Because Esquire Romania doesn’t have its own website (yet), I have decided to begin uploading my stories. I will start with one that ran in our first issue, September 2007.
This profile of the late-director Cristian Nemescu is one of the hardest stories I’ve done, both professionally and personally. I was attracted to this man for a few reasons, some of which I spelled out in an interview with Bradut: he was a young man who loved telling stories, he was a strong character despite his fragile appearance, and his death left a profound gap in the lives of his friends and family. Reporting this story was an enormous challenge. Some of his friends were wonderfully honest and sincere, others were understandably skeptical of a reporter digging for intimate details. Interviewing his parents was also hard, as they didn’t think they had anything to add to what had been said (they did - a lot).
There is always good for better reporting and better writing, but at the end of the day I believe that this piece remains the most elaborate piece of journalism done of the director of California Dreamin’.
Click on the imagine below to download the PDF. Opening montage and design: Raymond Bobar.
In a few days, check your (Romanian) newsstands for Esquire’s third issue. The cover features Sean Penn in his own Armani suit (he’s Sean Penn after all), and the story talks about his return to the director’s chair for Into the Wild. Penn’s movie is based on a non-fiction book with the same name by Jon Krakauer. But before Krakauer turned the story of a young man who died on an adventure in Alaska into a book, it was — you guessed it — a magazine piece. Those interested in great long-form journalism can read the 1993 Outside article here.
The largest piece of real-estate in issue #3 is superb collection - reported and written locally - of personal tales describing human experiences ranging from exhaustion to fear to bliss to love. It’s Esquire’s Romania first annual “What it feels like…” and among the things you’ll learn by reading these 16 pages is:
- what it feels like to play basketball for 80 hours
- what it feels like to be dumped by a girl when you’re 14
- what it feels like to be a sports play-by-play man
- what it feels like to be a blind tourist in Romania
- and many more.
I have done some writing of my own for issue #3, namely a feature on a wonderful group of enthusiastic guys who are working their butt off to put together an American football team in Bucharest (opening spread pictured below). They are the Bucharest Warriors and we’re devoting eight pages to their story. The photos were shot by my friend, the hard-working genius Andrei Pungovschi (see his blog for some of the shots).
Below are the two pages of contents. Click the thumbnails to see the larger version.
Other goodies in issue #3: Seven Romanian photographers pose for their own cameras in a stunning pictorial. Cristian Patrasconiu explains UDMR’s problems. And General Hari-Bucur Marcu offers some insight on Romania’s defense strategy. Hint: there is none. And feel free to stare at the stunning Dana Rogoz.
* Designed by the team of Raymond Bobar and Catalina Zlotea.
PS: Seen anything you liked in the last issue of Esquire? Tell us via e-mail: esquire /at/ sanomahearst /dot/ ro
I. Am. Teaching.
Actually, I hope I’ll be teaching. The lovely folks at the Bucharest Center for Independent Journalism have given me the chance to teach a course in long-form writing. We’re calling it Narrative Journalism, although I mean that in the broadest sense of the word: journalism that includes elements of narrative storytelling.
The “hope” part has to do with the fact that the class needs 12 to 15 people before it kicks off. I’m positive we’ll get the numbers we need, but still a little nervous. Teaching is something I’ve wanted very much to do upon my return to Romania. My lack of experience in teaching is balanced by my enthusiasm, which I often manage enough off to get others to care about storytelling. Which ultimately is what this class will be about: how do we go about finding and telling stories.
I think that a group of students would have a lot of fun in my class - we’d exchange ideas, talk about writing strategies and, hopefully, do those heartfelt and true stories that Romanian journalism lacks.
If you can read Romanian, an outline of what I plan to teach in the course in here.
For those interested, you can find details on signing up here.
The hardest thing after a debut is a consistent follow-up. I think the second issue of Esquire Romania has met that standard and done one better.
I’m not one to brag, but you’ll find that the second issue is more local, more diverse and more vividly illustrated than number one. And I’m very happy about that. My part in this effort consisted mostly of a personal essay on my family. This form of journalism–one that I treasure immensely–is something that I hope will stir readers and writers alike. It’s not so much writing on the self but reporting on the self, a much more arduous and interesting process. I got my idea when I found some rejection letters that my grandfather received from Romanian newspapers back in the 1950s. It seems he wanted to write for them. I set out to investigate this and… as the story says… ended up finding something completely different.
The opening spread on my story looks like this:
Below is a sneak preview of the cover and the summary pages — yes, Robert Downey Jr. looks awesome. And the story on him is a riot!
