Center For Romanian Studies – förlag

This comprehensive course in modern Romanian is intended for English-speaking university students and others interested in learning this Eastern Romance language. Its purpose is to provide English speakers interested in Romania with a comprehensive course in the language, something which is greatly lacking at present. Designed by a leading American linguist, in consultation with several Romanian experts, this textbook will be of great use at universities throughout the English-speaking world where Romanian is taught. In addition, it goes far beyond the basic tourist language courses presently available and provides a serious training program for anyone interested in learning the Romanian language.

Romania and World War II is a collection of studies, in English and Romanian, by distinguished American, European, and Romanian historians on the situation of Romania during World War II presented at the First International Conference of the Center for Romanian Studies held in Iași on 25-26 May 1995, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. This book reveals the results of research by leading specialists from around the world addressing many important aspects of Romania’s involvement in World War II.The papers published in this volume include Charles King, The Moldovan ASSR on the Eve of the War: Cultural Policy in 1930s Transnistria; Kurt W. Treptow, Alegerile din decembrie 1937 şi instaurarea dictaturii regale; Nicholas M. Nagy-Talavera, Reminiscences of Iorga’s Murderer: Traian Boeru; Florin Constantiniu, Un episod puțin cunoscut al relațiilor româno-sovietice (1941); Larry L. Watts, Incompatible Alliances: Small States of Central Europe during World War II; Mihai Retegan, The End of the War in Europe: Consequences for the States of Central and Eastern Europe, A Comparative Study; Valeriu Florin Dobrinescu, Unele considerații privind intrarea României în războiul națiunilor unite (1944-1945); Gheorghe Onişoru, Uniunea Sovietică şi România: de la 1944 la 1947; Paul E. Michelson, Recent Historiography on Romania and the Second World War; and many others.Edited by Kurt W. Treptow, Romania and World War II will be of interest to students and scholars of twentieth century Romanian history, as well as World War II.

Since Nadia Comaneci captured the hearts of the world with her amazing performance at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, one that would change the sport of gymnastics forever, Romania has been known throughout the world for its remarkable success in the sport of gymnastics.This limited edition, full-color album presents the history of Romanian gymnastics from the founding of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation in 1906 to the Romanian women’s team that won five consecutive world championship titles under coach Octavian Belu between 1994 and 2001. This book was originally published on the occasion of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation.The book profiles each member of the 1996 Romanian Women’s Gymnastics team. This collector’s item is a must for every gymnastics fan.

One of the most dramatic periods in modern history, the World War I era also marked a turning point in Romanian history. This volume is a collection of studies presented by Romanian, American, and British scholars at the Fourth International Conference of the Center for Romanian Studies held in Iasi and Focsani, Romania, from 22-27 June 1998, on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the end of the great world conflict. Articles included: Mark Axworthy, Through British Eyes: Romanian Military Performance in World War I; Catalin Turliuc, Major Factors which Determined the Conduct of the \u201cGreat War\u201d; Valeriu Florin Dobrinescu, Ion I.C. Bratianu: The Genius of Greater Romania; Diana Fotescu, Regina Maria si razboiul de intregire nationala; Constantin Hlihor, Romania within the Geopolitics of the Great Powers of Europe between 1918-1919; Nicholas M. Nagy-Talavera, Iorga\u2019s Role during the Great War (1914-1918); Demetrius Dvoichenko de Markov, The Anti-Communist White Guards and Romania, 1918; Ernest H. Latham, Jr., We Will Do Business: Romania and the Baldwin Locomotive Works; Kurt W. Treptow, John Reed and Romania in 1915; Costica Prodan, Unele consideratii privind participarea Romaniei la primul razboi mondial (1916-1918); and many others.

This volume brings together a lifetime of studies on Romanian history and culture, by one of the leading American scholars on the history of Romania, Radu R. Florescu.

This book by words and photographs illustrates and explains the central role of the ballad Miori?a in Romanian culture.

