NTB Conferences

Video-streaming Sunday, on November 9th, 11.00, at The Small Hall of NTB, Alexandru Andries will hold the conference - Self - Portrait. Ticket price: 16 lei. About Alexandru Andries His friends call him “Alexe”. Born in Brașov on October 13th 1954 (therefore, a Libra) he loves his native town with all his heart. In 1980, he graduated the “Ion Mincu” Institute of Architecture in the city where he was to settle. He has been a member of the Union of Architects of Romania (since 1980), of the Writers’ Union of Romania (since 1994), of the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania (since 1994), of the Journalists’ Association of Romania and of many other commissions and committees. He is a Lecturer Doctor at the “Ion Mincu” Institute of Architecture. Debut: as a soloist, in 1974 – Club A, on stage in 1979, The Jazz & Rock Festival in Brașov, with the Bas-relief Band and only in 1984 in discography at Electrecord (“Interiors”). He has performed in over 3100 concerts. Throughout his long list of albums he “played” with: his voice, the guitar, the piano, the harmonica, electronic percussion etc. As you can see on his site (alexandies.free.fr) he draws a lot. He hisses in a charming way. He is very grateful to Florian Lungu, due to whom everything started. “Last but not least”, he is a special musician and lyricist with complex harmonies and intelligent lyrics. Andrieș has recorded extremely many songs, but there are even more which haven’t been recorded yet. On his site, you can find in alphabetical order, all those from his records, all those for which he has written only the lyrics, and all those that do not belong to him but that he has sung (such as, the two songs on the “From the Gift of Kings” album in the memory of Vali Sterian). Moreover, you can find the lyrics of some songs which have never been recorded (from “Waiting for Maria”, from concerts, shows…) A huge number. “I was born in Brașov when the town was called Stalin, and the exact date, in case you want to know, is October 13th, 1954. If 30 years ago you had spoken to anyone who knew me, including my mom and dad, my sister, my grandma and grandpa, my aunt, auntie Lice, uncle Mitică, my great-grandma and her next-door friends, you couldn’t have guessed that I was to become a public figure, somebody good at having interviews, at being on TV (rarely, it’s true, but still), at expressing his opinion on this and that. On the contrary, you would have learned that I was squeamish, that I was eating the heart out of them with my utterly unexplainable stubbornness, that you could hardly take a word out of my mouth and that it was only at night time that I was giving up that bloody pencil which I had used to doodle everything all over our house and even the neighbours’… Luckily, 30 years ago, nobody wanted to know anything about me, did they? Well, now you would probably like to know what happened next, who helped me, how much it cost, why this and not that, if I really don’t have a phone or… If you like it, then it’s fine… If you don’t… well, what can I say? Try again tomorrow, and who knows…” Alexandru Andrieș (information taken from http://alexandries.free.fr)   Translated by Aureliana Toma (Grama ) MTTLC, University of Bucharest

The National Theatre of Bucharest will mark the anniversary year Brâncoveanu through a double manifestation which will take place on Sunday, the 26th of October 2014, in the Small Hall, starting 11:00 a.m. The conference A Walachian century between martyrs and betrayals will be held within this event, supported by Acad. Răzvan Theodorescu, followed by the reading performance Dinner with the sun-up by Gheorghe Truță, directed by Răzvan Popa.   Details about the conference ”The sacrifice of the Brâncoveanus ends a century of intelligent and opportunist policy of the Walachian elite where they met, one by one, the waiting for salvation from the Turks from the part of ”Chesar’s empire” – that is, of the Habsburgs – or from the part of the ”Muscovite” dinasty of the Romanovs. Along with this policy, there could also be met: the intelligent negociation, betrayal on every step, hope, despair, the getaway and the magnificence of a bright living on the edge of the abyss. There was the moment that determined irrecoverably our premodern mentality, foreshadowing the Phanariot century, of a brilliant culture, of a European synchronism and of an enslaved life.” Acad. Răzvan Theodorescu About Răzvan Theodorescu He was born in Bucharest, on May 22nd 1939. Education: 1955-1963 – The Faculty of History in the University of Bucharest (with a break between 1959- 1961 because of the suspension from the University because of political reasons, period in which he was an unqualified worker). Professional activity: Culture historian, Art historian; Doctor in History Science (1972); Scientific Researcher at The Institute of History of Art in the Academy (1963-1987); Professor at the University of Art in Bucharest (since 1990); General Secretary of the South-East European Studies Association AIESEE (since 1994). Public positions: President of Radioreporting (1990-1992); Member of the National Audiovisual Council (1992-2000); Minister of Culture and Cults (2000-2004) Member of some professional organizations: Correspondent and tenured member (since 2000) of the Romanian Academy; Correspondent Member of the Archaeological Society from Athens (since 1990); Chevalier (since 1997) and Comandor (since 