CENZURA ÎN PRESA SCRISĂ
CENSORSHIP IN PRINT

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is not a theory about censorship but a reconstruction of some of the ways in which it functioned at „Free Romania” Magazine. The study put together memories during the evenings when I was the “clear mind” before the censorship; that is I was responsible for the correctness of the texts to appear in the magazine. About midnight the censor on duty came in and did his job in a passionate way: he had to remove all the words that did not fit to the communist ideology, or the words that he did not understand: synonyms, neologisms and sometimes regional words. But he also took care of print mistakes. Unfortunately, anthological stories are to be remembered: “a caw visit of comrade Niclolae Ceausescu” (a Romanian play on words vita&vizita) or: „the tired activity of comrade Nicolae Ceausescu” (it had to be “untired activity” etc. What was the censorship?!... Officially it was called The Directorate-General of Press and Printed by the Council of Ministers. That is a great authority. Its manager was for 20 years the Jewish Iosif Ardelean, from Transylvania and Horia Panaitescu, Raia Vidraşcu, M. Rosenzweig as deputies. This institution had also a proper ’school’ led by Irina Schwartz, Molho Salvador etc. Censors were focused on publications, publishing houses, radio. And there were departments in all regions of Romania: no book, newspaper, magazine, banner, advertise could appear without its stamp. Being a censor was a secret job. Censors‘analysis and opinions determined the “life” of any written text.

• Details
• Contents