Rearticulating Socialist Subjectivities Class and Gender in Romanian Fiction during Communism by Alexandru Demirel Emil Boican Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy School of Slavonic and East European Studies University College London 2016 I, Alexandru Demirel Emil Boican confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 2 Abstract This thesis proposes a socio-cultural analysis of the articulation of socialist subjectivities in Romanian fiction during the communist period. The question underpinning my research, therefore, concerns the way in which the literary articulation of subjectivity changed across two historical divides: from the inter-war period to Socialist Realism and from Socialist Realism to the literature of the troubling decade. This thesis will be argued over four chapters, two of which will examine the works of Mihail Sadoveanu while a further two will dissect the works of Augustin Buzura. Through the close reading of the works of Sadoveanu and Buzura, whose careers span the two aforementioned historical divides, this thesis will trace the complex rearticulating of class and gender subjectivities as they evolved throughout the communist period, as well as the importance of the communist regime’s social legacies as regards the understanding of post 1989 social developments in Romania. Central to the communist regime’s project of social transformation was the creation of an egalitarian society by default of the abolition of capitalist classes and gender inequalities. While the regime claimed that the material basis of these inequalities had been eliminated and social emancipation was well advanced, critics considered that the official egalitarian discourse had erased social and individual differences and engendered the so-called “faceless masses”. In contrast to these views, this thesis will argue that the communist regime did indeed transform social relationships in many ways, generating new class and gender inequalities, rather than eliminating them. Thus, far from being uniform, socialist societies were heterogeneous, fragmented and were straddled by social antagonisms. This thesis will thus argue that the changes that took place in the literary articulation of class and gender during communism are of significance to both the understanding of the communist regimes as well as their lasting legacies. 3 Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................. 6 INTRODUCTION | Competing Theoretical Frameworks for Articulating Socialist Subjectivities .......................................................................................... 7 1 Literature and the Individual versus Party/State Framework .............................. 9 2 The Discursive Articulation of Subjectivity ....................................................... 19 3 Literature and the Historical Frameworks for Understanding Communism ...... 24 4 Socialist Articulation of Class .......................................................................... 28 5 Socialist Articulation of Gender ....................................................................... 31 6 Chapter Outlines ............................................................................................. 35 CHAPTER 1 | From Parvenu to Entrepreneur: The Changing Faces of the Bourgeois “New Man” ......................................................................................... 38 1 The Parvenu.................................................................................................... 43 2 The Miser ........................................................................................................ 52 3 The Entrepreneur ............................................................................................ 53 CHAPTER 2 | Mitrea Cocor: The Socialist Subject in Revolutionary Development ........................................................................................................ 70 1 The Old Order ................................................................................................. 73 2 War and a Soviet Education ............................................................................ 92 3 The New Order .............................................................................................. 104 4 Mitrea Cocor’s Place in Romanian Socialist Realism ..................................... 118 CHAPTER 3 | The Cape of Good Hope: The Socialist Realist Origins of Augustin Buzura’s Literary Vision .................................................................... 128 1 A New Generation ......................................................................................... 129 2 ‘The Cape of Good Hope’ .............................................................................. 137 4 CHAPTER 4 | Neither Defeated nor Winner: Social Anomie and Atomisation in Augustin Buzura’s Novel Absenții ................................................................... 151 1 Individual Consciousness and Narrative Form ............................................... 154 2 Social Conflict and Historical Change ............................................................ 163 3 Gender Relations .......................................................................................... 176 4 Further Developments ................................................................................... 184 5 Other Developments in the Literature of the Troubling Decade ..................... 190 6 Reception and Changes After 1989 ............................................................... 199 CONCLUSIONS| Changes and Continuities Throughout Communism and Beyond ............................................................................................................... 207 Bibliography ....................................................................................................... 221 Literary Texts ................................................................................................... 221 Critical Resources ............................................................................................ 222 5 Acknowledgments This thesis has been gestating for seven years, and during this time I have benefited from the dialogue with, and the guidance and help of, countless people. The biggest thanks go to my supervisors, Dennis Deletant, Tim Beasley-Murray and Zoran Milutinovic. They have patiently guided me and endured my oft-times impossibly slow and twisted method of working. Dennis Deletant has generously shared his comprehensive knowledge of Romanian culture and literature, and in this vein his suggestions have been priceless. Tim Beasly-Murray has, although only for a regrettably short period of time, nurtured my interest in literary theory. Zoran Milutinovic – apart from being an inestimable source of information in the field of critical theory – has had the toughest task, that of shepherding my efforts to ensure the completion of this thesis. A PhD is a lonely endeavour, and the companionship of friends and colleagues is inestimable. At SSEES, the Postgraduate Humanities Seminar provided a necessary platform for stimulating discussions with colleagues and staff. I would like to thank my colleagues, Simon Pawley and Ian Klinke, who were always there to encourage me, and our conversations were always stimulating and informative. I would also like to express my gratitude to Anna Toropova, Simon Huxtable, Chrysi Papaioannou, Adam Fabry, Irina Marin and Tijana Stevanovic who were always there to help with insightful suggestions as well as the proofreading of the successive drafts of this thesis. The one person outside of academia who I would like to thank is David Mantero, who has had a major intellectual impact on the evolution of this thesis. I would also like to thank the many other unaccredited people, friends and supporters whose contribution remains unmentioned here. The richness of the British Library’s Romanian collection has been a dream come true for me in the pursuit of my research, and has saved me time and made the discovery of new directions and insights possible during the completion of this work. The British Library has furthermore provided a sanctuary and a study space, the provision of which was necessary for the writing of the thesis. I hope that this amazing institution will continue to receive the necessary funding for its continued functioning. This thesis has been facilitated by a generous three-year scholarship awarded by CEELBAS, to whom I also thank for their vital pecuniary support. Finally, I dedicate this work to my wife, Cinzia Sinicropi, without whose patient support and unwavering love this thesis would not have been possible. 6 INTRODUCTION | Competing Theoretical Frameworks for Articulating Socialist Subjectivities The fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe led to rapid political and economic changes that subsequently transformed these societies beyond recognition.1 Yet, the legacies of the communist regimes have persisted long after their demise, and they have influenced post-communist social developments. It is therefore no surprise that the communist regimes’ transformation of subjectivity – the individuals’ relationships with themselves