2003) of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic; Correspondent Member (since 1998) and tenured (since 2002) of the European Academy of Science, Arts and Letters; Member of the Science Academy of the Republic of Albania (since 2006) and of Macedonia’s Academy of Science and Art (since 2006); Great Officer of the National Order for Merit (since 2000); Doctor Honoris Causa in nine Universities. Published works: Byzantium, Balkans, Occident at the Beginning of the Romanian Medieval Culture – centuries X-XIV, Ed. Academiei, Bucharest 1974; A millennium of art at Dunărea de Jos (400-1400), Ed. Meridiane, Bucharest, 1976; Medieval Itineraries, Ed. Meridiane, Bucharest, 1979; The Stone of the Three Hierarchs, Ed. Meridiane, Bucharest, 1979; History seen up-close, Ed. Sport-Turism, Bucharest, 1980; Romanian Civilization between Medieval and Modern. The Image Horizon (1550-1800), I-II, Ed. Meridiane, Bucharest, 1992 ; 2nd ed., Princeps Edit, Iaşi, 2006; Roads to Yesterday, Ed. Fundaţiei Culturale Române, Bucharest, 1992; The 900 days of “manipulation”, Ed. Tinerama, Bucharest, 1993; La peinture murale moldave des 15-ème - 16-ème siècles, Ed. UNESCO, Bucharest, 1995; Roumains et Balkaniques dans la civilisation sud-est européenne, Ed. Enciclopedică, Bucharest, 1999; History Drop, Ed. Fundaţiei Culturale Române, Bucharest, 1999;Constantin Brâncoveanu between „The Book House” şi „Evrope”, Ed. Rao, Bucharest, 2006; Our Europe and us, Ed. Capitel, Bucharest 2008; Regards d'historien, Ed. Enciclopedică, Bucharest, 2009. About 600 articles in Romanian magazines and abroad.   Awards: The Bernier award from the Intitute of France; The Herder award from Vienna University   Dinner with the sun-up by Gheorghe Truță (reading performance) Brâncoveanu – Marius Bodochi Doamna Marica – Maria Teslaru Constantin – Gavril Pătru Ștefan – Ioan Andrei Ionescu Radu – Lari Giorgescu Matei – Silvana Mihai Ianache Văcărescu – Mihai Verbițchi Mustafa – Eugen Cristea Direction: Răzvan Popa Live music: Adrian Naidin   About the author Gheorghe Truţă was born on the 1st of June 1958, in Călui town, in Olt. He is living in Lupeni now, in Hunedoara, where he is a Math teacher. He had his literary debut with the short story The Second Story of the Forest in Luceafărul, June 1977. Since 1993 he has been a tenured member of the Writer’s Union of Romania. Editorial publications : The City, novel, Ed. Albatros, Bucharest, 1982 ; Pagota, prose, Ed. de Vest (Facla), Timişoara, 1992; The Rats’ Heaven, novel, Ed. Matinal – Panorama, Petroşani – Bucharest, 1999 ; Theatre – played, awarded and banned plays, Ed. Grinta, Cluj-Napoca, 2003; Angel, are you coming?, novel, Ed. Aius, Craiova, 2010; Alice doesn’t know how to die, play, Ed. Aius, 2010. Literary awards (selection): The debute award of the Albatros Publishing House for the novel The City (1980) ; the award from Cravioa branch of the Writer’s Union, Prose section, for the year 1992, for the Pagota volume; the award from Craiova branch of the Writer’s Union, Drama section, for the year 1995, for the staged plays: The Great Mess and The Blue Grove; the award from Craiova branch of the Writer’s Union, Novel section, for the year 1999, for the novel The Rats’ Heaven; the award from Craiova branch of the Writer’s Union, Drama section, for the year 2003, for Theatre – played, awarded and banned plays volume; the play The Cathedral was nominated by the Romanian Theatre Union (UNITER) for ”the best Romanian play of 1999”; laureate of many drama contests in the country.   His following plays have been staged: The Great Mess (1995, Bacovia Theatre from Bacău, directed by Mihai Manolescu); The Blue Grove (1996, The National Theatre „Vasile Alecsandri” from Bălţi, The Republic of Moldova, directed by Ion Cibotaru); Alice doesn’t know how to die (2005, The National Theatre „Marin Sorescu” Craiova, directed by Mircea Cornişteanu); The Great Mess (2005, The Drama Art Theatre from Deva, directed by Boris Melinti); Four Sisters (2012, The National Theatre „Vasile Alecsandri” from Bălţi, The Republic of Moldova, directed by Ion Marcoci); Journey in Fairytale Country (2012, The State Theatre I. D. Sîrbu, Petroşani, directed by Boris Melinti); Journey in Fairytale Country, (2013, Vasilache Theatre, Botoşani, directed by Valentin Dobrescu); Symphony for Flute and Nobody (2014, ”Andrei Mureşanu” Theatre from Sfântu Gheorghe, directed by Laurenţiu Calomfirescu).   Translated by: Ana-Maria Țone MTTLC, University of Bucharest

Mr. Dorin Chirtoacă, the mayor of Chișinău, the capital city of the Republic of Moldova, will be holding the conference titled “The Romanian People: Past, Present and Future” on Sunday, October 12, 2014, at 11:00 a.m., in The Black Box Hall of the National Theatre in Bucharest. About the conference The conference to be held by Dorin Chirtoacă, the mayor of Chișinău, will mark the end of the biggest cultural exchange program between the National Theatres of Bucharest and Chișinău. The conference will take place on Sunday, October 12, at 11:00 a.m. in the Atelier Hall of the National Theatre in Bucharest. The mayor of Chișinău, who has repeatedly declared that the people living across the river Prut are Romanian, will be holding a conference titled “The Romanian People: Past, Present and Future”. The conference is a plea for the reunification of the Romanian people, one of the goals of the 21st century. About Dorin Chirtoacă            Mr. Chirtoacă has been the mayor of Chișinău since 2007 and the vice-president of the