Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
Romanian Nobel laureate still haunted by communist past  
 
 
 
 
 
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
 
 
 
Asia Pacific
World
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Romanian Nobel laureate still haunted by communist past
 
 
  
 
 AFP - Saturday, October  2
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Romanian Nobel laureate still haunted by communist past
 
 
 
 
 
 
BUCHAREST (AFP) - – The ghosts of communism and bitter memories that infused the novels of 2009 Nobel laureate Herta Mueller haunted her first trip back to her native Romania this week since winning the prestigious award.
 
"Like everyone else, I was hoping accounts would be settled after the toppling of the dictatorship and people who had had horrible responsibilities would no longer have power or clout," the 57-year-old writer told a press conference.
 
For Mueller, members of the dreaded communist secret police, the Securitate, "are everywhere, they have not vanished in thin air."
 
Her visit for a book launching stirred tremendous interest in an author who, as a member of Romania's German-speaking minority writes in German, was little known here before winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.
 
She now ranks among Romania's best-selling writers, according to the Humanitas publishing house.
 
Mueller was persecuted by the Securitate for refusing to become an informant and her work was censored at home. She finally managed to emigrate to Germany in 1987.
 
Her novels, notably "The Appointment" and "The Land of Green Plums", describe the terror and humiliation she said she suffered under Nicolae Ceausescu's regime.
 
Romania's communist rule ran from 1945-1989 and remains an open wound for many, notably victims still waiting to tell their story in court. The government has never lifted the statute of limitations for communist-era crimes.
 
And in June, the Constitutional Court ruled that a law forbidding former communist officials to hold or run for public office -- similar to anti-communism laws passed in other former Eastern bloc states -- was "unconstitutional".
 
"It's not normal that they should still hold high-ranking positions and enjoy a second life after the dictatorship," she told the press conference.
 
Mueller also used her visit to defend the late, well-known poet Oskar Pastior, a personal friend and compatriot in the German-speaking minority whose past as a Securitate collaborator scandalised admirers when it was recently disclosed.
 
"Oskar Pastior did not have a choice," she said. After returning from five years of forced labour in a Soviet camp, "he was a broken man, if he had not accepted he would have been imprisoned," she said.
 
Pastior's experience, similar to that of many German-speaking Romanians after World War II, inspired her novel "Everything I Possess I Carry With Me". The Romanian versions of this and another of her works, "Travelling on One Leg", were released this week in Bucharest, drawing hundreds of fans to book signings.
 
Mueller says she is bemused and a bit embarrassed by her new-found celebrity in the home she fled. "For one thing, I can't elude all these press conferences, but when I'm alone with myself nothing has changed."
 
She joked that her works "sound better in Romanian", saying she should perhaps hand over her Nobel prize to Romanian translator Alexandru Sahighian.
 
But the gloom returned when asked if she cherished any memories from her time in communist Romania, saying simply: "There aren't any."
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recommend
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
Related Articles
 
 
Harry Potter magic could sparkle again: Rowling AFP -  34 minutes ago
 
Ubisoft sends 'Assassins' to Facebook AFP - 2 hours 18 minutes ago
 
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - 2 hours 28 minutes ago
 
"Rockford Files" creator Stephen Cannell dead at 69 Reuters - 2 hours 28 minutes ago
 
As Nigeria turns 50, Femi Kuti looks back in anger AFP - 2 hours 43 minutes ago
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
News Search
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Top Stories
 
 
 
 
US auto sales post solid gains from depressed 2009 levels
China launches second lunar probe
EU opens IMF door to emerging giants
Brake problem forces BMW, Rolls-Royce recall
United, Continental finalize airline mega-merger
 
 
 
 More Top Stories »
 
 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Most Popular
 
 
 
 
Most Viewed
 
Most Recommended
 
 
 
 
Brake problem forces BMW, Rolls-Royce recall
 
Ireland reveals full horror of banking crisis
 
Dinosaurs taller than thought: study
 
US scientists find new way to generate human stem cells
 
Post-crisis Paris car show goes electric, looks to Asia
 
 
 More Most Viewed »
 
 
 
 
 
US state executes first woman in nearly 100 years
 
'Time bomb' superbug requires global response: doctor
 
Workers swarm Europe's streets in anti-cuts protests
 
 
 More Most Recommended »
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
 
 
 
 
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
 
 
Stars and latest movies
 
 
Best travel destinations
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
More on Yahoo! News
 
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
 
Also on Yahoo!
 
