Book Description
"Romania doesn't get very good press". And so, renowned French travel writer Dominique Fernandez and top photographer Ferrante Ferranti head out to form their own images. In four long journeys over a six-year span, they uncover a tantalizing blend of German efficiency and Latin nonchalance, French literature and Gypsy music, Western rationalism and Oriental mysteries. Fernandez reveals the rich Romanian essence. Attentive and precise, he digs beneath the somber heritage of communism to reach the deep roots of a European country that is so little known.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French
Romanian Rhapsody: An Overlooked Corner of Europe FROM THE CRITICS
Pelerin Magazine
so many masterpieces that one feels oneself falling in love
La Vie
Superb photographs accompany this ballad of love. Fernandez takes the time to understand the Romanian people, whose friendly disposition towards the West has so long been tragically ignored.
L'Independent
Romania as it is, without the tragedy. Here is a book to pique the curiosity. . . the reader is never bored. The writing, always sparkling, welcomes every impression. Everything is a source of wonder, the art as well as the human stories. Along this journey, we leave behind many received ideas, about Dracula and Ceausescu alike, and see the country in a new light.
Le Journal du Manche
Clear-eyed, straight and proud: far from the image of a people in a dark and devastated land, Fernandez and Ferranti give homage to the moral force of the people and restore to life the hidden beauties of the country.
L'Est Republicain
Romania deserves better than the clichﾽs that bury it. By the sole virtue of his curiosity, Ferandez's stroll through Romania becomes an investigation; and he delights us through his style and the acuity of his views. He follows home Ionesco, Mircea Iliade, and the mystic sculptor Brancusi to the origins that inspired them.Read all 7 "From The Critics" >
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
I agree with Dominique Fernandez' opening observation that 'Romania doesn't get good press.' This is unfortunate because the country has rich traditions and a fascinating culture. I applaud any work on Romania that takes its readers beyond stereotypes.
The author jokingly quotes Prince Antoine Bibesco, who, while serving as a diplomat in Paris is alleged to have said, 'the best thing about being a Romanian diplomat is that you can be sure that you'll never be posted to Bucharest." As an American diplomat who has served in Bucharest for two and a half years, I disagree with Prince Bibesco. My assignment has been interesting and rewarding. My Embassy's goals in Romania are easy to articulate, we promote democracy and free market economics. Romanians are very receptive to both and I believe that the country has great potential.
— (James C. Rosapepe, US Ambassador in Romania)
Art & Photography
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