P c et Guid - Transylvanian Book Festival

Pocket Guide
5 - 9
t h
S eptember
2013
Contents
Introduction
3
and Welcome
the Churches
6
the Authors
10
programme
14
Your Guides
18
Santa maddalena
20
Acknowledgements 22
bibliography
24
Notes
26
As mayor of Biertan, Copşa Mare and Richiş, I am delighted
to welcome you all as guests to our beautiful valley with its fine
ancient Saxon villages, gently rolling hills terraced for vines
and agriculture and ancient fortified churches.
The church of Biertan, once the home of the Bishopric, is
one of the finest fortified churches in Transylvania and is
correspondingly a UNESCO site. Five kilometres down the
valley is the neighbouring village of Richiş, where the church
is yet more ancient with monastic foundations. Copşa Mare’s
church and Priest house form an outstandingly picturesque
group. All are surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
I would like to record my thanks, on behalf of our community,
for your interest in coming to Richiş, with its long musical
tradition, to celebrate literature and poetry at the heart of our
village in the newly restored Village Hall. This gives me the
opportunity of thanking all those who have supported the
villages with new, encouraging initiatives, including our own
Pro Richiş charitable trust, The Mihai Eminescu Trust and
the Horizon Foundation who have restored the Village Hall
and the Town Hall. All are involved with another important
building near the church. I would also like to thank La Curtea
Richvini who are providing a sustainable and accessible
camping site and pensione in the Priest House.
May I end with offering best wishes for the success of the
first Transylvanian Book Festival in Transylvania and I am very
proud that it is taking place within my jurisdiction.
Mircea Mihai Dragonmir, Primar
4
I very much appreciate the initiative to organize a first
edition of the Transylvanian Book Festival this year, where
the English speaking writers can meet their inspiration, new
readers, and maybe new ideas.
The beauty of the region has inspired so much great
literature and now brings together creativity and cultural
exchanges. Therefore, I gladly support this international
literature event in the heart of Romania as an example of
Romanian-British cultural cooperation.
HE dr Jinga
Ambassador, Embassy of Romania to the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
5
e Chures
The three villages of Copşa Mare, Richiş
and Biertan, retain their late medieval
pattern and are surrounded by the
lands originally given by the Hungarian
Kings in the 12th century to promote
agriculture. Saxons (originally from
the Rhine-Moselle region) were given
their own land as freemen, learning
their skills from the Cistercians. The
larger villages were divided into
neighbourhoods each donating a quota
of hours and materials towards the
upkeep of the church. The Priest, Priest
House, School and Church, were the
vortex of these communities. Being on
trade routes brought Gothic and Early
Renaissance forms into the Carpathians.
The churches were fortified against
the Ottoman threat and, indeed, local
disorder. Within the walls was enough
protection for the community
and their needs.
6
e Chures
B I E R Tan... The current church was established between
1500 and 1525, just before the Reformation in Transylvania.
It was the seat of the Lutheran Bishop from 1572 and for
the next three hundred years. Lucas Unglerus was the first
incumbent. As with so many Saxon churches the pre
Reformation altarpiece (1483-1515) was retained and is
superb.
This hall church has a fine net vault in the Middle European
tradition. The choir stalls and a rare door of intarsia work are
from the first quarter
of the 16th century.
Biertan is UNESCO
listed. Bacon tower,
frescoed Catholic
chapel and marriage
house are all intact
within the walls.
7
e Chures
R I C H I ş... It is said that the villagers evicted the monks at the
Reformation. The village hall, where the Book Festival is being
held, could have been built on the cloister garth. The building
of the three-aisled basilica began in the second half of the
14th century and finished in
1451. Unusually, for Transylvania,
the west door has a carved
tympanum depicting the
Centurian at the foot of the Cross.
The interior too, is richly carved
with foliage and 'Green Men'.
The presbytery door, as with
Biertan is from the workshop of Johannes Reichmuth in
Sighişoara. The altar is late Baroque of 1775 and the fine
organ dates from 1788, currently being restored by an Anglo
Romanian team. Much of the fortifications were removed to
build the school when the population expanded in the early
1900s. The church's two Anatolian
rugs are in Mediaş.
8
e Chures
C o pşa MarE... The church in Copşa Mare, as with
Biertan, stands above the village, and, with the Priest House
creates a picturesque group. First mentioned in 1283 the
earliest part of the extant building is early 14th century. The
aisles were demolished in
the 16th century to build the
defences. The original bell
exists in the tower as do the
organ bellows.
