fictional spy novel. One can’t help wondering, as the author takes everything in his stride, even when the Land Rover in his name is used for covert operations, if the author is as innocent as he makes out, or if he is actually involved in the shadowy, seeking of information for the British spy network.
And yet, with all its intriguing twists and turns, this is an honest, delightful and unassuming memoir of a man who showed considerable courage and made many friends along the way. It is also a book which could easily be used to study of the greyness, cruelties and baffling nature of communist regimes, and about how ordinary people still maintain their grace and dignity in spite of the absurd hardships . I highly recommend this book.
December 26, 2020
I love a memoir to transport me to a different place or a different time. Ronald MacKay’s, The Kilt behind the Curtain, does both of these things taking the reader back to the time of Ceausescu’s dictatorship in Romania.
Ronald paints a picture of a brutal regime with few freedoms and a ‘big brother’ atmosphere. But he also paints a picture of beauty and of friendships, of fitting in and of defying the ‘rules’.
As a young teaching graduate, a year’s teaching job abroad sounds wonderful. That it is behind the iron curtain at a time when westerners were discouraged from visiting the soviet states, bothers young Ronald not at all. For an adventurous young teacher, this is a trip of a lifetime. Bugs in the room, Romanians banned from talking to the westerner, bravery as friendships are forged and ‘illicit’ trips through this most magnificent of sceneries follow.
Ronald MacKay comes across as a determined young man. He refuses to follow the dictatorship’s rules about staying put and soon meets people willing to also bend the rules to befriend him.
I always find when I travel that a positive attitude and genuine love of the country you are visiting helps people be more engaged. Ronald has that in spades and it shines through in this fascinating and heartwarming memoir
Ronald paints a picture of a brutal regime with few freedoms and a ‘big brother’ atmosphere. But he also paints a picture of beauty and of friendships, of fitting in and of defying the ‘rules’.
As a young teaching graduate, a year’s teaching job abroad sounds wonderful. That it is behind the iron curtain at a time when westerners were discouraged from visiting the soviet states, bothers young Ronald not at all. For an adventurous young teacher, this is a trip of a lifetime. Bugs in the room, Romanians banned from talking to the westerner, bravery as friendships are forged and ‘illicit’ trips through this most magnificent of sceneries follow.
Ronald MacKay comes across as a determined young man. He refuses to follow the dictatorship’s rules about staying put and soon meets people willing to also bend the rules to befriend him.
I always find when I travel that a positive attitude and genuine love of the country you are visiting helps people be more engaged. Ronald has that in spades and it shines through in this fascinating and heartwarming memoir
January 9, 2021
Romania in the time of Ceausescu. Take one English teacher in Bucharest in the late 1960s, add a dash of espionage, a stubborn refusal to adhere to the country's strict travel restrictions and the quirky tradition of eleven red roses and you have a fascinating memoir. The extent and variety of the author's travel experiences continues to amaze me and this book was well worth the read.
March 23, 2025
I discovered this author ‘backwards’, reading his latest memoir, ‘Windows on My Worlds’, first, followed by ‘The Kilt Behind the Curtain’ and finally his 2018 book ‘Fortunate Isle: A Memoir of Tenerife’.
All three were fascinating, drawing the reader into the author’s ‘worlds’, with their vast range of locations and experiences. But for me what lit up all of them was the personality of the author himself, forged out of his humble beginnings and important early life lessons in rural Scotland, and tempered thereafter through his travels and interactions with different cultures and individuals. All of this goes into the making of a man with a zest for life, a warmth, an emotional intelligence, a keen insight, and a lively curiosity which gets him into unexpected, sometimes risky situations. Though I’ve loved all three books, I admit to a soft spot for this one, the coming of age of a young man in a world as alien as Mars. His two years in Romania under the iron fist of a dictator give a remarkable insight into the daily life of Romanians, their charm and their suspiciousness, their thirst for knowledge and their ability to survive in circumstances which would have most of us today reaching for the smelling salts. His description of the humiliating living conditions of the University Professor and his wife who invite Ronald for tea along with his wonderful mother, Pearl, is unforgettably moving. But though Ronald is materially much better off, he too must show resilience in facing life as an outsider in this closed society, with little meaningful interaction, and a tender young man’s heart ready to be broken by exotic femmes fatales. His determination to communicate, involving disciplined study of a foreign language (the same determination he showed in Tenerife) is laudable, as is his ability to take a joke and accept the inevitable mockery and occasionally Ionesco-like absurdism of situations in which he finds himself (there’s a hilarious restaurant scene featuring burnt crêpes Suzette – ‘two black, elongated cinders…served with great aplomb…’)
This book has so much to offer on different levels and is rich in so many ways. A great memoir, not to be missed.