Liberal Party since 2005. He was born in 1978 in the village of Colonița, in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 2001 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest and from the French-Romanian Law College for European Studies with a degree in European Law. Between 2001 and 2002 he was an editor for the “Surprize Surprize” TV show at TVR 1. Between 2002 and 2003 he was an editor-in-chief for the same TV show. He was a project coordinator for the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Moldova between 2003 and 2005. In 2013 he was awarded the Order of the Crown of Romania with the rank of Knight by the Royal House of Romania. In 2014 he was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania with the rank of Officer by Mr. Traian Băsescu, the President of Romania. Dorin Chirtoacă is the nephew of the brothers Gheorghe and Mihai Ghimpu, both politicians and important personalities of the Bessarabian national rebirth, which took place at the end of the 1990s.   Translated by Diana-Crezante Raicev MTTLC, University of Bucharest

On Sunday, September 14, 2014, at 11 a.m., Academy member Valeriu Matei will be hosting the conference titled A Quarter Century of Returning to Linguistic and Cultural Normality in Bassarabia (the Republic of Moldova) in the Media Hall. The price of a ticket is 16 lei. About the Conference With the occasion of the Mihai Eminescu National Theatre in Chișinău tour, which will arrive on the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest, Mr. Valeriu Matei, a well-known Bessarabian writer and politician, a member of the Academy of Sciences in the Republic of Moldova and an honorary member of the Romanian Academy, will be hosting a conference about the linguistic unity of the entire Romanian area, which includes Bessarabia. Twenty-five years after the abolishment of the Cyrillic alphabet and after making the switch to the Latin alphabet, the Republic of Moldova has celebrated, on August 31, the holiday “Our Romanian Language”. This is the first time when the Romanian language is called an official language, thus replacing the phrase “Moldavian language”. Valeriu Matei promises “a unique conference, based on points of view which do not fit the mould”, a plea in the defence of the Romanian language. An album dedicated to the history of the National Theatre in Chișinău will be released at the end of the conference. About Academy member Valeriu Matei Valeriu Matei (born on March 31, 1959, in Cazangic, the Leova district) is a poet, historian, writer and politician from the Republic of Moldova, a member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and an honorary member of the Romanian Academy since 2011. He was a candidate in the Moldovan presidential election in 1996. He has been a director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Chișinău since 2013. Between 1976 and 1979 he was a student at the Moldova State University, the Faculty of History. Between 1979 and 1983 he studied at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, in the Ethnology Department of the Faculty of History, which he eminently graduated. He made his mature debut in 1980 by publishing poetry in the Tineretul Moldovei newspaper in Chișinău. In 1981 he published poetry in the Romanian literary press (Orizont, Timişoara, Luceafărul, Bucharest, Cronica and Convorbiri literare, Iaşi, Tribuna and Steaua, Cluj-Napoca, Transilvania, Sibiu, Familia, Oradea). In 1983 he was rejected from obtaining a doctorate for reasons of anti-Sovietism and nationalism. With the support of some of his University colleagues and the Ethnology Department professors, he managed to obtain a job as a minor scientific researcher, with the lowest salary in the system, at the Land Studies Museum in Istra, where he remained until 1987. In 1985, after five years of being swept under the rug, his poetry was published (although truncated) in the literary press in Chișinău. He was one of the protagonists of the events which took place at the Writers’ Union of Moldova between March and May 1987, events which laid the foundation of the Democratic Movement of Moldova. Between May 1987 and March 1990, he represented the Writers’ Union of Moldova at the secretariat of the Writers’ Union in Moscow. He was not a member of the Communist Party. In 1989 he participated at the formation of the Popular Front of Moldova. He was a speaker for the organisation and a member of its Executive Office. In 1990 he was elected a deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in the Leova district. He was a president of the Parliamentary Committee for Mass-Media (1990-1993), a member of the Presidium of the Parliament. He was re-elected as a deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova (1994-2001) on the lists of the Democratic Forces Party, whose president he was (1994-2002). He was a candidate in the presidential election in the Republic of Moldova in 1996. He obtained 9% of the votes. He was a vice-president of the Parliament (1998-1999), a president of the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (1998-2001). He is the author of several poetry books (which have been published in Chișinău, Iași and Bucharest), a theatre play titled “The Prologue” (staged at the Mihai Eminescu National Theatre in Chișinău in 1987), the historical short story “The Pilgrimages and Suffering of Chancellor Nicolae Milescu” (1988), several essays and history and ethnology studies (“The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the Soviet Aggression Against Romania”, 2012). He has translated poetry from French (Arthur Rimbaud and others), Russian (Osip Mandelstam, Anna Akhmatova), Spanish (Federico Garcia Lorca). His poetry has been translated in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Swedish, Latvian, Slovak, Hungarian, Macedonian, Turkish, etc. Awards and honours: the Nichita Stănescu Grand Award (1995), the Mihai Eminescu Award of the Romanian Academy (1996), the Mihai Eminescu Medal (2000), the Nichita Stănescu Grand Award for Opera Omnia (2002), the Poesis Award (2007), the Writers’ Union of Moldova Award (2008, 2010), the Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of Commodore (2004), the Order of the Republic (2010). The release of the Anniversary Album of the Mihai Eminescu Theatre in Chișinăuwill take place within the conference.   Translated by Diana-Crezante Raicev MTTLC, University of Bucharest

Sunday, July 8th, 2014, starting at 11 a.m. in the Small Hall of NTB will be taking place a conference on: Regarding the misuse of authority and judicial abuse: VAT levied on copyright income, held by Gheorghe Piperea. Ticket cost: 16 lei. About the conference “I feel honored by Mr. Ion Caramitru's invitation to come to the National Theatre stage and expound before an audience on the latest collective lawsuit that Piperea and Associates have won. NAFA and Ministry of Public Finances were brought to trial to determine that levying VAT on the income earned from selling of copyrights was illegal. An idea easy to grasp has emerged from the lawsuit: copyright is not a commodity and must not be mistaken for a commercial activity. Another fundamental philosophical law principle has emerged from the lawsuit as well: a law cannot be understood as a law in the sense of rights of man and citizens unless is it easy to grasp and its outcome can be predictable because man cannot conduct his behaviour according to such a “law”. Last but not least, from the lawsuit has emerged also a lesson that judges taught the authorities: the law cannot be enacted retrospectively and a tax cannot be levied based on a legislative loophole.” Gheorghe Piperea Attorney-at-law About Gheorghe Piperea Gheorghe Piperea is the charter member of SCA “Piperea & Associates”. The charter member professional expertise of SCA “Piperea & Associates” lies in his strong theoretical schooling. He has a PhD in law from both the University of Bucharest and the University of Sorbonne I – Pantheon in Paris, his doctoral thesis was “European community acquis in the field of trading companies and capital market” which was graded with the highest mark by both universities. Gheorghe Piperea is a professor of law at the University of Bucharest Law School, a scientific doctoral dissertations coordinator in the law field and author or co-author of some of the capital books in the legislative and judiciary romanian doctrine, publishing a few courses, commentaries, monographies and professional contributions to media outlets columns in the fields such as trading companies, capital market, insolvency, conveyors rights, code of civil procedure, featuring as well as a pundit and expositor on the pages of various current media outlets. Gheorghe Piperea has markedly contributed pro bono to the development and improvement of the legislative romanian system by drawing up a slew of legislative acts in the business fields such as: trading companies, sole proprietorship, unfair terms of contract between retailers and dealers, admission in composition with creditors, insolvency, civil bankruptcy, the implementation of insolvency professional occupation and arbitration. Having a professional experience spanning over twenty years in the legal field, Gheorghe Piperea is both a trailblazer and an exponent of trends in the legislative practice and statute law, respectively, the innovations and solutions that have been thought of and translated into practice together with his team from Piperea and Associates being a drive for the development of the business law field in Romania in the last ten years. Gheorghe Piperea and his team are the trailblazers of collectiv lawsuits concept, namely, class action in Romania and at the same time the ones who have given effect to it with outstanding results in the fields of jurisprudence, standard contracts or that of legislative implementation. Pursuant to collective lawsuits due to VAT levied on copyright incomes, to those related to military officers and airmen retirement pensions, to those related to allowances given to expectant mothers or for childcare, and especially, pursuant to the collective lawsuits of the allied consumers against the professionals who misused their economic power, case laws have emerged from these lawsuits, laws and governmental legislative acts have been amended and standard contracts used by professionals have undergone sweeping amendations as well. In the fields such as fixed radars, car registration fee, road tax and illegal tow-aways, the regulations and usual practices have undergone sweeping amendations pursuant to the lawsuits won by Piperea and Associates team, who have made public the outcomes of them, pro bono, so that other legal practitioners can draw or capitalize on them. All these trends and innovations have been backed up for ten years, from 2004 all-through 2014, by Business Law Conferenes organized by Piperea and Associates in colaboration with Bucharest