My thanks to Dr. Hermann
Fabini for permission to
illustrate his ground plans
and drawings. Dr. Fabini
was involved with the
restoration of Biertan
church which was awarded
the EUROPa nOSTRa
diploma in 1991.
9
SATURDAY
e Autho
William Blacker
William Blacker was the first to raise the alarm
about the exodus of the Saxons and the vacuum
it would leave. His life in the Mara Mures and the
impact of the modern world is beautifully
documented. His story of love and life in Romania,
Along the Enchanted Way, was published in 2009.
artemis Cooper
SATU
RDAY
SUNDAY
Artemis Cooper worked in Egypt and New
Mexico before beginning her career as a writer.
Her many books include her latest biography,
Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure which is
based on unrestricted access to Leigh Fermor’s
private papers and interviews with him over
several years.
Sara Dootz
Sara Dootz was born in Viscri in 1936. Her
autobiography is Mit der Sonne steh ich auf
and is the result of an interview given to Werner
Schmitz by Sara on her life, her village and
its traditions.
FRIDA
10
Y
Jessica Douglas-Home
Jessica Douglas-Home has written three books,
and journalism for the Guardian, the Telegraph,
The Times, the Spectator and the Wall Street
Journal. She will talk about Once Upon Another
Time and about the work of the Mihai Eminescu
Trust, of which she was co-founder.
e Autho
Roy Foster
SATU
RDAY
Roy Foster is Carroll Professor of Irish History
at the University of Oxford and the author
of many books on modern Irish history. He
has also written biographies and his most
recent book is Words Alone: Yeats and his
Inheritances. He is also a well-known cultural
commentator, broadcaster and critic.
nick Hunt
FRIDA
Y
In 1934, Patrick Leigh Fermor meandered
through Romania as part of his epic walk from
Rotterdam to Istanbul. 78 years later Nick
Hunt followed in his footsteps. He will talk
about the differences between their walks,
what has vanished and how Romania's magic
is still intact.
Michael Jacobs
FRIDAY
Michael Jacobs lives between England and
Spain. His many books on art and travel
include The Good and Simple Life, The Factory
of Light, Andes, and The Robber of Memories.
Claudiu Komartin
SATURDAY
Claudiu Komartin is an award-winning
poet who was born in Bucharest in 1983.
He is editor-in-chief of Poesis International
magazine and he’s editing, alongside
Radu Vancu, the series of poetry anthologies
‘Cele mai frumoase poeme’ (‘Best
Romanian Poems’).
11
FRIDAY
e Autho
Beatrice Rezzori Monti della Corte
Beatrice Rezzori Monti della Corte, wife of
Gregor von Rezzori is a legend in the literary
world. In the home she restored with her
husband outside Florence she has created a
Foundation in his memory, which is a haven
for writers and she has been the source of
inspiration to many.
Elisabeth Jelen Salnikoff
SUND
AY
Count Miklós Bánffy (1873-1950) was
variously a diplomat, MP and foreign minister.
His Transylvanian Trilogy has been published
throughout Europe, in the US and in Chinese.
Elisabeth Jelen Salnikoff is the elder
granddaughter of Miklós Bánffy and the
daughter of Countess Bánffy, co-translator of
The Transylvanian Trilogy. She lives in Paris.
Hans Schaas
SATU
12
RDAY
Hans Schaas and his wife are among the few
Saxons left in Richiş. He still farms and keeps
alive the small congregation in the beautiful
medieval church. He gives an invaluable
and lively insight into a way of life that was
extraordinary in his newly published Das
Leben ist so schön, wenn man darüber lächeln
kann. It was realized through a MET project
with help of Horizon Foundation. Interviews
were conducted and written by Andrea Rost.
e Autho
Jaap Scholten
SUNDAY
Jaap Scholten is a Dutch author living
and working in Budapest who has written
short stories and novels. His latest book,
Comrade Baron documents his travels
through Hungary and Romania, where he
met members of the former Transylvanian
aristocracy, talking with them about their
rich past, about the horrors of the communist
period and about their future.
Tony Scotland
FRIDA
Y
Tony Scotland is a travel writer and biographer
who was a familiar voice on BBC Radio
Three. In 1989 he took leave from the BBC to
travel through Eastern Europe, on a journey
encouraged by Patrick Leigh Fermor. His
latest book, Lennox and Freda, is a candid
biography of the composer Lennox Berkeley.
Stephen Watts
Stephen Watts quit university aged 20 and
went to live in the Outer Hebrides where he
became a poet. Now living in London’s East
End he has continued to write with recent
books being translated into Italian and
published as bilingual editions. He and
Claudiu Komartin have co translated each
other’s work.
SATURDAY
13
uday
5th Septemr
to
Monday
9th Septemr
There will be daily transfers to and from
Richiş and your accommodation.
This is not relevant to those with daily tickets.
all talks will be held in Richiş.
14
uday 5th Septemr
19.15
19.30
22.00
Transfers from Copşa Mare and Richiş to Biertan.
Meet at Restaurant Unglerus, Biertan for dinner.
Return to Copşa Mare and Richiş in minibuses.
Friday 6th Septemr
09.30
Transfers from Copşa Mare and Biertan to Richiş.
10.20
Welcome by Lucy abel Smith.
10.30
12.05
Michael Jacobs
Memories of Transylvania and other writers.
Jessica Douglas Home ~ Once Upon Another Time.
The threatened destruction of Transylvanian villages.
Tony Scotland ~ Journey through Eastern Europe
before Christmas 1989.
nick Hunt ~ Walking the Woods and the Water.
12.45
Lunch in the Priest House Garden or the Hall.
14.00
to
17.45
Minibuses will be on hand for guided visits to Copşa
Mare, the church and other buildings in Richiş and
the great church at Biertan with Lucy abel Smith,
Caroline Juler, andrea Rost and Willy Schuster.
18.00
Michael Jacobs will be in conversation with Beatrice
Rezzori Monti della Corte and William Blacker.
18.50
Depart for Moşna to visit church with welcome drinks,
followed by dinner in Alma Vii by kind invitation of the
Primar of Moşna and Temple Melville.
11.05
11.30
15
Saturday 7th Septemr
09.30
Transfers from Copşa Mare and Biertan to Richiş.
10.30
12.05
Professor Roy Foster ~ Transylvania Is Not England:
Bram Stoker and the location of Dracula.
Hans Schaas and Sara Dootz in conversation with
Caroline Fernolend and andrea Rost about life
in the Saxon Villages before the early 1990s.
William Blacker ~ Along the Enchanted Way.
12.45
Lunch in Richiş.
14.00
Excursion to Sighişoara, citadel town and birth place
of Vlad the Impaler with Professor Foster and
Lucy abel Smith. There will be further guided visits
to Mediaş, Malincrav Manor, Alma VII and some
of lesser-known villages in the surrounding area.
These will be with the expert guides Willy Schuster,
Caroline Juler and andrea Rost.
17.30
Return to villages.
18.30
A remarkable evening with the poetry of Stephen
Watts and Claudia Komartin.
The Mediaş choir singing some music from the
Siebenburgen and from Georg Meyndt, (1852-1903)
from Richis. A recital of music by Enescu and Bartok
by Carina Raducanu, Eugen Dumitrescu with violinist
Ioana Raluca Voicu.
20.00
Dinner in the Village Hall or Priest House.
11.10
16
Sunday 8th Septemr
09.30
Transfers from Copşa Mare and Biertan to Richiş.
10.30
Countess Salnikoff will talk about her grandfather,
Miklós Bánffy whose trilogy The Writing on the Wall
must rank amongst the greatest works of European
20th century literature. In conversation with publisher
of Arcadia Books, Gary Pulsifer.
11.05
11.45
Jaap Scholten reads from Comrade Baron.
He will then join some of those with first-hand
experience of the early fifties in Communist
Romania.
12.30
Lunch in Richiş.
14.00
Excursions as on Saturday.
18.00
artemis Cooper will talk about the subject of her
recent biography, Paddy Leigh Fermor whose
writings of pre-war Transylvania, in Between the
Woods and the Water influenced many of this
festival’s authors.
20.00
Final dinner in Richiş.
Monday 9th Septemr
Transfers to further travels or to airports.
17
Your Guides
Lucy abel Smith
Lucy Abel Smith is an art historian who for
many years has run specialist tours
to Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
She first came to Romania in the early
1980s as lecturer for the British Museum
Society and how has a house in Richiş.
She wrote Prague - A Guide in 1991.
She was encouraged to start this Book
Festival by her sister in law Caroline Knox
(who originated the successful Boswell
Festival in Scotland) and Jessica
Douglas Home among others.