All three were fascinating, drawing the reader into the author’s ‘worlds’, with their vast range of locations and experiences. But for me what lit up all of them was the personality of the author himself, forged out of his humble beginnings and important early life lessons in rural Scotland, and tempered thereafter through his travels and interactions with different cultures and individuals. All of this goes into the making of a man with a zest for life, a warmth, an emotional intelligence, a keen insight, and a lively curiosity which gets him into unexpected, sometimes risky situations. Though I’ve loved all three books, I admit to a soft spot for this one, the coming of age of a young man in a world as alien as Mars. His two years in Romania under the iron fist of a dictator give a remarkable insight into the daily life of Romanians, their charm and their suspiciousness, their thirst for knowledge and their ability to survive in circumstances which would have most of us today reaching for the smelling salts. His description of the humiliating living conditions of the University Professor and his wife who invite Ronald for tea along with his wonderful mother, Pearl, is unforgettably moving. But though Ronald is materially much better off, he too must show resilience in facing life as an outsider in this closed society, with little meaningful interaction, and a tender young man’s heart ready to be broken by exotic femmes fatales. His determination to communicate, involving disciplined study of a foreign language (the same determination he showed in Tenerife) is laudable, as is his ability to take a joke and accept the inevitable mockery and occasionally Ionesco-like absurdism of situations in which he finds himself (there’s a hilarious restaurant scene featuring burnt crêpes Suzette – ‘two black, elongated cinders…served with great aplomb…’)
This book has so much to offer on different levels and is rich in so many ways. A great memoir, not to be missed.
May 13, 2021
A Fascinating, Funny and Insightful Memoir
I travelled through Romania thirty years after the fall of the Soviet Union and fell in love with its landscapes, wildlife and extraordinarily warm people. However, a piece of the jigsaw was missing; I struggled to discover much detail about the country’s recent history under Communism.
I was delighted to find this memoir, which fills in a few of the gaps. It is a fascinating personal insight into what life was like under Nicolae Ceaușescu, a brutal and repressive communist dictator. Scotsman Ronald Mackay, who spent two years as visiting professor at Bucharest University, was clearly resourceful and wise beyond his twenty-some years.
Behind the Iron Curtain, simply dealing with everyday necessities, such as catching the bus or shopping, are fraught with difficulty. The authorities have his apartment bugged and, if he doesn’t give them the slip, his own personal spy and wider network of informers report his every move to the Secret Police.
Despite the regime forbidding Romanians to consort with Westerners and barring the author from travel, Ronald works out how to see the country and describes his tours beautifully. On their terms, to avoid the genuine danger of compromising their safety, he also discovers the lives of an eclectic cast of characters who are both winners and losers to the system.
The bright intelligent and engaged young Romanians whom Ronald met fifty years ago struck a chord with my own experience of Romanian youth in the twenty-first century.
Whether you want to find out more about Romania or you just want an entertaining read which will open your mind to how different life can be without the freedoms and privileges we currently enjoy in the West, you will love this book. I heartily recommend it.
I travelled through Romania thirty years after the fall of the Soviet Union and fell in love with its landscapes, wildlife and extraordinarily warm people. However, a piece of the jigsaw was missing; I struggled to discover much detail about the country’s recent history under Communism.
