Dupa ce mai demult scriam despre lansarea unei sectiuni romanesti a New York Times Book Review, aflu ca libraria Carturesti este lansata in New York. Desigur ca ma bucur si de bucurie ma mai uit la cateva reflectii ale Romaniei in presa straina.

NYC-NYT

In Februarie anul trecut scriam despre lansarea New York Times Book Review in Romania. Iata ca noi reciprocam si lansam si noi Carturesti in New York City (carturesti-ny)! Pana pe 15 Iulie, Carturesti este gazduit de Institutul Roman de Cultura din New York, la 38th Street & Third Avenue.

Oversize photos on the wall give a sense of the relaxed, Euro-cool mood of Carturesti’s nine branches, which are known for funky designs selected in architectural competitions. Shelves and tables feature colorful and attractively designed novels, art books and poetry collections, as well as DVDs and CDs, along with some rustic stools — based on the famous three-legged chairs of Horezu — to sit on. (…) There were books of surrealist poetry, books of avant-garde plays, books about the Romanian royal family (quite strong sellers, apparently), books by the dissident journalist and politician Octavian Paler and the writer and Orthodox monk Nicolae Steinhardt. There was also a healthy selection of novels by Mircea Cartarescu, described by Parghel as “the only Romanian author with chances for a Nobel.” His trilogy, “Orbitor” (“Glaring”), Parghel said, is an attempt to create “a mythology of Bucharest and its communist space,” using metaphors from medicine and alchemy, along with some techniques reminiscent of Latin American magical realists, to evoke an “underground of the mind.” (Can’t wait for the translation? Check out Cartarescu’s short story collection “Nostalgia,” available from New Directions.) But one thing the bookstore didn’t have, strangely, is a cash register, though the organizers say an English-language version of Carturesti’s “libraria online” should be up and running soon.

China - Taiwan

Chinezii ne acorda si ei o atentie deosebita, ceea ce este foarte imbucurator, dat fiind ca deseori nici macar nu baga in seama o tara nitel mai mare, cum ar fi Canada. Xinhua, agentia lor de presa, relateaza despre descoperirea unui palat al lui Traian in Zavoi, in Caras-Severin (traian-cs). Se pare ca a fost construit in toamna lui 101, in timpul primului razboi Daco-Roman,  inaintea cuceririi Daciei. La citirea stirii, m-au trecut aceeasi fiori pe care i-am simtit cand eram mic si citeam Ciresarii sau ma uitam la Racheta Alba, cu tot cu aventurile lor arheologice.

Stirea investigarii lui Teodosie pentru coruptie in urma protestului a 26 de preoti apare in Taiwan News, preluata de la Associated Press. Asiaticii au memorii elefantine si nu uita porcarille usor.

Filme si Muzica

IFC, Canalul Filmelor Independente va arata filmul “Tales From the Golden Age” (povesti din epoca de aur) in 2010. Filmul este un proiect al regizorilor Cristian Mungiu, Ioana Uricaru, Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu si Constantin Popescu si apare in premiera la Cannes Marti, in Un Certain Regard. Filmul pare sa fie similar cu Paris, Je t’aime, in aceea ca povestile urbane sunt fara legatura dar unite de atmosfera si stil (ifc-mungiu).

John Vanderslice a scos un album intitulat “Romanian names” inregistrat, ca si celelalte, in sloppy hifi. Poti asculta samples, inclusiv piesa omonima, pe site-ul Amazon – link dedesubt (vanderslice).

Although these dozen songs impose a new, accelerated-tempo brevity, the cumulative effect is still very much a Vanderslice record. Romanian Names contains the requisite harmonic warmth, adventurous hooks, and halfway-private lyrics evincing irony and introspection. (…) Themewise, the album offers suggestions of ruined relationships.

Studenti eminenti

Voohees College, o institutie de invatamant afroamericana, o numeste pe bucuresteanca Victorita Paun prima valedictoriana care nu e de culoare din istoria de 112 ani a colegiului. A terminat cu un GPA de 4.0, adica 10 pe linie.

Paun had earned such a reputation for academic excellence at the Denmark, S.C., school that she literally became a reference for other students. “When they turned in their homework they would tell me ‘I checked it with Victorita Paun and she said it was OK,’” notes Caslan [Paun’s accounting Prof].

In Italia, Gabriel Bogdan Ionescu, un hacker gasit vinovat, condamnat si intemnitat, a scris nu demult testul de admitere la Universitatea Politehnica din Milano intr-un timp record de 1h si 20 de minute primind cel mai mare punctaj in istoria institutiei. A primit note maxime in toate testele scrise.

"He's not just the best in his generation," fawned one of his professors. "He's probably the best on the planet."

Un nou dias-blog

Azi am vazut de cateva ori in contul Gmail o reclama pentru un blog blogspot, transylvaniathings.blogspot.com. Pare sa fie blogul unei scriitoare de 30 de ani din Canada, Rebecca Emrich. Daca inteleg bine, provine dintr-o familie de sasi din Bistrita, emigrati in Canada impreuna cu alte familii de prin 1947. Pe langa site-ul personal, rebeccaemrich.com, mai are inca un blog pe Blogger: rebeccasbook, Intre scriitorii preferati ii listeaza si pe Hemingway si C. S. Lewis

Romania – raiul pedofililor

Jared Ravin Yaffe, un pedofil de 30 de ani, a fost arestat recent dupa ce a dus politistii intr-un tur in jurul globului, incepand cu San Diego, apoi Romania, si-n final Rio de Janeiro, in Brazilia. Ma supara ca de cate ori un pedofil incearca sa-si piarda urma, vine-n Romania, unde-i primit cu paine si sare. BLEAH!

Alteori stau si ma-ntreb, oare toti cei acuzati de pedofilie sunt pedofili cu adevarat? Daca sa zicem ca eu as fi CIA sau NSA si-mi scapa vreun Bourne cu date confidentiale si vreau sa pun mana pe el rapid, oare n-ar fi cel mai simplu sa-l dau in urmarire pentru pedofilie? Just a thought…

Surse / More info: carturesti-ny, traian-cs, teodosie-tw, ifc-mungiu, transylvaniathings, pedo-ro, vanderslice, tvo-china, reg-it