Romania Revisited is the definitive story of the journeys made by English travellers to Romania between 1602 and 1941. The author, Alan Ogden, interweaves the impressions of previous generations into the witty account of his own journeys made in the summer and winter of 1998. Although the chapters are arranged to follow his own route, the author successfully integrates earlier writers into his narrative by linking them to towns and places. Starting with the Transylvanian adventures of Captain John Smith in 1602, the bibliography is the most detailed inventory yet published of English travel writing on Romania. Ogden, with his unerring sense of human nature, has selected those passages which throw light on the attitudes of earlier travellers and highlight some of their more amusing antics. He entertainingly arranges his sources into ‘The Gentlemen’ and ‘The Ladies’ and includes them in a useful general English-language bibliography.Both for those familiar with this subject and for the first time reader, the classification of writers is most helpful: The ‘passers through’ en route to and from Moscow, India, or Constantinople, like Lady Craven who was on extended holiday in the 1780s after being divorced by her husband; the ‘adventurers,’ like the swashbuckling Hungarian mercenary Captain John Smith, later of Pocahontas fame; the ‘first tourists’ — James Skene, Andrew Crosse, James Samuelson among them — and his personal favorite, the intrepid Mrs. Walker; first, from the 1890s, Ogden identifies the interest in Princess Marie at the court, who went on to become queen and played a leading role in the First World War; then, with the advent of the motorcar and aeroplane, came ‘the motorists,’ the most famous of which was Sacherverell Sitwell; he reserves a special category for the ‘Romantics’ like Patrick Leigh Fermor and Walter Starkie.The author’s own journey is a comprehensive and perspicacious review of today’s Romania. Ogden focuses on the heritage and art of the country, while providing a delightful account of his own experiences en route. The book is illustrated with the author’s own photographs, based on the work of Karl Hielscher in 1933, and with helpful maps also drawn by the author. Romania Revisited makes a valuable contribution to the study of the external perception of Romania over the centuries and, at the same time, is the perfect travel companion for today’s visitor.

This story, written by an American diplomat who served in Romania from 1947 to 1950, during the time of the Communist takeover of the country, relates the author’s experiences as director of a Western information program in the Communist-controlled country. Originally published in 1950 in German as Die Schatten Werden Laenger, under the pseudonym Ray Stanley, the novel was transparently autobiographical and an unforgiving indictment of a government with which the United States maintained diplomatic relations.Although written in the form of a novel, the book is a factual description of the events surrounding the Communist takeover of Romania. Important events as Maniu’s arrest and trial, which Dunham attended, are carefully described. Indeed, his insightful descriptions of Romanian personalities give this book its enduring importance.The book is enriched by an introductory study by Ernest H. Latham, Jr., a noted historian and himself a former American diplomat in Romania during the years of the Communist regime. In it, Latham discusses the life and career of Dunham and the importance of the book as an account of the history of Romania during these fateful years.

The diaries of the former senior political representative of the United States to Romania from 1944 to 1947, Burton Y. Berry, provide a first-hand account of the Communist takeover of Romania, as seen through the eyes of an American diplomat. From 1928 to 1944, Berry served in various posts at American diplomatic missions in Turkey, Greece, Iran, and Egypt. In 1944, he was appointed as senior political representative for the United States in Romania, with the personal rank of minister. As General Cortlandt Van R. Schuyler, the chief of the U.S. military representation on the Allied Control Commission in Romania described it, Berry’s “primary task was to establish and maintain informed channels with the king and the Romanian government.” From this position, Berry witnessed first-hand the events that led to the installation of a Communist regime in Romania.Romanian Diaries also includes the top-secret Report upon Romania which Berry presented to United States President Harry S. Truman in September 1946. The editor of the diaries, Cornelia Bodea, describes this report as “a significant marker of the beginning of the Cold War. In it, he presented Truman with solid documentation of Soviet methods at work in Romania.” Berry’s diaries cover the period from 9 November 1944, the day he arrived in Romania, until 20 May 1947, the day he left Bucharest.