I was delighted to find this memoir, which fills in a few of the gaps. It is a fascinating personal insight into what life was like under Nicolae Ceaușescu, a brutal and repressive communist dictator. Scotsman Ronald Mackay, who spent two years as visiting professor at Bucharest University, was clearly resourceful and wise beyond his twenty-some years.
Behind the Iron Curtain, simply dealing with everyday necessities, such as catching the bus or shopping, are fraught with difficulty. The authorities have his apartment bugged and, if he doesn’t give them the slip, his own personal spy and wider network of informers report his every move to the Secret Police.
Despite the regime forbidding Romanians to consort with Westerners and barring the author from travel, Ronald works out how to see the country and describes his tours beautifully. On their terms, to avoid the genuine danger of compromising their safety, he also discovers the lives of an eclectic cast of characters who are both winners and losers to the system.
The bright intelligent and engaged young Romanians whom Ronald met fifty years ago struck a chord with my own experience of Romanian youth in the twenty-first century.
Whether you want to find out more about Romania or you just want an entertaining read which will open your mind to how different life can be without the freedoms and privileges we currently enjoy in the West, you will love this book. I heartily recommend it.
December 16, 2024
Engaging Account of an Expat in 1960s Romania
As someone who has lived and worked in Japan for over 40 years, I’ve always admired those expats who make concentrated efforts to study the culture, learn the language, and integrate themselves as much as possible into the country they’ve chosen to reside in. It’s difficult enough to do when the country is in the so-called free world. Imagine how it must have been for someone trying to survive in Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Romania in the late 1960s.
Scotsman Ronald Mackay is such a person. As a visiting professor on a cultural exchange, he taught at the University of Bucharest from 1967 to 1969. His memoir "The Kilt Behind the Curtain: A Scotsman in Ceaușescu’s Romania" tells the fascinating story of his adventures in a place where the secret police were everywhere, restrictions were placed on where one could travel, and any relationship formed with a local could potentially land either party in big trouble.
Through a combination of ingenuity, resourcefulness, courage, curiosity, and even naivety, Mackay is able to overcome most obstacles to his attempts to try to get to know and understand the people and country. He manages to strike up relationships with a variety of interesting characters, as well as see much of the country outside the capital.
Mackay’s engaging narrative contains a wonderful mix of insightful observation, historical facts, entertaining dialogue, and humorous anecdotes. Above all, his love of and respect for the Romanian people living under extreme and difficult conditions is on display throughout. This book is more than a memoir about a young man’s adventures in a foreign land. It is also an important historical document. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
As someone who has lived and worked in Japan for over 40 years, I’ve always admired those expats who make concentrated efforts to study the culture, learn the language, and integrate themselves as much as possible into the country they’ve chosen to reside in. It’s difficult enough to do when the country is in the so-called free world. Imagine how it must have been for someone trying to survive in Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Romania in the late 1960s.
Scotsman Ronald Mackay is such a person. As a visiting professor on a cultural exchange, he taught at the University of Bucharest from 1967 to 1969. His memoir "The Kilt Behind the Curtain: A Scotsman in Ceaușescu’s Romania" tells the fascinating story of his adventures in a place where the secret police were everywhere, restrictions were placed on where one could travel, and any relationship formed with a local could potentially land either party in big trouble.
Through a combination of ingenuity, resourcefulness, courage, curiosity, and even naivety, Mackay is able to overcome most obstacles to his attempts to try to get to know and understand the people and country. He manages to strike up relationships with a variety of interesting characters, as well as see much of the country outside the capital.
Mackay’s engaging narrative contains a wonderful mix of insightful observation, historical facts, entertaining dialogue, and humorous anecdotes. Above all, his love of and respect for the Romanian people living under extreme and difficult conditions is on display throughout. This book is more than a memoir about a young man’s adventures in a foreign land. It is also an important historical document. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
October 13, 2021
Firstly, I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I was drawn to the cover of ‘The Kilt Behind the Curtain’ depicting a traditional Romanian family and their colorful attire. I love cross cultural memoirs not only for the fish-out-of-water entertainment they provide, but for the insights only an outsider can reveal. Having lived under an oppressive government myself, I was fascinated with how MacKay managed to operate amidst the paranoia of Ceausescu’s communist-run Romania.
