The Political Dimension in Romanian Novels of the Communist Period (1965–1989): a Quantitative Approach
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: It is almost taken for granted that literature and politics are linked when discussing the artistic production of the Romanian communist period, so much so that politics is often referred to as the driving force behind literature.In fact, even when opposes politics, literature profoundly conditioned by it 1 .However, the representation of the political in literature is also closely related to the emergence of a political consciousness in everyday life, which began in the twentieth century and became particularly pronounced in Romania with the establishment of the communist regime.This change led to a shift in the relationship between the individual and society or state institutions, as well as the individual's relationship with history, and thus in the way these relationships were filtered through literary representations.The label "political novel" was widely used in conjunction with the bestknown works of post-war Romanian prose, as evidenced by the numerous debates in the leading literary journals of the time 2 , even though these novels often display 1 See Eugen Negrici, Literatura română sub comunism [Romanian Literature under Communism], București, Editura Fundației Pro, 2006, p. 11: "Nothing that happens in the course of a literature developed under totalitarian rule has a natural explanation.Directly or indirectly, everything is an imitation, a reaction, a recoil, a defensive, a desperate or inventive form of adaptation, a strategy of survival".Unless otherwise stated, the quotations are translated into English by the author of this paper.2 See, for example, Liviu Petrescu, "Literatura politică" ["Political Literature"], Tribuna, XV, 1971, 7, p. 3; Eugen Uricaru, "Şansele romanului politic" ["The Chances of the Political Novel"], Steaua, XXV, 1974, 4, pp.6-7; Aurel Sasu, "Vocaţia politică a romanului" ["The Novel's Political Vocation"], Steaua, XXV, 1974, 4, pp.7-8; Valentin Taşcu, "Politicul şi unele romane contemporane" ["The Politics and Some Contemporary Novels"], Steaua, XXV, 1974, 4, pp.8-9; Nicolae Manolescu, "Romanul politic" ["The Political Novel"], România literară, XI, 1978, 4, p. 19; Pompiliu Marcea, "Romanul politic românesc" ["The Romanian Political Novel"], Viața românească, XXXIV, 1981, 4-5, p. 27-31; Radu G. Țeposu, "Fețele romanului politic" ["The Faces of the Romanian Political Novel], România literară, XVII, 1984, 6, p. 3.For a discussion on the perspectives on the "political novel" that have emerged in the literary magazines of the years, see Viorel Nistor, Pactul ficțional și istoria: repere ale romanului politic romanesc postbelic [The
Source: Dacoromania litteraria
Author: ANDREEA DAVID
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4406601362