Law School, drawing on an idea and with the hands-on approach of the charter member of Piperea and Associates, Gheorghe Piperea. These conferences have become over time an annual vantage point in the business law practice, having all the prerequisites of establishing as regular. Besides Gheorghe Piperea's hands-on approach to many practical activities and numerous academic projects, he has laid the foundations of Parakletos Association, one for consumer protection with a view to becoming a national centre for counselling, a collective lawsuit laboratory for consumers and at the same time a source of regulations and above-board practices that have been commended to the professionals who might be tempted to misuse their economic power. Parakletos Association has also in sight nationwide projects for pupils and students civic education and entends to expand its activity towards the governmental establishments. Publications: I am the author of the monography “Trading companies, capital market. Community aquis” and one of the first romanian professionals specialized in capital market legislation and co-author of the fully commented book about the Law no. 31/1990 regarding trading companies, published in five editions (2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2014) at the CH Beck Publishing House under the name “Law of Companies. Comment on articles”. In the same field of trading companies, I have published also “Liabilities and accountability of the trading companies administrators”. In the insolvency field, I published the treatise “Insolvency: law, regulations, reality”, in 2008, and “Law of admission in composition with creditors”, in 2010, both published at the Wolters Kluwer publishing house. For the treaties “Insolvency: law, regulations, reality” I have been awarded “Octavian Capatana” prize by the Romanian Attorneys Union. Besides the “Introduction to the law of professional contracts”, published in 2011 at the CH Beck Publishin House, the latest reference books are “The New Civil Code. Comment on articles”, which I co-authored and also “The New Code of Civil Procedure. Notes. Correlations. Explanations”, which author coordinator I am, published at the CH Beck Publishing House. I am, as well, the author of the courses “Commercial law”, volume I and II, “Conveyance law” and “Commercial law. Enterprise.” A selection of different important contributions to media outlets: - Bankruptcy in the international private law, Commercial Law Magazine no. 1/1996 and no. 5/1996 - How to implement the judicial reorganization procedure and dissolution to some special situations, Commercial Law Magazine no. 7-8/1996 - About the amendations to bankruptcy law, Commercial Law Magazine no. 9/2000 - Explanations and criticism to the new bankruptcy legislation, Romanian Pandecte no. 5/2002 - Rebuilding the relations between the syndic judge and the insolvency attorney practitioner, Phoenix Magazine, published by UNPIR, February 2005 - Admission in composition with creditors, a solution to prevent insolvency, Phoenix Magazine, published by UNPIR, February 2005 - Cross-border insolvency, Romanian Law Business Magazine no. 5/2006 - How to prevent insolvency procedures and extrajudicial treatment of the financial depressions, Romanian Private Law Magazine no. 3/2007 - Insolvency procedure as a civil lawsuit (third part), Romanian Private Law Magazine no. 4/2007 - Insolvency procedure as a civil lawsuit (fourth part), Romanian Private Law Magazine no. 5/2007 - Insolvency procedure as a civil lawsuit (fifth part), Romanian Private Law Magazine no. 6/2007 - Private enterprises over-indebtedness and bankruptcy, Supplement no. 1/2007 of the Romanian Pandacte, November 2007 - Methods and procedures to prevent insolvency, Supplement II/2008 of the Business Law Magazine - Regarding the safety provided by court to small private enterprises that are on the brink of insolvency, the Judicial Courier no. 2/2009 - Private individuals insolvency. A long-expected regulation, the Fiscal Courier, no.12/2009 - Lessons to be learned from insolvency – General Motors and Chrysler, the Romanian Business Law Magazine, no. 4/2009 - Enterprises safeguard procedures that are in financial embarrassment, the Romanian Business Law Magazine, no. 1/2010   Translated by Coșoianu MirceaMTTLC, University of Bucharest

Mr. Norman Manea will be holding the conference titled “The Exiled Language” on Sunday, 18th May 2014, at 11:00 a.m., in the Small Hall of the National Theatre in Bucharest. The price of a ticket is 16 lei. About the conference The writer Norman Manes, who has been living for over 25 years in New York, has achieved a great literary reputation in the United States, as well as in Europe. During his exile, he took away with him his home, namely his language – as he often admits it himself – just as a snail always carries his home with him in his journeys, and he continued to write his prodigious work in Romanian.                   In his lecture at the National Theatre of Bucharest, Norman Manea will be illustrating the old, but also more and more timely theme of exile through the evolution of his creation. His retrospective and introspection portray a troubling image of the strain and traumas caused by the linguistic dislocation and dispossession, but also of the stimulation through alienation and cultural rebirth. The dramatic and fascinating adventure of the “exiled language” lends a new dimension to the affiliation to a centrifugal and globalized world in the contemporary reality.   