MacKay was an academic Initially in Bucharest on a two-year teaching assignment, his curiosity and sense of adventure gets the better of him and eventually wins the day. He was fearless to have ventured out in defiance of socially restrictive laws in a communist country where he didn’t even speak the language! He was able to win people over despite the barriers of language and the paranoia caused by being under constant state monitoring. With all that, he manages to have fun and relate some heartfelt stories and great photos of life behind the Iron curtain in the 1960’s.
Readers will love the photos throughout the book; they definitely painted a thousand words. Mackay’s descriptions of Romania felt like a guided tour of a forbidden city and his insider narrative on how people survive it is nothing short of riveting. His account is reminiscent of scenes from a spy movie set in a grey Eastern Bloc country. Even so, MacKay somehow conveys the enduring grandeur of the Hungarian empire in the post-World War II. It shines through in his photos and narrative even though its sometimes obscured during the harsh life imposed by Ceausescu.
MacKay was an academic Initially in Bucharest on a two-year teaching assignment, his curiosity and sense of adventure gets the better of him and eventually wins the day. He was fearless to have ventured out in defiance of socially restrictive laws in a communist country where he didn’t even speak the language! He was able to win people over despite the barriers of language and the paranoia caused by being under constant state monitoring. With all that, he manages to have fun and relate some heartfelt stories and great photos of life behind the Iron curtain in the 1960’s.
Readers will love the photos throughout the book; they definitely painted a thousand words. Mackay’s descriptions of Romania felt like a guided tour of a forbidden city and his insider narrative on how people survive it is nothing short of riveting. His account is reminiscent of scenes from a spy movie set in a grey Eastern Bloc country. Even so, MacKay somehow conveys the enduring grandeur of the Hungarian empire in the post-World War II. It shines through in his photos and narrative even though its sometimes obscured during the harsh life imposed by Ceausescu.
March 14, 2022
This book about an assignment during the Cold War is as exciting as a James Bond episode. One wouldn't think this humble Scotsman sent by the British Council to teach English in Romania in the 1960's would experience such exciting encounters, including seduction and romance, no less.
On a more serious note, the book paints a grim picture of life behind the iron curtain. I admire how the author, a twenty-something fresh college graduate, navigated his way around the harsh, authoritarian society of the Ceausescu regime. He was a master of not only English but also the body language of a people living under the eyes and ears of the Securitate. A raising of the eyebrow or tilt of the head could communicate warnings, which if missed, could get the author and his Romanian associates into deep trouble. His astute observations allowed him to walk around the china shop without smashing everything. However, he sometimes deliberately broke the rules. Despite some close calls, he managed to get out of the invisible prison and escape to see the mountains, churches, and castles of this magnificent country.
I believe the author's ability to fare as well as he did was because Romania wasn't his first overseas adventure. Before starting college, he'd bummed around distant lands, no doubt learning to adapt and survive in unfamiliar environments. I think everyone, especially the young, would benefit from such experience.
On a more serious note, the book paints a grim picture of life behind the iron curtain. I admire how the author, a twenty-something fresh college graduate, navigated his way around the harsh, authoritarian society of the Ceausescu regime. He was a master of not only English but also the body language of a people living under the eyes and ears of the Securitate. A raising of the eyebrow or tilt of the head could communicate warnings, which if missed, could get the author and his Romanian associates into deep trouble. His astute observations allowed him to walk around the china shop without smashing everything. However, he sometimes deliberately broke the rules. Despite some close calls, he managed to get out of the invisible prison and escape to see the mountains, churches, and castles of this magnificent country.
I believe the author's ability to fare as well as he did was because Romania wasn't his first overseas adventure. Before starting college, he'd bummed around distant lands, no doubt learning to adapt and survive in unfamiliar environments. I think everyone, especially the young, would benefit from such experience.
