Search

The following paper presents the latest book Literatur im Streiflicht of Carmen Elisabeth Puchianu, associate professor of the Transilvania University of Brasov. The paper makes a short presentation of all chapters included in Puchianu's collection of studies. The aim is to give an overview to the specific aspects that the author is dealing with in her research: the literature of Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka, the German-language Literature in Romania setting the main focus on Joachim Wittstock and on the German poetry written in Romania during the oppressive 80ies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the request of the Jewish Middle/ Middle-East-European immigrants for images, impressions, feelings and memories from their native lands, which Aaron Lebedeff masterfully captured in his American-Jewish musicals. The paper focuses on multiculturalism and multilingualism in overlapping regions of extended cultural areas, particularly in territories along the borders of Middle/Middle-East-European states, which don't form any abrupt cultural barriers. Using the example of a in our time in Jewish milieus worldwide frequently played quadrilingual song from Aaron Lebedeff about Romania (with the German translation of the complete version from 1925), the paper conveys the role of Yiddish as a major dialect of the German as a worldwide carrier of this language as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of the 1970s, the literature in German language from Romania went through a radical process of change that transformed a largely epigonic and obedient literature into a dynamic, original and subversive one. The following paper analyses the context, the causes, and the mechanisms of this innovative period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intends to analyze the barely known literary personality of Carmen Sylva, the first Romanian queen. Since Carmen Sylva was a German-born princess, yet lived almost her entire life in the Romanian cultural environment, the main point of this paper is to analyze the idea of writing while being split between two different cultures. Carmen Sylva's self-assumed role of cultural mediator is in this respect obvisouly worth mentioning. However the main question of this study lies not necessarily in the role, but rather in the place of this writer with two homelands. Did she indeed manage to become a cultural mediator or was she her entire life nothing more than an outsider? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses and analyses the importance of oral history in offering a true image of reality. Referring to the tragic destiny of the German ethnic group in Romania after the second world war - their deportation in the Soviet Union - it presents an excerpt of the narration of contemporary witnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is part of an ample research in a field, which was so far mainly in the limelight of the historical analysis. It relates about the dignities and titles in the Romanian Principalities in the Middle Ages and focuses on the linguistic, etymological and historical point of view of the topic. The denominations borrowed from German are particularly highlighted in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper attempts at outlining some aspects of experienced intercultural phenomena in Transsylvania starting with the late 50ies and deals with the question of cultural and linguistic choice of an individual born into a multilinguistic and multicultural family. The close connection between mother tongue and identity is analysed under the particular circumstances of the author's biographical background. The paper should be read as an autobiographical statement which the author considers necessary for the understanding of her legitimate status within present day German literature written in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the handling of sources in the historic and ethnographic literature about Roma. In it a tradition of copying can be found without sufficient acknowledgement of sources, the unchecked assumption of foreign statements and inadmissible generalization. These characteristic features are integrated into a pejorative structure. The historic and ethnographic literature is characterized by a moralizing condemnation of those referred to as „gypsies” whereas the social realities remain largely hidden. It is based on only a few sources, in which statements about Roma in the Transylvanian area take a key role. Texts from the 17th to the 19th century are referred to in context of this aspect and are analyzed on their contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradation and intensification can be subject to different linguistic procedures. The present paper focuses on aspects of intensification and gradation by means of word formation in adjectives. The argument is that German and Romanian, as languages belonging to different language families, operate with different means to express high intensity in adjectives. The critical analysis on dictionary items (German- Romanian) aims at disclosing how mental representations are being formally structured at language level. It argues that correct equivalence in translation work can be achieved only if the deep structure level is properly understood by the translator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On a close examination, the Romanian cultural space suggests the existance of a spiritual and cultural incompatibility between Romanian existential feeling and the Faustian man, endowed with the personality and character of Faustus. The Faustian character, Faustus and his literary myth have been imported in Romanian culture. Under the circumstances, this paper investigates the manner in which Faustian aspects and motives reflect in Romanian literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes to analyse contrastively the phraseological expressions which include proper names in German and Romanian languages and also, to interpret them as cultural elements that generate problems when trying to translate them. It is intended to establish equivalence relations between the onimical expressions of the two languages, suggesting, where it will be the case, the translation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From an administrative point of view, Sighiştel village belongs to Câmpani town. As geographic location, Sighiştel is placed in the South-East corner of Bihor County, at the foot of Apuseni Mountains, at 27 Km South-East of Beiuş city (Pl. I/1). Sighiştel Valley (Pl. I/2) is one of the most interesting speological locations from Romania. The concentration on a valley, of only 9 km length, over 150 caves, most of them difficult to reach, is in addition to a national record in terms of endokarstification an attraction for any mountaineers. The entry into this valley is made through a wide "gate"; into the inferior sector the valley turns into a real canyon. The debut of the valley is marked to the left by Ţibocoaia Hill and to the right by Corbeasca Hill. This area is known in archaeological literature, particularly through the research of N. Vlassa, made at the end of the sixth decade of the XXth century. Archaeological discoveries were made in four caves; particularly the Coţofeni culture is well represented. Towards the end of 