| Synopsis: |
"She was, practically, delirious. It was clear, she was mad. But it was not only that. In the most dialectically possible manner, she was also clearly a nymphomaniac." (The Unhappy Adventure of My Friend Adam Leon - a Professor, a Literary Man, a Photographer and a Martyr) The titles of his stories set up an atmosphere of intrigue. Take, for instance, "The Innocent and Collateral Victims of a Bloody War with Russia, which, in the end, did not take place" and "Report on Two Couples uprooted from Reality, accompanied by a Vague, Imprecise Commentary regarding Reality as such." On the surface these titles are a summary of the story's events, but they actually pose questions which, slyly carve out a pathway through the playful narratives, and take the reader to the heart of Liviu's intention. The stories themselves are a montage of factual observation and inquisitiveness, married to an acute insightfulness and a daring post-modernist style. They offer a radical perception of change and movement throughout Europe from a pair of fresh eyes, enlivened and enthused by the watershed of European accession. Liviu, however, is setting out achieve something even more personal and deeply felt.Each story explores some aspect of memory in which family life, the life of the community, and the events which define life in the nation are mingled." (Mike Phillips) |