quotations

Entries Tagged as 'quotations'

Romanian MEP Adrian Severin makes headlines in London’s Sunday Times

March 30th, 2011 · Comments Off on Romanian MEP Adrian Severin makes headlines in London’s Sunday Times · Diary, International Media, OPINION, PEOPLE, quotations

Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, a former Romanian Foreign Minister, makes headlines in London’s Sunday Times

Adrian Severin (born 28 March 1954 in Bucharest) started his politics career under Ceausescu’s Communist rule, as Instructor (lector) at the infamous Ştefan Gheorghiu Academy, the infamous university whuch hatched Romanian Communist cadres. it seems that such qualifications were particularly well suited for a glowing political career after the Communist dictator was put down in 1989.

After this infamous Palace Coup, Severin became a member of the National Salvation Front and the Democratic Party (which he left in April 1999). which was a convenient trampolin for him to be parachuted as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania between December 12, 1996 and December 29, 1997 under the Emil Constantinescu Conservative Administration.

With the accession of Romania to the European Union Adrian Severin became an MEP on 1 January 2007 as a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, .

Four years later, in 2011 the European Parliament opened a formal investigation into alleged corruption by Severin and two other MEPs. Severin insisted he had done nothing “illegal or against any normal behavior”, although he was accused of accepting bribe in exchange of initiating a law amendment. He was called by the Leader of the SD Group in the European Parliament to resign., which he refused, against all factual evidence. As a direct consequence Mr Severin was suspended from his position of Deputy-Leader of the SD Group and was compelled to leave his Parliamentary Group.

Unlike the Romanian parliament where such contrition is unheard of, in the European parliament, at least, when one is caught red-handed and one refuses to leave, one is given the Order of the Boot: which implies that by European standards, at least, all chicken come home to roost – not so in Romania which remains unruffled as such minor irritants are chicken feed!

Mr Severin’s political career is not yet over as his talents will be in dire need in his home country: watch out this space!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12806955

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An9Yo_gyYYQ

Poetry in Translation (LXXXI): Lucian Blaga (1922-1985) – “To my Readers” (CĂTRE CITITORI)

March 30th, 2011 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (LXXXI): Lucian Blaga (1922-1985) – “To my Readers” (CĂTRE CITITORI) · PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

MOTTO (In Marea Trecere): Opreste trecerea. Ştiu că unde nu e moarte nu e nici iubire – şi totuşi to rog: opreste, Doamne, ceasornicul cu care ne măsuri destrămarea.
Lucian Blaga (1922-1985), Poetry in Translation (XIV), “To my Readers” (CĂTRE CITITORI)
Versiune Engleza de Constantin ROMAN (Londra)

1924
Motto
The Great Passage:
Halt the Great Passge. I know Mylord there is no Love without Death. And yet, Mylord, please stop the clock with which you measure our decay.

“Believe me, believe me one could speak endlessly about anything:

About Fate and the well-wishing Snake

About Archangels ploughing the Garden of Man

About the Sky which we hope to reach,

About Hatred and Fall, Sadness and Crucifixion…

But above all, about the Great Passage.

Yet words are nothing else than the tears

Of those who wished so much to cry, but couldn’t.

Bitter, so bitter are all words

And therefore

Let me walk in silence amongst you

Cross your way

Eyes-closed.

(Rendered in English by Constantin ROMAN)

Poetry in Translation ( LXXX) – William Butler YEATS – “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”

March 10th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Diaspora, Poetry, quotations, Translations

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

W.B. Yates (1865-1939)

” I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree.
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee loud glade.”

” But I, being poor, have only my dreams.
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.”

W. B. Yeats (1865-1939)

Insula de pe lacul Innisfree

(Traducere libera de Constantin ROMAN)

Voi invia din morti, sa zbor la Innisfree

Sa-mi fac in vis coliba din paie si chirpici

Pe dealul insorit printre stupi voi tanji

Sa traiesc solitar in zumzetul de-aici.

Dar sarac fiind sa fiu, doar un gand de pribeag

Mai ramane s-astern sub calcaiu-ti de vis

Peste doru-mi ai grije prea greu sa nu calci

Sa apari ca un fulg cand vei trece-al meu prag.