2008, being interested in Early Iron Age pottery from the current radius of the Arad municipium and seeking the artifacts discovered here, I came across, in the Arad Museum collections, with an interesting recipient. The bitronconic vessel contained 10 animal bones, whit a paper record card in which were written the essential dates of the discovery. In March 2009, M. Besesek, the president of Speowest Arad, a speleological association, donated to Arad Museum some ceramic fragments discovered in "Dâmbul Colibii" cave. Tunelul Uscat Cave, with 3425/129 cadastral number, is located on the right side of the Sighistel Valley at 390 m absolute altitude and 15 m relative altitude. It has a unique, low gallery, beautiful concretioned, with two entries. The gallery has a length of 50 m and a positive out of level of 0,5 m. The recipient is almost intact (Pl. II/6; III/1), only a part of the rim is missing. More than half the diameter shows a cleft. The rim is everted, with large mouth, short neck, bitronconic body and flat footring. The decoration is placed on the maximum diameter of the body, and it consists in tight channellings. Between these channellings are interposed four vertical knobs. The paste is tempered with sand. Burning is reductant. On the inside the color is brick-red and on the outside is black. On the lower part of the body the recipient is covered with ferrous oxide. Dimensions: mouth diameter: 21 cm; body diameter: 45 cm; footring diameter: 13,2 cm; height: 33,5 cm; paste thickness: 0,7 cm. As a first observation, the cave it should not be included in the category of those used as a habitation because of its small size and precarious accessibility, so we must eliminatefrom the start the fact that this cave was used for habitation. Due to lack of information regarding the character of the discovery, a number of important elements cannot be known, such as the exact place of the findings, both the vessel and the animal bones, or if the bones were retained in the vessel or around it. Taking into consideration all these data, the archaeological findings from this cave can be regarded as offerings. In order to deposit the offering were slaughtered three different animal types, sheep, cattle and bird. Its worth noted that the chunks were extremely poor in meat (Pl. V/1-2). The bitronconic recipient form, discovered in „Tunelul Uscat” Cave, with everted rim, short neck, bitronconic body, flat footring, has very good annalogies at Şuncuiuş „Peştera Ungurului”. The discoveries from Şuncuiuş are characterized through the spreading of wide and oblique channellings. This ornament marks the end of Igriţa cultural group; from the chronological view this represents the second half of HA1, eventual the first half of HA2. Both Igriţa group and Gáva discoveries are characterized by the ceramic coloristic differences, red or brick-red on the inside and black on the outside. From the chronological point of view, the both cultural entities, Igriţa and Gáva, fill the gap between BD-HB1. After the end of Gáva culture this type of ceramics almost disappears. We must mention the fact that the single element of chronological framing of the “Tunelul Uscat” discovery is the bitronconic recipient. This type of recipient is not suitable for a tight chronological framing. Beside form and ornamentation, the brick-red inside and black color on the outside helps us to restrict the chronology; taken this into account the lower limit is HB1. The upper chronological limit represents the Şuncuiuş „Peştera Ungurului” deposit (HA1/HA2); in which this type of ornament is not known. Given the arguments presented above, we can say that the offering from this cave belongs to the chronological horizon framed between the end of HA1/first half of HA2 and HB1. Dâmbul Colibii Cave. At the begining of 2009, M. Besesek found in this cave a few pottery sherds (Pl. II/1-5). On the conditions of the discovery, the pottsherds were found in the cave portal at the ground surface. Since the appearance of Igriţa group on the archaeological scene, was stressed the chronological link between these findings and those from Susani or Bobda. With the emergence of Igriţa elements at Româneşti and the discovery of bronze deposits from Zăgujeni and Cornuţel, was launched the idea of the genetic links between Igriţa and Susani groups. Thus by the discovery of Cornuţel (first half to middle HA1), M. Gumă saw the link between Valea Timişului II / Susani „Deluţ” / Româneşti chronological horizon and Susani group. With these data available, there was only a step towards assigning to Igriţa group, along with late Balta Sărată elements and pannonic late tumuls elements, a genetic role of Susani group. One of the common elements of the Igriţa and Susani group is the flat cup, with large mouth, high-drawn strap handle, decorated on the interior with tight channellings disposed in a stat shape. This type of cup can be found in both cultural areas and in the same time represents a well dated element. Star shape interior decoration can be found on a series of cups or bowls at Şuncuiuş „Peştera Ungurului”, Susani „Grămurada lui Ticu”, Debrecen „Nyulas”, Debrecen „Haláppuszta” or Köröm „Rákóczidomb”. The discoveries from Şuncuiuş „Peştera Ungurului” are representing the final phase of the Igriţa group. It is not surprising that here were found the most numerous exemplars of flat cups. The final phase of Igriţa group is contemporaneous with Susani (the second half of HA1, eventually first half of HA2 On the basis of star shape decoration (Pl. II/5), of wide and oblique channellings we can associate the discoveries from „Dâmbul Colibii” cave with the one from Şuncuiuş „Peştera Ungurului”, in chronological terms this horizon express the final half of HA1/first half of HA2. Therefore the final phase of Igriţa group is marked by the findings from „Cioclovina Cave”, Şuncuiuş “Peştera Ungurului” and Şighiştel „Dâmbul Colibii”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the way Romanians perceive their co-nationals of German origin and analyses the building up of auto-stereotypes and foreign-stereotypes. Starting point of the essay and corpus is an online-petition to back up the German Mayor of Sibiu as the Prime Minister of Romania in the autumn of 2009, a proposal made by a coalition of several political parties. The arguments of the petitioners for their support are being interpreted by using instruments and principles of imagology. The patterns of perception discovered show the interesting ways Romanians relate to their own ethnicity and their perceptions of ethnic minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with letters of the publicist, poet and translator Viktor Orendi-Hommenau addressed in 1944 to Rudolf Spek (1893-1953), the director of the Brukenthal-Museum in Sibiu. The letters are preserved in the handwritings collection of the Museum's Library. Before the 23rd of August 1944, when Romania was an ally of the Axis in WWII, Orendi -Hommenau enjoyed high esteem, but when the country changed sides and joined the Allies, the German minority was considered the "Fifth Column" of Nazi Germany and consequently had to suffer. The poet became so poor, that he was forced to ask Spek for help in order to survive. In 1946 the worst was overcome and Orendi-Hommenau became optimistic again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]