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Dictionary of Romanian Quotations – Letter “M”

November 12th, 2016 · No Comments · Books, Communist Prisons, Diaspora, Famous People, History, International Media, OPINION, PEOPLE, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations, Translations

 

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Dictionary of Romanian Quotations – Letter “M”

 

Marthe Bibesco

Marthe Bibesco

  Marriage:
“She was surprised to have nothing to do: marriage was a misfortune, but not an occupation.”
(Marthe Bibesco, (1886-1973), Writer, Socialite)

 

Rev. Calciu-Dumitreasa

Rev. Calciu-Dumitreasa

  Martyrs:
“…We are now witnessing an evident return to God, and this is happening in countries where faith is persecuted. Today the communist countries are giving the world new martyrs for Christ…”

(Fr. Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa (1925-2006), Dissident Orthodox Priest)

 

Gregor von Rezzori

Gregor von Rezzori

  Memory:
“Memory is not absolutely reliable – it makes an arbitrary selection of what it wants to preserve and it discards what it dislikes, it hoists the emotions to the fore, it transfigures and it destroys.”
(Gregor von Rezzori, (1914-1998), Writer, Exile)

 

Paul Goma

Paul Goma

  Mentality Change:

“If the Romanians would like to become a people, rather than remain a pupulace with an eternal rural mentality, if the Romanians would like to have their qualities and good deeds acknowledged, then they might need starting to acknowledge their own own                                                                                                                                                                    defects and misdeeds”.

Paul Goma, (b. 1935), Writer, Dissident, Political prisoner,

Exile in France)

 

Georges ENESCO

Georges ENESCO

  Menuhin, Yehudi:
“Wasn’t it a joy to give advise to Yehudi Menuhin? If I were to say that I had formed him I would be wrong, because he was already marvellous when I took him in hand.”
(Georges Enesco, (1881-1955) composer, conductor, violinist, exile)

 

Veronica Micle

Veronica Micle

  Micle, Veronica:
Longing:
“How often may I not have hoped
At each and ev’ry movement
So longing that you might appear
You, sweetest human being?

And then how oft’ have I not cried
For hours, in the night,
To snuffl’ alone the candlelight
Without my love in sight?

(Veronica Micle, poem dedicated to Mihai Eminescu)
(Copyright Translation by Constantin Roman, 2002)

Paul CELAN

Paul CELAN

  Mirror:
“She turned her back on the mirror, hating the mirror’s vanity.
(Paul Celan (1920-1970), Poet, “Backlight”, “Collected Prose”, 1986)

 

 

 

Nelly Miricioiu

Nelly Miricioiu

  Miricioiu, Nelly:
“…Nelly Miricioiu sang with a tremendous palette of colours, a delicate touch with the coloratura, and plenty of old-fashioned intensity…”
(Robert Thicknesse, The Times, London, 28 October 2003)

 

 

Vatican

Vatican

  Mistress:
“Let me through, I am the Pope’s mistress.”
(Countess Starjensky, née Princess Bibesco, ca 1900,

exhorting the Swiss Guards to let her enter the Vatican)

 

                                                                                                                     

Theodor Pallady

Theodor Pallady

Modern:
“I am not a modern painter, I am timeless”
Theodore Pallady (1871-1956), Painter, Exile)

 

Gen. Pacepa

Gen. Ion Pacepa

Monitoring:
“Monitoring the thoughts of the entire Romanian population

has been Ceausescu’s major domestic policy goal,

for which he has spared no expense or manpower.”
(Gen. Ion Pacepa, Securitate chief, defected to the US,
“Red Horizons”, Heinemann, London 1988)

 

Emil Cioran

Emil Cioran

Music:
“Music is the refuge of souls ulcerated by happiness.”
(Emil Cioran (1911-1995), philosopher, writer, exile)
(“Syllogismes de l’amertume”)

Mystery:
“Mystery – a word which we use to trick the others, to make them believe that we are more profound than they are.”
(Emil Cioran (1911-1995), philosopher, writer, exile)
(“Syllogismes de l’amertume”)

                                          

The Village Girl who kicked a Hornets Nest

The Village Girl who kicked a Hornets Nest

Müller, Herta’s Wish:
“I wished that [my interrogator] would carry a sack with all his dead. I wished his hacked-off hair would smell like a newly mown graveyard whenever he sat at the barber’s. I wished his crimes would reek when he sat down at the table with his grandson after work. That the boy would be disgusted by the fingers that were feeding him cake”.
(Herta Müller, (b. 1953, Banat, Romania) “The Land Of Green Plums”)

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