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
 
Site Highlights
 
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
World Cup 2010
Yahoo! News Network 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy 
- Terms of Service 
- Community 
- Intellectual Property Rights Policy 
- Help
        
    
  
   
 
 
    
   
 
Other News on Saturday,  2 October 2010 Iran atom progress "slow but steady"  
Italy's top daily strikes in multimedia row  
Bin Laden role eyed in latest European terror plot
|  
NATO claims insurgent captures; 2 Romanians killed  
US auto sales post solid gains from depressed 2009 levels  
Facebook now second-largest online video viewing platform  
BIOS Replacement Should Offer Instant-On PCs In 2011  
China launches second lunar probe  
NATO says it captures Afghan insurgent leaders  
New Risk Factor for Adult Heart Disease Identified in Children  
Anti-terrorist operation took place in Iraq: Iran MP
|  
US-TECH Summary  
Snooki Getting Own Reality Dating Show  
United, Continental Complete Merger  
EU opens IMF door to emerging giants  
Darfur rebels say Sudan army raids kill 27
|  
New HP CEO fails to rouse investors as shares slide  
Postal Service Denied 2 Cent Rate Hike  
Wall Street gives chilly reception to new HP CEO  
Porn Studio Celebrates "The Flintstones" 50th Anniversary With Adult Film Parody  
United, Continental finalize airline mega-merger  
Oxygen Confirms New Paris Hilton Reality Show  
Dispute over article freezes France-UAE arms talks: source
|  
Paladino Trails In Poll As Controversy Erupts Over Fight With Reporter  
Moscow gays hold first unimpeded rights protest
|  
Microsoft names veteran insider as Office head  
India granted limited BlackBerry Messenger access  
Zac Brown Band Earn First #1 On Billboard Albums Chart With "You Get What You Give"  
Musharraf launches comeback bid with new Pakistan party  
Google brings 'Street View' to Antarctica  
Australian arrested with drugs in Bali  
Ex-president Musharraf launches political comeback  
"Rockford Files" creator Stephen Cannell dead at 69  
No breakthrough in US efforts to save talks: Palestinians  
Microsoft names veteran insider as Office head  
Microsoft sues Motorola over Android phones
|  
US-TECH Summary  
U.S. Cyber Command slips behind schedule
|  
Ubisoft sends 'Assassins' to Facebook  
FBI says Ukraine arrests 5 in cybercrime case
|  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Privately held Facebook in 5-for-1 stock split
|  
"Rockford Files" creator Stephen Cannell dead at 69  
As Nigeria turns 50, Femi Kuti looks back in anger  
Kristin Scott Thomas carries sensuality into films  
Indonesia's top Muslim body seeks ban on gay film fest  
"Titanic" to see 2012 3D release after "Star Wars"  
When vampires become friends, "Let Me In"  
Romanian Nobel laureate still haunted by communist past  
Sting cheers on French designer Roland Mouret  
Russian gays claim first sanctioned protest in Moscow  
Kristin Scott Thomas carries sensuality into films
|  
Rockford Files creator Stephen Cannell dead at 69
|  
Titanic to see 2012 3D release after Star Wars
|  
When vampires become friends, Let Me In
|  
Bomb attack kills two NATO soldiers in Afghanistan  
Fresh demos in German city after bloody clashes  
Dozens killed, injured in Indonesian train crash
|  
Iraq's Shi'ite union backs incumbent Maliki as PM  
Cyber Command slips behind schedule  
Iraq's Shi'ite union backs incumbent Maliki as PM
|  
NATO claims insurgent captures; 2 Romanians killed  
Spain detains 41 suspected of funding Colombia rebels  
Envoy urges Bosnians to vote issues, not ethnicity  
Microsoft sues Motorola for patent infringement  
Chile miners could be rescued this month: minister
|  
Main Shiite bloc picks Maliki for Iraq PM  
FBI says Ukraine arrests 5 in cybercrime case  
Ellen DeGeneres Speaks Out Against Gay Bullying In Tearful Video  
Bin Laden calls for Pakistan relief in new tape: Web
|  
Ukraine court strengthens president's powers  
"Anti-terrorist" operation took place in Iraq  
Zac Brown Band Earn First #1 On Billboard Albums Chart With "You Get What You Give"  
North Korea's Kim Jong-il no lame duck, in U.S. view
|  