August 1, 2022
I found Ronald MacKay's The Kilt Behind the Curtain quite addictive. As someone who grew up behind the curtain, albeit in a different country, I found his descriptions of life in communist Romania both nostalgic and funny. My favorite were the descriptions of the daily activities that we take for granted, like buying a bottle of milk or getting a car, which required enormous efforts and a lot of cunning. He definitely brought forth the grotesque nature of the system. The author observes the brutal reality of the communist regime from the outsider's perspective, which makes the vignettes very poignant. In every chapter, I felt that I was traveling in time and walking either the Carpathian mountains or admiring Bucharest's architecture. An excellent read for anyone who loves history, travel and humour.
December 29, 2024
The end did come a bit suddenly!
This window into life behind the iron curtain not only convincingly took me back fifty plus years in world history but took me to very foreign to what was life in Canada in the last half of the 1960s, and my young teen life in a world of relative freedom. I kept thinking about the world I lived in then, versus the world the author depicted.
I am grateful for the opportunity to travel back in time and learn history from a first hand perspective such as the author shared so well. I made a lot of notes for myself to ponder later, as I came across many experiences incomprehensible to me as a person living in the free world. This story enforces gratitude for freedoms that I do not, and should never, take for granted.
I look forward to catching up on more books by this author.
This window into life behind the iron curtain not only convincingly took me back fifty plus years in world history but took me to very foreign to what was life in Canada in the last half of the 1960s, and my young teen life in a world of relative freedom. I kept thinking about the world I lived in then, versus the world the author depicted.
I am grateful for the opportunity to travel back in time and learn history from a first hand perspective such as the author shared so well. I made a lot of notes for myself to ponder later, as I came across many experiences incomprehensible to me as a person living in the free world. This story enforces gratitude for freedoms that I do not, and should never, take for granted.
I look forward to catching up on more books by this author.
September 10, 2022
Romania is a country with a rich history and culture, but during the Ceaucescu regime of 1965-1989, it had been reduced to an underdeveloped nation. The author, a Scottish professor of English at Bucharest University, witnessed the repressive tactics of the authoritarian government during his two-year tenure there. The sinister presence of the secret police everywhere, fear of one another among the population, the incarceration of those who spoke up, all reflect the horrors of living under a dictatorship. And yet the book gives a glimmer of hope that people are resilient and capable of finding ways to circumvent the system, as did the author. Beautifully written and full of revealing details.
January 7, 2025
Intrigue, Romance, Hardship, Resilience.
This was a riveting read about life in Romania behind the Iron Curtain during the 1960s. The author was one of the few Westerners to have lived there for two years, giving him unique insights and observations about the place and the people. As someone so used to freedom, it was shocking to learn about the distrust and surveillance that pursued every Romanian under Ceaușescu's regime. Communism took on a sinister and dark reality. Through it all, it's fascinating to read how the author and his contacts navigate such difficult circumstances - particularly Ron, who outwits them and uses his army training to great effect at times. A fascinating and educational read detailing a unique experience.
This was a riveting read about life in Romania behind the Iron Curtain during the 1960s. The author was one of the few Westerners to have lived there for two years, giving him unique insights and observations about the place and the people. As someone so used to freedom, it was shocking to learn about the distrust and surveillance that pursued every Romanian under Ceaușescu's regime. Communism took on a sinister and dark reality. Through it all, it's fascinating to read how the author and his contacts navigate such difficult circumstances - particularly Ron, who outwits them and uses his army training to great effect at times. A fascinating and educational read detailing a unique experience.
April 2, 2023
I loved this book. In it Ronald tells the astonishing story of being a visiting professor in communist Romania in the 1960s with courage, candor and good humor. I’ve always been curious about this obscure people and what their lives were really like. This sensational look at life behind the curtain for the average family surprised me in three unexpected ways. Although I’m tempted to share these with you, it would be so unfair: I want you to discover these fascinating secrets as I did, from the voice of the author himself. Insightful and a pleasure to read.
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