Translated by: Bianca-Lidia Zbarcea MTTLC, University of Bucharest   About Mr. Norman Manea Norman Manea is the most translated Romanian author and a winner of multiple international prizes: the MacArthur Fellowship (“the American Nobel Prize”), the Nonino International Literary Prize and the Prix Médicis Étranger. He has been a favourite candidate to the Nobel Prize in Literature in recent years, alongside writers like Philip Roth and Haruki Murakami. Norman Manea (born 1936), one of the most appreciated Romanian writers of prose and essays, is a professor of European literature and a writer in residence at Bard College in New York. From his 1966 debut until 1986 he published 10 books and received the Bucharest Writers’ Association Award (1979) and the Writers’ Union of Romania Award (1984, annulled by the Council of Socialist Culture and Education). In 1992 he received the Guggenheim Fellowship and the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, in 1993 he received the New York Public Library Literary Lion Medal. In 2002 he was awarded the Nonino International Literary Prize for his Opera Omnia and, in 2006 he received the Prix Médicis Étranger. He was also elected a member of the Berlin Academy of Arts. In 2009 he received the rank of Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. He was awarded the Literary Prize of the Foundation of French Judaism, an honour also bestowed upon George Perec and Emmanuel Levinas. Books published at Polirom: The Hooligan’s Return (first edition, 2003; second edition, 2006, 2008, 2011), Envelopes and Portraits (2004, second edition soon to be published), Compulsory Happiness (second edition, 2005, 2011), On Clowns: The Dictator and the Artist (2005, 2013), The Apprenticeship Years of Augustus the Fool (2005, 2010), The Black Envelope (fourth edition, 2007, 2010), The Drawers of Exile: Dialogue with Leon Volovici (2008), Before Parting: Conversation with Saul Bellow (2008), Talking to a Stone (2008), Atrium (second edition, 2008), Variations on a Self-Portrait (2008), The Lair (first edition, 2009, second edition, 2010), The Eastern Messenger (dialogue with Edward Kanterian) (2010), Conversation in exile (dialogue with Hannes Stein) (2011), Captives (second edition, 2011), Book of the Son (second edition, 2012) and The Days and the Game (second edition, 2012). In 2008, the Polirom Publishing House launched a Norman Manea author series. Soon to be published: Envelopes and Portraits The author’s website    Translated by: Diana-Crezante Raicev MTTLC, The University of Bucharest

The day of European elections is close, and Europe has to be at least an interesting topic to discuss. But it is not like that. What means Europe today, here or wherever? Is it common market which promises prosperity for all? A cultural object? An abstract reference? The closest enemy? Europe, a kind of suis generis state, is facing the crisis today. A generous political and philosophical project fell into the hands of incompetents! That Europe, that of the founders, is likely to disappear, being replaced by an unfaithful copy. A copy of nation-states which it was meant to overcome. The attempt to save Europe from an announced disaster is also the customization of the election campaign of this year. Even if in our country, even more than in other Member States, the campaign remains a captive of the internal themes, customizing the campaign, as some opinion makers believe, could make the European issues accessible to a wider audience. However, through this campaign ploy the risk of presidentialization of the European Union becomes a reality. For the perverse effect of personalization, is the presidentialization of an institutional system which was designed for consensual democracy, not for the majority rule. Thus, the result of proportional representation, a mandatory electoral system in all Member States will be influenced by the tendency of majoritarian (or as they say in Romania, uninominal) induced by customizing the campaign. (Cristian Pârvulescu, an extract from the presentation of the Sunday’s lecture)   Translated by: Lucia Prohnițchi MTTLC, University of Bucharest

Brîndușa Armanca will be holding the conference What has become of television in the Internet Age onSunday, April, 27th, 11 a.m., in the Small Hall of the National Theatre. Ticket cost: 16 lei. About the conference A survey recently conducted by the IRES has corroborated Eurostat's previously released figures: Television feeds information to over 80 % of Romanians. What makes them sit in front of TV, which at present preserves its upper hand in the Internet age? First of all, it is both reachable everywhere and user-friendly: one can find television in every house and it is the easiest thing, short of special technical knowledge or skills, to press a button and zapping through your favourite programmes to choose one. Furthermore, watching TV is an idle process which does not require interaction with other people and the televised illusion makes up for the everyday weariness. The most important thing, though, about television boils down to the delight people take in watching TV which comes with a wide range of entertainment shows and visual information that is much more sophisticated than that of virtual media. The entertainment which video games afford, though not to downplay its importance, has not yet been able to dwarf the big TV shows watched by millions of viewers. Has the Internet not yet gained the upper hand over the classical media of entertainment? There is no straight answer to the question. Journalism, in printing format, is on its last legs; however, online journalism lives on. Television has also been transferred to other interfaces and means of communication, furthermore, interactivity has shifted the viewer's stance from the idle way in front of the TV to the viewer who has become more involved, especially if one is part and parcel of the “Y generation”, interacts on Facebook, Twitter or becomes he himself a “producer” on YouTube. New developments in technology have brought to life outstanding shifts in communication and “the small screen” becomes smaller and smaller in the digital Age: laptop, tablet, smartphone. Besides the latest developments in technology, there are issues that have to be addressed, namely, journalism boundaries, substantiation and ethics. A profession that has undergone radical shifts. Internet surfers have radically changed as well. Whoever delays, even for a second, to deliver the news loses 18 % of the audience. We are talking here about internet traffic and the number of visitors, but the television struggle for public audience is now more than ever effective and at times, merciless. The conference will start the debate from these talking points to shape an era of sweeping media shifts, which have a bearing on journalism, on the type of audience and the way information has been brought home to the viewer by the media and most likely, on the ethics and philosophical fabric of society. If there is competition or overlapping between television and Internet it will be shown in the video slides, photos or statistics which have been lumped together for a more cogent substantiation.               About Brîndușa Armanca Brîndușa Armanca is a journalist and a university professor. Brîndușa was a member of the esteemed editorial staff of Radio Europa Liberă, Expres or Ziua and headed for many years the television studio branch of TVR in Timișoara. Between 2006 and 2012, Brîndușa Armanca was the director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Budapest. Currently, Brîndușa works as the editor-in-chief of TVR Timișoara and has a weekly column of press criticism “Media culpa” in the magazine “22”. Member of the Writers Association in Romania and of numerous other media organisations such as International Communication Association or ECREA, Brîndușa is also the author of numerous books on journalism such as “Televiziunea regională în România” (2002), “Media culpa” (2006), “Învață să învingi” (2006) and “Istoria recentă în mass-media. Frontieriștii” (2009), translated in hungarian in 2011. Also, books on communication such as “Ghid de comunicare pentru jurnaliști și purtători de cuvânt” (2002), or on literary history such as “Mesajul lui Crypto. Comunicare, cod, metaforă magică în poezia românească modernă” (2005). Brîndușa's TV movies have been awarded both at domestic festivals and international contests and Brînsușa's activity has been rewarded with the Romanian Academy Cultural Distinction, as well as with the Hungarian Ministry of Culture Distinction for cultural diplomacy. Translated by: Coșoianu Mircea MTTLC, University of Bucharest

The National Theatre of Bucharest and the French Institute invite you to the conference Personal Paris - Places and Theatres held by George Banu on Sunday, 6th April 2014, at 11 a.m., at the Small Hall of NTB. Tickets price is 16 lei. About the conference   George Banu arrived in Paris on the last day of the year 1973. While spending 40 long years in the capital of France he created a Personal Paris for himself, a city he bears in his heart and he now reveals its private map. The map allows us to discover hidden places, personal spaces, visit theatres and secret squares. Cioran's street and Peter Brook's Hall, the court of a palace, which is very dear to Oana Pellea and the house near the river Seine whose front side has Camille Claudel's words engraved on it: "There is always something missing." The places and the theatres, reunited, are landmarks in this urban autobiography, that both George Banu and his friend Mihaela Marin reveal through her photos of "his" Paris, photographs  she took with talent and affection. During George Banu's conference, the audience will be shown images of his personal path created along 40 years. The actor Marius Manole will read excerpts from  Banu's book, Personal Paris. The launch of the book will take place in the same day and the book will be published by Nemira Publishing House. There will also be a signing session. It is a book about the life of an emigrant who became a French citizen, but he never forgot where he came from. About George Banu He  teaches  at Sorbonne University in Paris as well as at other universities, he is the Honorary President of the International Association of Theatre Critics and President of the Europe Theatre Award Gala. George Banu has recently been elected Honorary Member of the Romanian Academy. He is also Senior-editor in chief of the well-known magazine Alternatives théâtrales and Managing Editor at Actes Sud Publishing House. He published an important number of famous volumes on the modern theatre world and its main characters, Peter Brook, Patrice Chéreau and Luc Bondy. Among his latest books released in romanian are The Cherry Orchad, Our Theatre, Shakespeare, The World As A Theatre, The Changes in Theatre, all published by Nemira Publishing House, Loving and Hating Theatre published by Polirom Publishing House and Close to the Stage, published by Curtea Veche Publishing House.   George Banu has been awarded honorary degrees by many universities. He has also received the UNITER prize for Theatre Critique. NTB, The Hungarian State Theatre of Cluj and  the Art Museum Of Cluj-Napoca have recently organized a series of events in his honour in Cluj. The University of Sorbonne dedicated the book The Travels or the Horizons of Theatre to George Banu. The book has been published and translated into romanian by Nemira Publishing House. Peter Brook, Andrei Șerban, Eugenio Barba, Radu Penciulescu and Niky Wolcz signed the book.   Translated by: Diana Apetroaei MTTLC, University of Bucharest Cumpără Bilete Online