Microsoft names veteran executive to head Office division  
Darfur rebels say Sudan army raids kill 27  
Bruno Mars Tops Billboard Hot 100 For Second Week With "Just The Way You Are"  
Agreement reached in Tokyo anti-counterfeiting talks
|  
US-TECH Summary  
Microsoft sues Motorola for patent infringement  
'Titanic' to return to the big screen, in 3D: report  
Microsoft names veteran executive to head Office division  
33 killed in Indonesia train crash: official  
US drone strike 'kills six militants' in Pakistan  
Japan arrest two senior prosecutors over tampering  
Thai queen recovering in hospital after heart problem  
China calls on Japan to 'maintain relations'  
Microsoft hopes to bury iPhone, Android
|  
High-tech revolution yet to hit North Korea  
India races to turn C'wealth Games into success  
North Korea's Kim Jong-il no lame duck, in U.S. view  
New Zealand police fear violence if All Blacks fail  
Harry Potter magic could sparkle again: Rowling  
Indonesian train crash kills at least 36  
Facebook movie underscores cultural phenomenon
|  
New HP CEO fails to rouse investors, shares slide
|  
Levi's Responds To "Racist" Curve ID Jeans Campaign Controversy  
Ellen DeGeneres Speaks Out Against Gay Bullying In Tearful Video  
Cyber Command slips behind schedule
|  
Rouse Replaces Emanuel, Obama: Bittersweet Day At The White House  
Microsoft Sues Motorola Over Alleged Patent Infringement  
Japan's Kan threatens to intervene again to weaken yen  
India's Maruti posts highest ever monthly sales in September  
India exports accelerate in August  
Pakistan dissolves main electric power company  
Vedanta wins reprieve on Indian smelter shutdown  
Pakistani rupee firms from record low; stocks up  
Facebook movie underscores cultural phenomenon
|  
TV anchor Sanchez leaves CNN after comments on Jews
|  
Eminem seen as top contender in Grammy race
|  
Agreement reached in Tokyo anti-counterfeiting talks
|  
Carla Bruni's music plans spark political concerns
|  
Yoko Ono revisits John Lennon's archives for Truth
|  
Paris Hilton to show her real life in new TV show
|  
Archuleta expresses his inner dork on Other Side
|  
Singer Faith Evans busy with music, TV ventures
|  
NATO supplies in Pakistan remain blocked  
French unions up ante with pension protest  
Iran arrests Stuxnet 'spies' who hit atomic work  
U.S. drone strikes kill 18 militants in Pakistan
|  
Karzai gives pep speech to Afghan security forces  
Schwarzenegger, California lawmakers in budget deal  
Students and families join French pension protests
|  
IMF urges cooperation to prevent 'currency war'  
Pakistan Keeps NATO Supply Route Barred, Convoy Comes Under Attack  
Christian Democrats hold key Dutch coalition vote
|  
Weekly Recap  
PLO says no talks until Israel halts settlements
|  
Clouds Of Political Instability Hover Over Pakistan As U.S. Talks Democracy  
Nigeria bomb toll rises: government admits it was warned
|  
Kyrgyzstan tense as parliamentary vote nears: OSCE
|  
Greece seeks Chinese investment as PM visits  
Philippine leader resolute in contraceptives row  
Microsoft hopes to bury iPhone, Android
|  
Japan nationalists rally against PM, China  
U.S. drone strikes kill 18 militants in Pakistan  
Agreement reached in Tokyo anti-counterfeiting talks  
Dozens killed, injured in Indonesian train crash  
Wozniacki beats Dementieva to win WTA Pan Pacific  
Summer collections look to misty isles and spirits  
Eminem seen as top contender in Grammy race  
Carla Bruni's music plans spark political concerns  
Yoko Ono revisits John Lennon's archives for "Truth"  
Archuleta expresses his inner dork on "Other Side"  
TV anchor Sanchez leaves CNN after comments on Jews  
Singer Faith Evans busy with music, TV ventures  
India seeking to intercept BlackBerry messages  
Yamamoto pays 'psychedelic' tribute to Hendrix  
Progress on global anti-counterfeiting treaty  
S.Korea c.bank sees risks from rapid capital flows  
Taiwan 'to probe illegal migrant workers' after deaths  
Japan eyes new 58 billion dollar stimulus: report  
S.Korea, S.Africa to sign nuclear power deal: report  
Japan PM urges China to act responsibly  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights