Near the impressive buildings of the Romanian Academy Library, considered to be the best in the country, you can also find the beautiful Romanian Literature Museum, on 12 Dacia Boulevard, one of the main streets of Bucharest. Is is a classical structure, massive and impressive, but from the outside it does seem really small, not nearly enough for a museum dedicated to the history of Romanian literature. Yet, on the inside, it is large and the light is bright and powerfull, as you begin to explore, step by step, the permanent exhibits. Or, if you're lucky, you get to visit a temporary show.
The idea for a museum of Romanian history was rather old, and several memorial houses and small endeavours of this kind were small steps, but not nearly enough for a national cultural institutios. Only after the Second World War this problem reemerged, in close connection with the need of finding a place for holding and preserving the Eminescu documentary fund. The value of the documents, manuscripts, photographs concerning the most important poet of Romania was tremendous, unique, so a solution had to be found as quickly as possible. The treasure was donated by several writers from the Union of Writers in 1950, marking thus the anniversary of one hundred years since the official birthdate of Mihail Eminescu. Official, for other critics and historians said that the poet was actually born in 1849 or 1851, or at leas the day and month differed. Whatever the truth was, this fund had to find a home, where it could be studied.
But a future museum of Romanian literature would not only be dedicated to documents regarding Eminescu - his notebooks, a phenomenal fund, were given to the Romanian Academy - but to all writers, living and dead, collecting documents, literary manuscripts, photographs. The first supporter of this generous and ambitious plan was Dumitru Panaitescu Perpessicius, writer, critic and literary historian, one of the most important critics of Eminescu's work. It was the same man who later played a key role in preparing the first six volumes from the massive "Eminescu - The Complete Works" project. Together with other important writers, such as Tudor Arghezi and Victori Eftimiu or critics such as Serban Cioculescu, the new museum was officially opened in 1957.
It was the beginning of an important cultural institution, and at first the director was the same Perpessicius. Despite the political pressures, the museum managed to survive. Although you had to promote the authors that were the start of Socialist Realism, while a great number of important authors were literally forbidden, the museum hosted a great number of important events and exhibitions. Slowly but surely, it became a major part of the Romanian literary life, as several important events of this kind were held here. In 1970, the enthusiastic critics, authors and literary historians that worked here launched the first issue of Manuscriptum - still in existence - which will become one of the best cultural publications of Romania. A rather elitist magazine, Manuscriptum began it's existence by publishing unknown and rare documents, notes, pages of manuscripts, forgotten interviews, then it continued with studies, pieces of literary history and so on. Manuscriptum was very much appreciated by readers and writers alike.
Two years later, in 1972, the first event in the series later known as "Rotonda 13" was held, being dedicated to the work and life of Nicolae Iorga, the greatest historian of Romania. Even in the last years of Ceausescu's regime, when political pressures and economical difficulties were higher, those who worked at the Romanian Literature Museum managed to keep on going.
After 1989, the museum was finally renovated, many previously forbidden authors were remembered here by means of exhibitions and conferences. Nowadays, the Romanian Literature Museum in Bucharest often hosts major cultural events, temporary exhibitions, meetings between foreign and Romanian writers. It also has a very good bookshop - just outside - where one can find a great number of great and rare books, ranging from the museum's own publishing house titles to rare literary magazines, small editions, almost unknown authors. Although you cannot say that it is a very trendy bookshop, it provides a rather good image of what Romanian literature looks today.
Now, the museum's collections count over 300.000 varied pieces, divided in more than 300 smaller collections, from literary manuscripts (both Romanian and foreign authors) to old books, collections of periodicals and thousand of photographs, to documents, a large number of artworks - graphical art, paintings, some sculptures - several personal objects of authors, classical furniture. The whole is completed by a vast amount of audio and video recordings, many of them unique, and therefore very precious. Some of the recordings are the sole audio and/or video testimony left from an author. The museum also adapted to the 21st century by having it's own website and also began another ambitious project : an online history of Romanian literature, from the earliest times to contemporary authors.
Photo : scriitoriromani.ro
2007-12-11
