Comments on: The July Theses, translated and annotated

By: The Romanian Football Federation, aka FRF: a case study « The Tar Pit

The Romanian Football Federation, aka FRF: a case study « The Tar Pit — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:49:34 +0000

[...] National School of Political and Administrative Studies. During Ceaușescu's time, it bore the name Ștefan Gheorghiu and it was the main educational institution for forming party cadres. Talk about [...]

By: The next generation, its blessings and flaws « The Tar Pit

The next generation, its blessings and flaws « The Tar Pit — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:54:13 +0000

[...] Only, say, if we're to take Eastern Europe as one personal example: my generation was educated by communists, and thus they have retained many of the traumas of those ages, despite no longer living in them; [...]

By: Winter in the postmodern Soviets « The Tar Pit

Winter in the postmodern Soviets « The Tar Pit — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:23:24 +0000

[...] to living in the cold, just like they used to do way back in the 1980s, right before they murdered the shoemaker. Frankly, I don't think the mathematician would even be worth the [...]

By: Liceenii « The Tar Pit

Liceenii « The Tar Pit — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:37:17 +0000

[...] far as the first part goes, Liceenii is communist realism done by the book. Some dorky little boy (Bănică) from the province comes to Bucharest to study -- we intuit this [...]

By: The perpetual transition « The Tar Pit

The perpetual transition « The Tar Pit — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 19:49:12 +0000

[...] Like all transitions, this was to be a transition from the old to the new, from retrograde communism to the more sophisticated and greatly evolved "democracy and market economy". Unfortunately, what [...]

By: So... shit's actually happening over in Bucharest « The Tar Pit

So... shit's actually happening over in Bucharest « The Tar Pit — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 17:45:52 +0000

[...] know what else this reminds me of? It really reminds me of S0E1, that is, that time when they shot the shoemaker. Turns out you don't even need a trial anymore these days, since Facebook -- y'know, that other [...]

By: Moromeții 3 « The Tar Pit

Moromeții 3 « The Tar Pit — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 13:12:08 +0000

[...] thing. Stalinist communism, which Moromeții 3 presents, is a wholly different beast from the nationalist communism implemented by Ceaușescu. I'll readily agree with the reader that either of the two communisms was [...]

By: Boga « The Tar Pit

Boga « The Tar Pit — Mon, 20 May 2024 20:15:30 +0000

[...] in Bihor. But otherwise in the exact vein of Hondol, Boga is an ex-mining commune developed during the last century, nowadays slowly decaying while nature is regaining lost ground1. And also precisely like that [...]

By: Bușteni « The Tar Pit

Bușteni « The Tar Pit — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 16:43:06 +0000

[...] most popular among them are the gondola that goes way up into the mountains -- thank you very much Great Shoemaker -- and the aforementioned valley of the Valea Cerbului2 river, heading up to the famous Gura Diham3 [...]

By: Against the direction in Romanian culture today, translated and annotated « The Tar Pit

Sun, 28 May 2023 14:29:23 +0000

[...] to mind is that it was truly a pleasure to translate this piece, in contrast for example with the July Theses. The reason is, I hope, obvious: while the latter is written in Romanian woodentongue and thus [...]