Sunday, 23rd March 2014, at 11 o'clock, at the Small Hall of the National Theatre of Bucharest, Professor Ioan Lascăr, MD will hold a conference entitled "Past, Present and Future in Plastic Surgery". Ticket fee: 16 lei. About the conference Although Plastic Surgery has been recently defined as a stand-alone specialty, its beginnings are more distant, closely linked with those of medicine and surgery. It started and developed out of the necessity to correct apparent morphological deficiencies and later on, the possibility of also correcting the functional deficiencies associated with them, a fact that can be considered one of the oldest ideals in the art of healing. Much closer to the present day, the necessity of improving the image of the body in relation with today's ideal shapes and standards also surfaced. Plastic Surgery is the most recent monospeciality in surgery. Despite this, in the last decades, "traditional" Plastic Surgery changed. Many techniques and types of surgical interventions which were part of the plastic surgeon's arsenal had been taken over and used by other specialties. In many cases, plastic surgeons became specialized in other, more restricted areas, or combined them with other clinical areas more or less related to one-another. An increasing number of plastic surgeons become incapable of covering the entire area of classical Plastic Surgery. As it is the case with General Surgery, Plastic Surgery as we know it is no more; thus, by presenting the past, we try to provide some information regarding the beginnings of our society. In so doing, we will come to the conclusion that there are some surgical procedures that had been in use for thousands of years and that are still appreciated at the present time in the day-to-day practice. Although the term "plastic" within "Plastic Surgery" comes from the Greek "plastikos" meaning "to model", the true origins of Plastic Surgery precede its linguistic roots by a long time. The origins of this specialty are documented in old Egyptian papyruses and in Sanskrit texts from Ancient India. The true date of birth for plastic and reconstructive surgery is still debated by historians. The Egyptian doctors are credited as the first performers of surgical interventions that belong to the current assembly of the specialty. The two World Wars of the twentieth century propelled Plastic Surgery into the sphere of public interest due to the extremely large number of both the traumas and their extreme complexity caused by weapons of mass destruction. During the conference at the National Theatre, Professor Ioan Lascăr, MD will hold a brief introduction about the history of Plastic Surgery both world-wide and in Romania, the factors that determined the split of this specialty from the body of general surgery, the factors that determined the rapid development of techniques within the specialty (conditioned by the two World Wars) and the development of plastic surgery in the 70's, especially the moment when reconstructive microsurgical techniques were introduced. The conference will end with the presentation of two cases that generated large interest in the media. About Professor Ioan Lascăr, MD He is the founder, administrator and head of the top Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery Ward at the Bucharest Emergency Hospital. Presently, the Ward tackles an extremely complex range of social problems, having more than 60 fully qualified plastic surgeons and surgeons undergoing training from a total of approximately 250 attending physicians and residents from across the country. The volume of activity and the complexity of the surgical interventions performed, its accessibility, doubled by the educational and scientific activity and its research, as well as the quality of the results make this Ward a successor of the Romanian School for plastic surgery. He is a permanent delegate for Romania in the European Board of Plastic Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery, permanently and actively involved in issues that regard international activity. Professor Ioan Lascăr, MD initiated and coordinated a number of educational, scientific and professional activities in the area of Plastic Surgery, as well as several national and international congresses. He trained residents and students from Romania, the United States of America, Ukraine, Albania, Greece, Italy, Germany, China, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan, the Republic of Moldova, Yemen, Morocco, Serbia and the Mauritius Islands. He was the president of the Romanian Association of Plastic Surgeons between 2003 and 2010. Translated by: Tudor Alexandru-Ionuţ MTTLC, The University of Bucharest