“Book of the Month” Literary Circle – Newton MA – [7 March 2012]

Dear Friends,

AR-NE is pleased to announce the launching of “The Book of the Month” literary circle on March the 7th, 2012. We will meet every month and discuss classic and contemporary Romanian literary works. The main goal of our literary circle is to bring together professional and amateur readers and to promote both established and emergent figures of the Romanian world of letters.
In March we will read Mihail Sadoveanu’s novel “Baltagul/The Hatchet,” a re-writing of the folk ballad “Mioriţa”. We hope to make this first reading the starting point for a fruitful dialogue about the national and cultural identity of the Romanian people.

In broad terms, the national identity of a people is expressed by its founding narrative. As far as we are concerned, it is the folk ballad “Mioriţa” that captures who we are. Its various interpretations fall into two categories which underline either its aesthetic or its ethic value. In other words, if we were to sum up the Romanians’ attitude toward life and death, we could say that “A Romanian is a poet by birth” or that “No sword cuts off a bowed head.”

“Baltagul/The Hatchet” offers a nuanced reply to our national myth. It is up to us to decide which of the two interpretive paths is favored by Sadoveanu and to reflect on our collective and personal response to the challenges history has (had) in store for us.

For more details about the time and the place of the event, and the way to access the novel “Baltagul/ The Hathchet, please contact Raluca-Lucia Cimpean: raluca.cimpean@gmail.com

To help us organize this event, please fill out the RSVP form. Thank you.

We will select the book for our April meeting by voting on the proposals coming from the participants to the first session of our literary circle.

We hope you will attend the first meeting of our Literary Circle! Since the event is one day away from “8 Martie,” we will make sure that the ladies in the audience will feel even more special than usual.

These events are only possible with your ongoing support. One way to support us is to become an AR-NE member or to make a donation.

We look forward to seeing you,

Asociation of Romanians in New England