Willy Schuster
Born and raised in Transylvania, his
father a Saxon and mother a Hungarian,
Willy became a self taught interpreter in
Romanian. As pioneers of the organic
farming scene in Romania, Willy and his
wife, Lavinia, are well known both here
and abroad. They welcome many tourists
to their farm for meals or just for a farm
tour, talks and/or cheese tastings. They
make delicious rose petal jam.
Transy
18
Your Guides
Caroline Juler
Caroline Juler is a writer and artist
who has studied and travelled around
Romania many times over the past 20
years. Her books include Blue Guide
Romania, National Geographic Traveler
Romania and a light-hearted travelogue
called Searching for Sarmizegetusa.
andrea Rost
Andrea Rost lives in the beautiful town of
Sighişoara where she is part of the
Saxon community. Having previously
worked as a guide across Romania,
she has worked for the MET since 2005,
coordinating tourism activities. She has
interviewed Hans Schaas Johann and
written his memoirs.
ylvania
19
e Santa Maalena Foundation
for Write
Since the year 2000 and after having received more than
150 writers from all over the world, Santa Maddalena has
established itself as a place where writers can not only actually
write but exchange ideas, learn from one another and get
acquainted with authors, traditions and ways of writing they
didn’t know before. Over lunch and dinner, by the fireplace in
winter and by the swimming pool in summer, during long walks
in the hills, friendships have been made, literary tips have been
passed, ideas for titles or covers or even full books have arisen.
The place has held an ongoing conversation with many voices
and has made many friends who now and then come back
and send news, scattered all over the world. Maybe this
extended network of friends for whom Santa Maddalena is
a mot de passe and a fond shared memory is our highest
accomplishment.
The Santa Maddalena Foundation for Writers was established
in 2000 with the later addition of the Festival degli Scrittori
which takes place in Florence and includes the international
Premio Gregor von Rezzori, Citta’ di Firenze to honor the
memory of my husband, the novelist Gregor von Rezzori.
Grisha was born in Rumania, in his beloved Bucovina, to where
he so often returned in his writing, and to where I return, like
now, with a feeling of being somehow back home: after hearing
so many of his tales, after reading so many of his fables about
his country and his people, it’s difficult not to feel as if I myself
had, somehow, shared the History and the stories of this
beautiful country.
20
e Santa Maalena Foundation
for Write
After leaving Bucovina and being a nomad all across Europe for
more than two decades, he came at last to Santa Maddalena.
Grisha found it the best place to write, and after he died in
1998, the strange magic of the place for him and for visiting
writers became the inspiration for the Foundation. The idea
was -- and very much still is -- to offer a retreat to writers that
provides freedom and tranquility for work. There are fourteen
six-weeks resident Fellowships available during the year, and
we give special consideration to writers of fiction, nonfiction,
poetry, -- and writers engaged in works on the natural world.
Santa Maddalena quickly became known for the laid-back,
casual and, yes, a bit ramshackle hospitality that was to be
expected; from the beginning we had many visiting writers and
friends -- Bruce Chatwin, Michael Ondaatje, Robert Hughes
and Bernardo Bertolucci come to mind -- who found Santa
Maddalena an irresistible place to work, and tended to return
to it again and again.
It is precisely this way of doing things that we still try to
preserve: not too bureaucratic, not too institutional, proudly
old-fashioned when it comes to hospitality and care for our
guests, but seriously giving priority to what I have come to
learn (how couldn’t I, after so many years among them) to
be the utmost necessities of writers in search of a quiet place
to focus on their work.
Beatrice Rezzori Monti della Corte
21
Acknowledgements
A lost horseshoe brought me to Richiş first, in 1990. Never
would I have thought then, that this remarkable village would be
hosting an international book festival in September 2013. There
is much to be thankful for and many people to thank. Without an
infrastructure we would be nowhere. Hans with Hannie Schaas
and Willi Untch refused to follow their families to Germany and
kept the church community going. Tony and Gerrit Timmerman
have done more than anybody in keeping the village on the
map and with Miriam Eliad and Willi Untch, founded the
charitable trust Pro Richiş Transilvania. Juliana and Christopher
Grose, whose funding for the church roof gave fresh hope
and Edward Bennet and Dominic Gwynn in giving up time to
restore the organ. The Mihai Eminescu Trust and the Horizon
Foundation realised the importance of the Richiş town and
village halls and have paid for the restoration by our Richiş
wonder builder Rares Dudas. Thanks to David Abel Smith for
restoring the lavatories and putting up with day-to-day dramas.
