‘The power of memory’

Exactly 30 years ago the communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu was ousted from power. The Romanian writers Gabriela Adameşteanu, Mircea Cărtărescu, Ioana Pârvulescu and Cătălin Pavel were aged respectively 47, 33, 29 and 13 when in 1989 their country experienced this total revolution. Does the dictatorship live on in their novels and stories? An evening on the subject of the writer as a people's memory, moderated by journalist Pieter Stockmans.

Gabriela Adameșteanu (1942) writes novels, short stories and essays as well as working as a translator and journalist. Her work draws heavily on biographical elements as she alternates between past and present and evokes her experiences in communist Romania. The French translations of her work are published by Gallimard in the prestigious Du monde entier collection. 
Ioana Pârvulescu (1960) is one of Romania's best-selling authors. Her novel Life Begins on Friday won the EU Prize for Literature. Her novels unfold in the 19th century, among members of the interbellum generation and under the communist regime in Romania.  
Mircea Cărtărescu (1956) is the most translated Romanian writer and one of the most important voices in Eastern Europe. Her partly autobiographical trilogy Orbitor reads like a chain of stories full of imagery and associations.  
Cătălin Pavel (1976) is not just a writer but also a doctor of archaeology. He has written four novels, including a parodying biography of the Flemish composer of polyphonic music Josquin des Prez. His novel “La septième partie du monde” was published in 2017 by the Editions Non Lieu, Paris.

The day after, on Thursday December 19th, Gabriela Adameşteanu, Ioana Pârvulescu and Cătălin Pavel will share with visitors their own views on the exhibition in the House of European History. They will talk about how the dictatorship is reflected in their novels and stories. More info >