“It took me a few tries to get the hang of it Gray continent and even more flights to complete a rather irregular project signed by Daniel Vigi (who left us early and unfairly in the meantime) and Viorel Marineasa”, admits Cosmin Ciotlos at the beginning of the chronicle from An old dilemma there is no 985 (23.02.-01.03.2023) is devoted to what was published in 2022 in the publishing house back.

The difficulty, the critic further explains, is that book codewith its packaging. That is, the fact that the authors resort to the form, let’s call it a guide, to talk about a serious topic. About the ubiquity of Security in the daily life of Romanians until December 1989. Gray continent being writers, artists, university students from Timisoara, surprised by the armed wing of the party between the mid-60s and December 1989. Or, considering the detail that the late Daniel Vigie was never allowed to access his own Information tracking file which he undoubtedly had, as his name constantly appears in the notes reproduced and annotated in the second and third parts of the book Literary undergroundfrom Timisoara, in accordance Scenes from the literary life of Timisoara in the 9th decadeand this is under the pretext that it does not exist, a detail that is confirmed by the suspicion that the mentioned file was active even after the revolution, given the active political and public participation of the writer even after 1989 (Vigi was among the initiators Proclamation from Timisoara) everything becomes even more complicated. Really disturbing. Despite the reassuring statements of the current director of the Scientific Research Institute in Eduard Helwig.

I’ll admit that I didn’t quite like the guiding tone, as well as the similar titles given to some of the chapters or sub-sections. Just as I did not have gross technical negligence in editing. If the latter are inexcusable, then the former can be explained by a certain caution, perhaps even exaggerated common sense of the authors of the book. Daniel Vigi and Viorel Marineasa spent a lot of time going through the security files. Or, please, those files that are currently in the CNSAS archive. But they knew that at any time they could be told that they were neither historians nor archivists and therefore not qualified to prepare the contents of the files for disclosure. Showing on the pages of the book what was found in them. Unpleasant facts.

Secondly, as specified in the preface by both authors, it was not accepted a vengeful, inquisitorial spirit, that is not what interests us. …And we are not necessarily interested in informants either, that is, to know who they are as individuals.

Naturally, the names of the officers who receive at least part of the information notes reproduced and commented on in the book are mentioned as such, and the names of the informants are signed next. Sometimes there are also footnotes that give us some clues at least about the nature of the informants’ activities. But even so, you can’t help but be amazed at how many people, some because of the specifics of their positions in the Security hierarchy, others either under duress or blackmail or even of their own free will, were concerned with finding out and reporting what was going on in the editorial office of the magazine horizon and especially with his editor Sorin Titel. Who himself went from an informant to an opponent of the regime (writers).

Even if you have read books and files on the subject, it is impossible not to be surprised at how concerned the guards were with the readings of the writers (the book Doctor Zhivago meant for them, at a certain moment, a real obsession), about friendship and rivalry between men of letters, about the possible vices of people of the pen. Two other large series, the names of which have already been mentioned, are also occupied by the editors horizonbecause of the professional and ideological stratification of the editorial staff there, because of the 80s from Timisoara and their relationship with the people from Timisoara from Bucharest or Oradea, because of what was then called their negative influence from Radio Free EuropeMonica Lovinescu and Virgil Yerunka, as well as Nicolae Manolescu.

Highlighted part university this indicates a constant interest in teachers, in students, in their possible or real dissidences (especially philological ones), in their contacts with the West or with foreign teachers. The latter is monitored with maximum vigilance. – Read the entire article and comment on Contributors.ro