Friends and neighbours have contributed more than I would
have expected. Great thanks to the Evanghelic Church for
giving us the Saal to use and ADEPT for using their tables,
chairs and pavilions. The Richiş team: cooking lady Anisoara
Radutu, Marie Paerele and Tanti Fenica and all others.
We could not have succeeded had not our writers found the
idea interesting and were prepared to have an adventure.
Many websites gave us mentions, such as Tom Sawford’s
action-packed blog on Paddy Leigh Fermor. Tom introduced me
to Marian Popa, founder of the Medieval festival in Sighişoara,
but also good at high speed interactions between Rotary Clubs
to raise funding and help, including having the posters printed in
Romania.
22
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Eugen Roba and Temple Melville for hosting dinner in
Moşna. Digital Image Projection at 5000 Lumens provided by
Hitachi. The sponsors have been more than generous in
supporting writers including Jessica Douglas Home, Annabel
Barber of Blue Guides, Joey Casey in memory of her
husband Michael, nephew of Joan Leigh Fermor, The British
Council, and the Media Fund and Arcadia Books, and donors
who wished to remain anonymous. Denisa Septilici, at Liberty
International, has settled everyone into beds and arranged
transport with unfailing charm with help from Geanina
Diaconescu. They have been a vital partner in this endeavour.
The Romanian Cultural Centre in London, Professor Alexandra
Mitrea and Professor Dan-Serban Sava of Lucian Blaga
University gave great encouragement. Thanks to Dragos Varga,
Director of the Inter-Ethnic Cultural Centre for sponsoring the
Sibiu coach. Thanks too to Laura Vesa of Discover Romania for
suggesting contacts with universities and to Ramona Cazacu
and all those who have sent out posters. The Facebook postings
have been translated by Ana Balasca.
Most of all, the endorsement of HRH The Prince of Wales,
His Excellency Ion Jinga and the mayor of Biertan, Mircea Mihai
Dragomir has been invaluable.
For the initial idea of a Transylvanian Book Festival I must
thank my sister in law Caroline Knox, founder of the Boswell
Festival in Scotland. At first it was celebrating the writings of
the English-speaking world to which I added some of the
remarkable writers of Transylvania -- too few, I fear. Our days
are not long enough. There are many reasons to return.
Lucy abel Smith
23
Bibliography
This is a random selection of recent reads. Therefore, this list is
both personal and gives a taste of what is being translated and
published in England now. Romanian Literature and poetry has
been translated in England for 50 years.
George arion
Attack in the Library
Profusion International
Miklós Bánffy
The Writing on the Wall, the Transylvanian Trilogy,
(2010) The Phoenix Land
Arcadia Books Ltd 2010
Carmen Bugan
Burying The Typewriter: Childhood under the Eye of the
Secret Police
Picador 2012
Renata Calzi
Gypsy Architecture
Axel Menges 2007
Ioan Es.Pop
Bibliog
No Way Out of Hadesburg and other Poems
University of Plymouth Press
Daniela Crasnaru
Letters from Darkness
Oxford Paper Back 1991
Hermann Fabini
The Church-Fortresses of the Transylvanian Saxons
Monumenta 2010
Isabella Fosca
Bury Me Standing
1995
24
Bibliography
Bugan Hrib
Killing the General
Profusion International
Mircea Ivanescu
Lines Poems Poetry
University of Plymouth Press
alan Ogden
Romania Revisited:
On the Trail of English Travellers 1602-1941
Dervla Murphy
Transylvania and Beyond: A Travel Memoir
Mike Ormsby
Never Mind the Balkans, Here’s Romania
2nd edition published by Amazon KDP/CreateSpace
Independent Publishing Platform (2012)
Razvan Petrescu
Small Changes in Attitude
University of Plymouth Press
Bronwen Riley
graphy
Transylvania 2008
Frances Lincoln
Cecilia Stefanescu
Sun Allay
Istros Books 2013
Gregor Von Rezzori
The Snows of Yesteryear
1990 Chatto and Windus Ltd, (latest ed 2008)
Memoirs of an Anti-Semite
2010
25
Notes
26
Reality and Beyond Ltd
Quenington Old Rectory
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7 5BN
01285 750 888/358
lucy@realityandbeyond.co.uk
www.realityandbeyond.co.uk
Design: Rupert Purcell
Design: Rupert Purcell
www.rupertpurcell.co.uk
www.rupertpurcell.co.uk