COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY IN THE BOOK OF METOPOLIS BY ȘTEFAN BĂNULESCU
COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY IN THE BOOK OF METOPOLIS BY ȘTEFAN BĂNULESCU

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the role of collective memory in the construction of community identity in Ștefan Bănulescu’s ”The Book of Metopolis”. Drawing on the concept of collective memory, particularly as theorized by Maurice Halbwachs, the study explores the ways in which memory functions as a fundamental organizing principle of the fictional universe. The analysis focuses on four interconnected aspects: the representation of Metopolis as a space constructed through storytelling and remembrance, the role of the Millionaire as a mediator of collective memory, the system of nicknames as a symbolic mechanism for preserving social identity, and the transformation of historical experience into legend.The article argues that Metopolis exists not merely as a geographical setting but as a narrative space shaped by shared memories and collective representations of the past. Within this framework, the Millionaire emerges as a central figure who organizes, transmits, and reinterprets communal memory. At the same time, the widespread use of nicknames reveals the community’s tendency to preserve individuals through symbolic labels that condense personal experiences into collective meanings.The study concludes that the identity of the Metopolis community is built at the intersection of memory, storytelling, and myth. Rather than preserving the past in a stable and objective form, collective memory transforms it into a dynamic narrative resource that ensures the continuity and coherence of communal identity.

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