Never Mind the Balkans, Here's Romania
Encyclopedia
Robert Balan, in his review for the national daily Gîndul, on 23 June 2008, suggested that Ormsby’s approach revamps a literary tradition stretching back to the 19th and 20th centuries:
David Shepard , a Romanian-in-exile reviewing the book for a Romanian tourism website in New South Wales
, Australia
, felt that Ormsby had encapsulated a modern cultural crossroads: 'Never Mind the Balkans, Here’s Romania’ highlights the confluence of Romania’s deeply-entrenched cultural traditions as they meet the new freedoms, temptations and commercialism that comes with being the newest nation in the European Union.
In 2009, literary critic Dan C. Mihailescu reviewed the book during his daily ProTV show "Omul care aduce cartea" (The man who brings the book). Mihailescu calls Ormsby "a very nice man who loves Romania but is baffled by our behavior." Mentioning several of the stories and reading a passage describing the Romanian countryside, Mihailescu says the ending of the book is "divine", where Ormsby recalls a Caragiale character and hopes, like him, to find a job "chasing flies from Cişmigiu Gardens
."
Despite widespread praise in the media, not everybody was impressed. The national daily Romania Libera
followed up its initial, positive May 2008 review in România Liberă with a profile interview six months later, in which journalist Cristian Curus suggests to Ormsby that he had come to Romania to criticize it. The author explains that he had come as a BBC reporter, returned to teach journalism
, settled in the country and written the book after Romanian friends urged him to record his anecdotes in print.
David Shepard , a Romanian-in-exile reviewing the book for a Romanian tourism website in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, felt that Ormsby had encapsulated a modern cultural crossroads: 'Never Mind the Balkans, Here’s Romania’ highlights the confluence of Romania’s deeply-entrenched cultural traditions as they meet the new freedoms, temptations and commercialism that comes with being the newest nation in the European Union.
In 2009, literary critic Dan C. Mihailescu reviewed the book during his daily ProTV show "Omul care aduce cartea" (The man who brings the book). Mihailescu calls Ormsby "a very nice man who loves Romania but is baffled by our behavior." Mentioning several of the stories and reading a passage describing the Romanian countryside, Mihailescu says the ending of the book is "divine", where Ormsby recalls a Caragiale character and hopes, like him, to find a job "chasing flies from Cişmigiu Gardens
Cismigiu Gardens
The Cişmigiu Gardens are a public park near the center of Bucharest, Romania, spanning areas on all sides of an artificial lake. The gardens' creation was an important moment in the history of Bucharest. They form the oldest and, at 17 hectares, the largest park in city's central area...
."
Despite widespread praise in the media, not everybody was impressed. The national daily Romania Libera
România Libera
România Liberă is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. Based in Bucharest, the Romanian-language daily has a paid daily circulation of 40,000....
followed up its initial, positive May 2008 review in România Liberă with a profile interview six months later, in which journalist Cristian Curus suggests to Ormsby that he had come to Romania to criticize it. The author explains that he had come as a BBC reporter, returned to teach journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, settled in the country and written the book after Romanian friends urged him to record his anecdotes in print.
Further Reading
- The English have the same sense of humour as Romanians, Interview with author, published in Foaia Transilvania newspaper, 2008
- mit wahren Begegnungen (Survival guide with real encounters), review in Transilvania's German-language newspaper Hermannstaedter Zeitung
- Interview with author in Hundeoara Ghimpele newspaper, 26 June 2008
- Interview with author in ELLE Romania magazine
- Listing of the book at The Romanian Cultural Centre in London as recommended