THE CONSTRAINT OF MEMORY – THE CONFESSIONS OF WILLIAM TOTOK
THE CONSTRAINT OF MEMORY – THE CONFESSIONS OF WILLIAM TOTOK
Author(s): Szilvia GálSubject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Foreign languages learning, Poetry, Anthology, Applied Linguistics, Studies of Literature, Romanian Literature, Philology, Theory of Literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Editura Arhipelag XXI
Keywords: autobiography; testimony; censorship; literary persecution; resistance
Summary/Abstract: This study examines The Constraint of Memory – Notes, Documents, Memories, William Totok’s autobiographical and documentary work, situating it within both his literary trajectory and the historical context. The article analyses the generic complexity of this literary work, which is a text that blends autobiography, diary, documentary testimony, creating a multifaceted narrative of political repression. Through first-person narration Totok reconstructs the formation of the Banat Action Group, the mechanisms of surveillance, censorship, and literary persecution, as well as his own arrest, detention and post-release harassment by the Securitate. The study highlights the author’s narrative strategies and explores how memory functions simultaneously as testimony, self-definition, and resistance.
Journal: Journal of Romanian Literary Studies
- Issue Year: 2025
- Issue No: 43
- Page Range: 222-230
- Page Count: 9
- Language: English
