A poll of public opinion, the results of which were made public at the end of last year, revealed an alarming increase in the percentage of nostalgic people. For various reasons, more and more Romanians believe that earlier would be better. Before does not necessarily mean communism, but the so-called golden age A question of memory, of the number of witnesses, because I am willing to bet that if we had also asked for opinions on the period of the reign of Gheorghe Georgiou-Deja, we would have had colossal surprises. An incredible idealization of the first absolute head of communist Romania.

It is in this context that I consider the decision of the Bucharest publishing house extremely important Humanitas republish A quiet escape and Escape is impossible. Important books by Lena Constante, published in the early 90s, the first of them first in France, then in Romania, in the author’s translation.

What Lena Constante recounts in over 700 pages spanning two volumes took place between April 1948 and July 1961. The most difficult years, which Volodymyr Tismanyanu called integral Stalinism. However, the story of Lena Konstanzi has several implications. Used as such even after July 1961. Because in her case, as in the case of many other political prisoners, the end, the beginning, the return home mentioned in the last paragraph of the second book were different. Not even close to perfect or normal. After the so-called release from prisons, after 12 years of investigation, passing through various places of detention, after a difficult to predict chaotic change of cells, operations with luxurious details, described in two books, followed a period of forced residence somewhere in Prahov, and in 1968 rehabilitation together with all forms Petrashkanu area. Lena Constante herself was a part of it.

But was that rehabilitation real? fair? Was I dealing with full recovery? Did the party, the communist regime really want to admit their mistakes and be forgiven? Did they, the Romanian communists, recognize the criminal nature of communism? Is such recognition possible? Did Lena Constanta, herself and her husband, folklorist Harry Browner, receive full compensation? No, it’s fine. When he describes his suffering, when he asks himself countless questions about whether he has the right to write, to share his suffering, when he points out that he did not intend to write books about himself, when he admits that he wrote highly to submit human testimonywhen he specifies what he intends to talk about the state of detention as suchcounting on perfect knowledge of the facts, Lena Constante clearly reserves only the condition of additional. This was also the case in 1968, when the above-mentioned rehabilitation took place. Today it is known that Nicolae Ceaușescu used the tragedy of Lucretsiu Petraşcanu and 10 other accused only to finally remove his predecessor Gheorghe Georgiou-Deja from the scene. To consolidate his power after eliminating all his former barons. Both Dezh and these barons made mistakes. The essential idea of ​​the script, written since 1965, was that the party has the right to recognize them. But it was about individual recognition and with skepticism. Because we have focused only on humans, humans make mistakes. Communism never. In 1968, as in many other cases of this kind, Communism turns forgers and informers, as, for example, Herbert Silber repeatedly mentioned Len Constante, into victims and witnesses.

Lena Constante, Harry Browner and many others regained their right to work after 1968. Not one to talk. It came only in 1990. After the fall of communism. That is why Lena Constante’s testimony became public so late. Communism has always been afraid of memory and speech. That is why those who were freed from prisons were specially silenced.

Lena Kostante was unexpectedly arrested in April 1948. Under the conditions described in detail in the section Antecedents FROM A quiet escape. She was picked up/arrested/detained unexpectedly only because she was among Olena Petrashkanu’s relatives. The wife of the famous communist leader Gheorghe Georgiou-Dezh was considered the main rival for the leadership of the party. They were colleagues. They founded the theater together. The one named today match. The initial accusations of conspiracy and espionage could not be proven. A simulated release followed. The time Bela Silber’s lie intervened. Another arrest took place on January 17, 1950. What followed were five years of investigations, a 6-day mock trial involving a professional lawyer, and a sentence of 12 years in prison. A flurry of humiliations followed. Cold, hunger, fear. Quiet resistance. Repeated cycles of seven days of imprisonment. From the isolator. Transfer from one prison to another. Almost four years (1957-1961) spent in the women’s political colony in Merkurya Chuk. Record in Escape is impossible. Prohibition to speak. Silence. Atonement by talking to himself. In writing, without paper and pencil, only with the help of memory, poems and plays. Some saved. Or giving countless warnings to other inmates. Secret communications, recourse to Morse code. Censored stories. Serialized. Saving by logos. Through complicity. Through solidarity. _Read the entire article and comment on Contributors.ro