For nearly a thousand years, the Saxon settlers from the Rhine valley played a vital role in the history of Transylvania until their diaspora in the second half of the twentieth century. Fortresses of Faith focuses on their magnificent architectural legacy — the fortress-churches or kirchenburgen of the Seibenburgen. After a comprehensive introduction covering history, architecture, and decor, the author takes us on an enthralling photographic tour, helpfully arranged for travelers into the areas surrounding Sibiu, Media?, Sighi?oara, and Bra?ov.Alan Ogden’s black and white photographs poignantly capture the moody images of these “stone war-horses of Christendom,” many of which are now without congregations and prey to the dilapidation of time. It is a superb photographic record with a broad appeal to overseas descendants of Transylvanian Saxons, tourists, and students of Romanian history.Alan Ogden, received enthusiastic support from historians in Germany and Romania, who shared his vision of sounding the alarm about the uncertain future of this forgotten heritage of Christian Europe. He is the author of Romania Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers, 1602-1941, published by the Center for Romanian Studies.

This book studies the the life of Henri Berthelot, one of France's most brilliant generals and focuses on his important role in Romania during World War I.

Written during the First World War, this book describes Romania’s role in World War I during the critical years of 1916 and 1917. The book analyzes the situation of the Romanians living within the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time and the causes for Romania’s entry into the war. The author then discusses Romania’s contribution to the war effort during 1916 and the first half of 1917.An important document for historians interested in the First World War on the Eastern Front, it includes a number of important historical documents that illustrate the author’s account of the events of the time. The book includes a preface by Albert Thomas, French minister of Armaments and War Production at that time, and Maurice Muret.

Lucian Blaga (1895-1961) is judged by many to be Romania’s most original philosopher and greatest poet of the twentieth century. While scholars with access to his works in Romanian are well-aware of their importance, his work has remained, up to now, little known in the English-speaking world. The book represents one of the first efforts to make Blaga’s work accessible to an international audience.Zalmoxis is Blaga’s first play and one of his most important literary works. It underlines much of his philosophy and also reflects his poetry. Blaga’s attachment to Expressionist ideals is discernible in his treatment of the characters primarily as vehicles of ideas and his preference for primitive nature over the cultured metropolis.This book includes an introduction by Keith Hitchins of the University of Illinois, one of the leading historians of Romania in the United States and a scholar intimately acquainted with Blaga’s life and work. In it, he discusses the life of Lucian Blaga, and the importance of his literary and philosophical work. The translation is by Doris Plantus-Runey from Wayne State University in the United States.

Legends from Vamland is one of the most beautiful stories about the human being's fight against fear. The author blends together Romanian legends and myths with those of cultures throughout the world. One can hardly find any noble and beautiful human aspiration in all the cultures of the world whose reflection is not to be found in Legends from Vamland. The work is intended to be one of fantasy and science fiction, as the author provides the image of the spiritual life of an imaginary people from an imaginary land. The result is a book of splendid originality.

This book represents the one of the first efforts to make Blaga’s work accessible to a wider audience. This book is a complete collection of Blaga's poetry, translated into English by Brenda Walker and Stelian Apostolescu.

A comprehensive analysis of his thought, Dumitru Staniloae: Tradition and Modernity in Theology is an assessment of his theology.

The monasteries and painted churches of Moldavia stand today as a testament to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the Romanian people. As the Romanians living in the historical provinces of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, which today form modern Romania, struggled to maintain their autonomy against Ottoman expansion, their relative freedom allowed them to express themselves both artistically and culturally. Among their most remarkable creations are the monasteries and painted churches of Moldavia, in northeastern Romania, the subjects of this book. These monuments, unique in the world, reflect a cultural legacy inherited from Byzantium and the Roman Empire.After the fall of Byzantium and the expansion of Ottoman rule throughout the Balkan Peninsula, the Romanian principalities became the most important depository of the Byzantine heritage. It was here that this tradition was preserved, having been passed on to the Romanians of the Middle Ages by their ancestors. From here this heritage continued to spread throughout Europe and influence European society and culture, creating the historical phenomenon that the great Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga would refer to as "Byzantium after Byzantium." The monasteries and painted churches of Northern Moldavia stand today as true revelations of Byzantium.

The studies included in this volume reflect on the development of Romanian society over the past four centuries in the areas of history, politics, sociology, literature, religion, and culture.

A wide ranging collection of studies to honor the life and work of Academician Cornelia Bodea, reflecting the breadth of her research and interessts.

Presented by one of Romania's greatest scholars, Academician Cornelia Bodea, the scroll provides evidence of important cultural and spiritual relations between two peoples living together in the same land, Romanians and Jews.

