Corespondenţă. Vol.2

This book brings together letters by N. Steinhardt, a monk at Rohia. Some come from his secret police file. Some appear in print for the first time. Police seized some of this mail. Other letters got past their checks. The book is for readers of Romania’s cultural past. It also shows how police watched people under communist rule.

Steinhardt wrote to friends such as Alexandru Ciorănescu. He wrote to Constantin Noica and Emil Cioran too. He also sent letters to Perpessicius and George Tomaziu. He wrote to Dumitru Stăniloae and Ileana Mălăncioiu as well. He sent letters to church leaders, including Antonie Plămădeală and Justinian Chira. He also wrote to Iustin Hodea Sigheteanul. Some letters went to people who edit journals or publish books. In these, he discussed texts he offered them to print.

George Ardeleanu shows how the Securitate used these private letters. Officers marked names and parts of the text. They added notes and copied parts into state forms. These marks could lead to more police checks or harsh acts of control. Police might send people to spy on those named. They might set up gear to watch them. They might also add reports on them to files. These traces help readers study life under communist rule.

The letters fill the last two volumes of Steinhardt’s collected works. The Sfânta Ana Monastery at Rohia takes part in this project. Ardeleanu edits this volume and writes the study at its start. He adds notes, sources for close study, and indexes. Virgil Bulat outlines Steinhardt’s life and the works he wrote.