LSD: Life as Socialist Dream

Abstract

This thesis enlarges upon the theme of post-communist nostalgia in contemporary Romania, and analyzes the effects of a former socialist dictatorship as depicted in two of Dan Lungu's novels. The books "I am a Communist Biddy!" and "Hen's Heaven. False Novel of Hearsay and Mysteries" have been chosen due to their applicability within the post-communist discourse and because they offer an accurate depiction of a society which is torn between feelings of longing for the return of former socialist regimes and its desire to come to terms with its troubled past. Thus, nostalgia can only be regarded as the result of two conflicting realities. Romanian writer Dan Lungu proves to have a lot to offer for those interested in social realism and should be granted more attention as the scholarship that addresses the issue of a melancholic post-communist society could still benefit from more extensive research.