Product Description

Dan Antal, a distant relative of Vlad the Impaler (Count Dracula), grew up in the mountains of Transylvania, and in this book he presents his story of life before, during and after the Romanian revolution. It is an account the disappointed hopes that mark the transition from dictatorship to democracy in Eastern Europe, and of a man who is determined to leave at any cost. A soldier at 17, Antal sings Gary Glitter songs while training to fight the Americans. His quest for freedom seems doomed to fail - when he builds a hot-air balloon it immediately catches fire. He eventually left Romania in 1990 and now lives in London, where he teaches French.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #894063 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

out of romania
i have recently read this book - a testimony from someone who lived in there in the 'good' days and the bad days of ceausescu regime.
i am romanian and i was 14 at the time of the revolution; i only knew the bad days of the communist ruling, with the hymn to romania, the stupid poems, and the compulsory month of 'patriotic work' (patriotic pupils were supposed to help their comrade peasants harvest the miraculously huge amounts of crops) at the beginning of each school year. and i knew the interminable qeues for bread, milk, meat, and the spontaneus rallies when meager quantities of oranges and bananas inexplicably found their way into the shops.
antal's book is a painful reminder of those days, and i strongly recommend it for those interested in life under dictatorship, not just the romanian experience. i believe there are strong resemblances between the modern dictatorships accompanied by the cult of personalities all over the world. those in the west who think they have already seen and lived everything that could be should read this book carefully and think again...

Just the right time to read this book.
Dan Antal was right in the thick of the action exactly ten years ago when the "revolution" took place. His telling of his own life story is imaginative and well paced. There are a few situations which even to those who know the country well might seem far-fetched but they probably did happen in much the way he describes. The "revolution" of 1989 brought chances for many including Dan Antal. He took them and hopefully has done well since. Unfortunately the country of Romania has not taken its chances as well.