Miracolul Bisericii de la Drăgănescu şi o profeţie a Părintelui Arsenie Boca

March 3rd, 2011 · 6 Comments · Art Exhibitions, OPINION, PEOPLE, quotations, Reviews

“Pictura sacră e istoria în imagini a vieţii Mântuitorului şi a celor transfiguraţi de El. Adică imaginea raiului. Sfinţia Ta [pr. Arsenie Boca] ai înţeles să faci o pictură transfigurată în nuanţe clare şi deschise, paradisiace, pentru a sugera lumea feerică de dincolo. Biserica de la Drăgănescu iradiază lumina raiului” (Nichifor Crainic).
„Ceea ce am admirat la Sfinţia Ta e că nu te-ai lăsat. Din zugrav de suflete, fericite să se modeleze după Domnul tuturor, iată-te zugrav de biserici, adică al celor ce poartă pe chipurile cuvioase reflexul desăvârşirii Fiului lui Dumnezeu. E o mare mângâiere, acum când nu mai ai prilejul să desăvârşeşti pe aspiranţi, să poţi mângâia cu penelul pe cei desăvârşiţi pentru a-i da pildă pe zidurile sacre. Mica biserică de la Drăgănescu are norocul să simtă pe zidurile ei zugrăvite predicile fierbinţi, pe care miile de oameni le ascultau la Sâmbăta de Sus. E o pictură nouă ca şi predica de atunci. Nimic întunecat în această primăvară care îmbracă cu plai înflorit bolţile bisericii. E o lumină de tonuri deschise către lume, ca spiritul şi chipul Mântuitorului coborât să ne aducă lumina de sus, ce iradiază din pictura Sfinţiei Tale. E un stil nou, e o pictură nouă, după viziunea nouă pe care o porţi în suflet” (Nichifor Crainic, 1971).

Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba: Cioran prin lăutărismul lui Pleşu. Despre inocularea ruşinii de a fi român

February 19th, 2011 · 3 Comments · Diary, Diaspora, OPINION, PEOPLE, quotations, Uncategorized

Motto:
“Toţi depresivii sînt tipuri eminamente subiective…Ei sînt singurii care coboară în adâncimile vieţii pînă acolo unde aceasta se îmbină cu moartea… Politicul aparţine domeniului exteriorităţii. Din acest motiv, valorile politice sînt la periferia valorilor spirituale”
(Emil Cioran, 1932)

După instalarea lui Iliescu la cârma ţării si a lui Andrei Pleşu la cârma culturii, scrierile lui Emil Cioran, care în comunism circulaseră xeroxate pe sub mână, au putut fi cumpărate din marile librării, îmbogăţind avuta editură Politică, sub numele ei de Humanitas (1). E drept că noul nume cam aminteşte de ziarul comunist l’Humanite care a încercat fără succes să-l deposedeze în 1960 pe Vintilă Horia de Premiul Goncourt, acuzându-l fără bază şi pic de jenă că “ar fi susţinut înfiinţarea lagărelor de exterminare în Germania nazistă” (v. Th. Cazaban în dialog cu C. Bădiliţă, Captiv în lumea liberă, Cluj-Napoca, Echinox, 2002, p. 125). Din atacul foştilor ideologi comunişti manifestând o inexplicabilă alergie la scrisul unui romancier de faimă internaţională s-a văzut câtă dreptate a avut Vintilă Horia când şi-a tot amânat întoarcerea în România regimului Iliescu-Roman. Într-una din scrisorile trimise din Spania în primele luni de “democraţie prin rotirea cadrelor” (M. Cantuniari, Bărbatul cu cele trei morţi ale sale, Ed. Humanitas, 2007) romancierul premiat de Academia franceză consemna următoarele: “Aţi aflat că Adevărul şi Tineretul liber au publicat ştirea după care aş fi acordat un interview nu ştiu cărei reviste în limba română din Israel şi New York, care a fost reprodusă de ziarul Independent din Londra, interview în care mă autoprezentam ca fruntaş al Gărzii de fier şi insultam pe Petre Roman. Am desminţit totul printr-un interview telefonic cu BBC şi i-am scris pe aceeaşi temă lui Mircea Dinescu. Este îngrozitor. N’am făcut parte din nici un partid, deci nici din Garda de Fier, care m-a scos din postul de ataşat de presă la Roma” (Vintilă Horia, 27 febr. 1990 în op. cit., p.334). Scrisorile lui Vintilă Horia către traducătorii săi Mihai si Ileana Cantuniari (prima pe 2 martie 1989, ultima din 19 nov. 1991) fac să transpară cadrul libertăţii post-comuniste, precum si aspecte de continuitate în politica editorială dinainte de 1989: dacă Editura Politică nu l-a publicat pe Vintilă Horia (2), nici Humanitas nu o va face. Pentru autorul volumului Les clefs du crepuscule(1990), -scriitor tradus în peste 20 de ţări fără dirijismul folosit pentru împrăştierea operelor şi omagiilor soţilor Ceauşescu înainte de 1990 şi după aceea pentru operele şi omagiile lui Andrei Pleşu (3) -, exilul nu s-a încheiat cu împuşcarea Ceauşeştilor (v. rev. Cristian Bădiliţă în rev. Rost, 16/2004).

1980 – Thirty Years ago – Romania’s Communist Christmas

December 22nd, 2010 · 1 Comment · OPINION, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations

“I got up early, at the crack of dawn, to secure a place, by 6 AM, in an interminable queue, in the hope of buying milk and eggs for our silver wedding anniversary, but I came home empty handed. That afternoon I went again on an errand to see if I could buy anything for our dinner at our local market place. This was an open air market where peasants with a tiny plot of land could bring their vegetables. These were a luxury as they were so expensive, so I thought I had a better chance of finding something. The stalls made of wooden planks on struts were absolutely empty and in the fine rain they looked desolate and dirty. I scanned the stalls, as the last peasants were about to leave, for their villages, outside Bucharest. It was winter time and dark was falling early in the day. As I was about to give up, looking down, carefully to avoid the pot holes full of rain water, I just noticed a few potatoes which fell on the ground, under the stall, so I asked the peasant if I could pick them up. As I knelt on the ground, with difficulty, at my old age, because of my arthritis, I put them in my plastic bag and asked how much he wanted. He did not want to receive any money, in deference to my advanced age. I must have looked pityfull and exhausted. I hurried home with just an empty bag with three potatoes covered in mud. As I entered our block of flats I met this young neighbor of mine, who exclaimed in surprise: madame, she said, ‘where have you found these potatoes, because I looked the whole day and found none… and I have a young baby at home who has nothing to eat. I am desperate.’ So, I handed over to her the three potatoes, which were visible through the plastic bag and came home with nothing: but was glad to have done a good deed.” (Jenny Velescu, personal communication, 1981)
(Extract from the Anthology: “Blouse Roumaine – The Unsung Voices of Romanian Women”)

Architect Octavian Ciupitu, “Curierul Romanesc”, Sweden, September 2009 – Book Review

October 26th, 2010 · Comments Off on Architect Octavian Ciupitu, “Curierul Romanesc”, Sweden, September 2009 – Book Review · Books, Diaspora, OPINION, PEOPLE, quotations, Reviews

an extract from the book “La Apa Vavilonului” (At Babel’s river), volume 2 (2001) by Monica Lovinescu (1923-2008), journalist, political analyst, radio broadcaster, anti-communist and Human rights Activist exiled in Paris:

In Romania dissidence was an exception. Our resistance was present when it did not exist in the other satellite countries and it ended just as it started with our neighbouring countries. We fought and died in the Carpathian mountains, as the West was blind and deaf, basking in its victory and forgetting its hostages. From the prisons where our élite was destroyed in the 1960s emerged only the shadows of our earlier determination. Three successive waves of terror – 1948, 1952 and 1958 – had drained the collective organism. We caved into, a near-total silence. We sacrificed ourselves for nothing. With this sense of utter uselessness most of the survivors emerged from the jails, some of whom, while “free”, remained at the beck and call of the Securitate..

Can’t find the Word for Democracy!

October 25th, 2010 · Comments Off on Can’t find the Word for Democracy! · Art Exhibitions, International Media, quotations

Calman cartoon in the Times of London – alluding to the mob-rule by Romanian miners called by President Iliescu and Prime Minister Petre Roman to quell the fledgling Democracy movement in Bucharest.
Under the title “Fear of mob-rule grips Romania (June 1990) the caption says:
“Can’t find the word for Democracy in Romanian Phrase book” – caption

Romanian Foreign Affairs (I): Rebecca WEST and Antoine BIBESCO

May 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Books, Diaspora, PEOPLE, quotations

Rebecca West: in Paris, on her way home, she had a brief affair with Prince Antoine Bibesco (who wore black crepe de chine in bed), a Romanian diplomat married to Elizabeth Asquith, daughter of the Liberal leader. She was to remember her own affair as ‘rapturous’ but at its close felt that some blight still affected her personal life. The evidence suggests that Bibesco’s sophisticated sex inventiveness frightened Rebecca and that she interpreted it as a further manifestation of male hostility and aggression and she continued in analysis when she returned to London this time with Silvia Payne another early Freudian. Neverthelsess the elation of her first days with Bibesco coloured the writing of ‘The Strange Necessity’ in which her meditations on art and literature are embedded in an account of a ‘sun guilded autumn day’ wandering through a magically illuminated Paris.

QUOTATIONS: How other people see us (II) – Harold NICOLSON

April 27th, 2010 · No Comments · Books, Diary, OPINION, PEOPLE, quotations

The Harold Nicolson Diaries: 1907-1963
Sir Harold George Nicolson KCVO CMG (21 November 1886 – 1 May 1968) was an English diplomat, author, diarist and politician.
Amongst these diaries there a brief insightful portrait of King Carol II of Romania, whom Harold Nicolson visited in Bucharest:

“He had ordered he said, a purely Romanian luncheon. God, it was good! In spite of my feeling so faint, I gobbled hard. We talked agreeably. He is a bounder, but less of a bounder than he seemed in London. He was more at ease. His Windsor blue eyes were wistful and he had something behind them. He spoke with intelligence about Chamberlain and Eden and the Italian Agreement and the French cabinet and the league of Nations. He was well-informed and most sensible. We kept all debating topics away.”

Centre for Romanian Studies