Nr. 2 (19) anul VI / aprilie-iunie 2008 - ROMDIDAC

aspecte ale imaginii
ILEANA MARIN
University of Washington, Seattle
Paradoxes of ideological constrains
B
etween 1948 and 1989 Romania underwent several stages of communism,
from the darkest pro-soviet era of the 50s to the final stage of total
deprecation of life conditions and the denial of human rights and freedom
of the late 80s. In terms of the ideological pressure on literature and arts
the communist regime may be divided into four periods: the period of
sovietization dominated by Socialist Realism (1948 – 1958); the period
of rehabilitation of Romanian values and liberal reform with an immediate
consequence in a larger spectrum of artistic experiments (1959-1971);
the Romanian version of the Maoist “cultural revolution” characterized
by a presumably ideologically correct discourse which, at the same time,
created the possibility of subversive meanings (1971-81); and the most
severely controlling period dominated by the cult of Ceausescu when the
stylistic icing/coating of the inconvenient meanings became the norm of
Romanian literature and arts. The public art and the published literature
had to fit into the limitations imposed by censorship. The most aggressive
forms of censorship were in the first and the last period when artists and
authors risked literally their life not only by losing their income or their
freedom, but also by suffering an “accidental” death.
Romanian authorities succeeded in spreading the fear of censorship so
that Romanian artists and writers began to develop an elaborate strategy
of self-censorship in order to avoid confronting the Second Cabinet,
famous for its brutal measures against intellectuals generally, and writers
and artists specifically. 1 Under these circumstances self-censorship was a
solution for survival not only for those engaged in public art, but also for all
Romanians whenever they spoke publicly. Self-censorship was embedded
in everybody’s consciousness despite profession, social position, income,
and/or rank in the communist party hierarchy. Ion Negoitescu 2 considered
self-censorship “more dangerous than censorship itself, because it can
struggle free from the writer’s critical mind and act subconsciously,
falsifying the message” (19). He himself chose not to publish during the
Stalinist epoch and later on, misunderstanding the ideological signals at
the end of the 50s when he began to publish again he was accused of
“aestheticism” and sentenced to three years in jail at Jilava. Although it
Ex Ponto nr.2, 2008
161