The Flow of Memory during the Obsessive Decade. The Case of A.E. Baconsky at Steaua Magazine

Abstract

"The relationship between the literary and the political field is a debated topic in historiography, especially with the rise of new research methods. The question of how the writer constructs his artistic identity in a communist regime will be given an answer by studying the literary events and developments, which took place in Cluj‑Napoca, in the editorial office of Steaua (The Star) magazine during the 1950s. Steaua quickly enjoyed success in the cultural landscape of the time, and the editorial policy promoted under its editor‑in‑chief A.E. Baconsky, managed through numerous concessions, but also through a game in the mirror, to stage a literature with moderate ideological influences. Based on different sources, the paper reconstructs the environment in which the writers were formed during the communist period, focusing on the attempts made by them to obey the line in order to ensure their financial and professional survival."