Collection of studies analyzing Romania's process of integration into NATO.

The period leading up to the unification of the Romanian principalities is one of the most dynamic periods in modern Romanian history. It was a time of effervescence, which witnessed the birth of new ideas and the struggle between revolution and reaction. The Romanian principalities, located on the crossroads between East and West, were at the center of the conflict between the various empires dominating Southeastern Europe, making them a permanent subject of international diplomacy.With the expansion of Russia in the Balkans, amidst the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the struggle against Russia in the Romanian principalities, supported by Anglo-Turkish diplomacy, took on international significance. Written by one of the leading specialists on Romanian history in the United States, The Struggle Against Russia in the Romanian Principalities is a significant contribution to nineteenth century European diplomatic history.

The Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga played a critical role in the history of his country for more than fifty years until his tragic death in 1940. The author of more than 1,200 books and 20,000 articles, Iorga was one of the most prolific scholars of all time. In recognition of his academic achievements, Iorga was made a member of the Romanian, French, Yugoslav, and Polish academies, and received honorary doctorates from universities around the world.Iorga was also deeply involved in the political life of Romania throughout the first four decades of the twentieth century, one of the most complex and important periods in his country’s history. This book, the first comprehensive biography of one of the most important European cultural and political personalities of the first half of the twentieth century, considers Iorga not only as a historian, politician, journalist, literary critic, playwright, writer, poet, and linguist, but also as an orator, teacher, and last, but not least, a human being

Born in 1895 in Bucharest, Alexandru Cretzianu joined Romania's diplomatic service in 1918. He was assigned to Romanian legations in London, Rome, and Berne before he was summoned home to head the League of Nations section of the Romanian Foreign Ministry (1929-32) where he served and admired Foreign Minister Nicolae Titulescu (1883-1941), a champion of collective security. In 1933 Cretzianu became chief of the Political Division of the Foreign Ministry until 1938, and then its Secretary-General until 1941. On September 15, 1943, the Antonescu regime appointed him envoy to Turkey. In Ankara, Cretzianu strove to represent the antiwar attitudes of young King Mihai and opposition politicians. Cretzianu never again set foot in his native land after the armistice was signed in September 1994 because of the communist takeover of Romania. He ultimately settled in the United States, where he died in 1979.

A systematic description and analysis of Romanian political life from the establishment of the modern Romanian national state in 1859 to the abdication crisis of 1871 that marked a turning point in the development of the country.

Granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England and Tsar Alexander II of Russia, Marie (1875-1938) became princess of Romania through her marriage to Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, crown prince of Romania on 29 December 1892. She became Queen of Romania, her adopted country, on 11 October 1914 when Ferdinand assumed the throne following the death of King Carol I. This collection of documents helps to reveal important aspects of the life and personality of this remarkable twentieth century monarch.

The term Chango (Csángó) is the name of a population whose ethnic origin has been the subject of much controversy. The term originates from the Magyar language in which it means “mixed” or “impure.” Most Changos live on the territory of Romania, the largest number in Moldavia. Many are bilingual, speaking Romanian and Magyar, and their religion is Catholic. This book makes an important contribution to the scholarly discussion of the origin of the Changos and sheds new light on the history of this little known, but fascinating people.The only work on the subject written by a Chango scholar, this book disputes the theory that the Changos are of Magyar origin, a theory based to a large extent upon their Catholicism, demonstrating that they are, in fact, of Romanian origin. Dumitru Mărtinaș bases his argument on linguistic evidence, reaching the conclusion that “the study of the old Transylvanian dialect of the Changos illustrates and demonstrates the Transylvanian Romanian origin of the people who speak it.”Reviews: “This densely argued study is presented in a dispassionate and scholarly manner, based in large measure on technical ethnographic, phonetic, and linguistic matters...” — P.W. Knoll, Choice.

A series of essays on the consequences of the French Revolution for nineteenth and twentieth century culture and civilization, especially that of the Romanian lands, by one of modern Romania’s leading historians, Academician Alexandru Zub.

A collection of studies, in both English and Romanian, written by Romanian and American scholars, on subjects relating to biography and Romanian studies.