Other fun stuff in issue #2: Seven professors step in front of the camera. Iosif Viehmann, a prominent speleologist, isolates himself in a cave for 10 days. Bradut figures out Romanian stereotypes. Cristian Ghinea tears into the myth of young people saving politics. As a bonus, Vasluianu offers an opinion. And more.
* Design by (the magnificent) Raymond Bobar.
The noFX show in Bucharest last night was one of the worst I’ve been to. For once, it was neither the band (unlike last year @ Placebo), nor the crowd (which was the case when I saw Me First and the Gimme Gimmes in Boston).
The noFX concert was held in an absolutely disastrous open air sit-down venue. A punk rock show. In an open-air amphitheater. I’m always happy to see big bands in Bucharest, but if the promoters think the name of the band is enough for a memorable experience, they’re mistaken. Lame, unforgivable and pathetic.
I’m waiting for my Decemberists to take the stage in Vienna in two weeks. That’s going to be a real show. Great band, great crowd and most likely, an appropriate venue. See you there. I’ve got three extra tickets 
Ian McEwan made his debut in Romania with Amsterdam and The Cement Garden, books that illustrate his past writing tendencies more than they do his present ones. Saturday was one of the best books I’ve read in 2005 and I’ve just finished On Chesil Beach.
The book takes place over the course of maybe one hour, but the tension and the flashbacks make the snail-pace at which the two newly weds (both virgins) move towards the bedroom to consummate their marriage run like a thriller. But McEwan knows the writing game well, and just when you think a denouement has been reached, he turns time to fast-forward, leaping decades into the future to leave the reader breathless, unconscious and violently aware of the passage of time. That McEwan - as opposed to other writers I’ve read recently who employed this technique - also suggests that the blunders of youth could turn into tremendous regrets doesn’t help.
Yes, we’re small against the background of history. Yes, we do foolish things and think they mean everything when in the context of one’s life, they are small. But, McEwan says, what if they ARE everything? Or, more accurately put, what if those things do change everything and 40 years later we actively regret the outcome, without realizing it could have ended differently if only one extra word had been spoken.
Bradut, a former teacher (now a peer and a friend), runs jurnalismonline.ro and he had me over yesterday for one of his Yahoo!Mess interviews. It ended up being a long talk — about Esquire Romania, journalism and a little about blogging. If you can read Romanian and can take a little more of my ranting, check it out.
Esquire, the award-winning American magazine, is launching its Romanian edition next week. The PDFs below are a sneak preview of the cover and contents page.
Esquire will be a novelty on the Romanian magazine market, and the first outlet to promote long-form writing and narrative journalism. These forms are almost inexistent in Romania. They will hopefully grow with the help of such a strong brand.
If you live in Romania, buy it! You’ll be buying and supporting great writing.
If you’re a friend of mine, buy it because of the profile I wrote of late-director Cristian Nemescu. It’s an eight-page piece which will hopefully give readers a deeper understanding of who this young director was. It was an emotional piece to report and a hard one to write. I learned a ton about the man and I hope you will, too. Also, please go see his wonderful award-winning feature film, California Dreamin’. It’s definitely worth your time.
Welcome Esquire Romania! May you live long and prosper!
This wonderful cover was designed by Raymond Bobar.
Many goodies inside, these teasers say.
This is indeed turning into a food blog. Help!
Here are shots from the dumpling cook-off between Jo and Lavi. I call them gomboc, which is the Hungarian spelling of the lovely dumplings. Jo made papanasi (even though she inisted they are gomboc - they are not) out of yogurt and raisins, and she made them by adapting a recipe that involves boiling, not frying. Lavi made plum dumplings (szilvas gomboc) in which you take a plum, wrap it in potato dough (did I just make up that concept?) and then boil it. Both were lovely and tasty.
This is some lightly fried pesmet, or dried crust as the dictionary calls it. This is what both types of dumplings will be coated with once fried.
This is Jo’s mixture of raisins and yogurt and a bunch of other stuff that brought the ingredients together.
The plums are waiting for Lavi.
Who in the meantime is boiling the potatoes.
By then, Jo’s beasts were already done.
Giving the potatoes taking a floury beating.
Eventually, the plum dumplings are ready as well.
Yumm!
No posts in a while, but, believe me, it’s because I’m writing enough at work.
Still, there are interesting experiments going on in my kitchen. Below is Lavi’s monumental apple pie, which I ate about 80 percent of by myself. Why? Well, first of all it was damn yummy. Second of all, people say I’m skinny so I have an excuse. There!
Ingredients, ready, set, go!
No, these are not silicone breasts.
Hard to stop picking at the filing.
Poking cute holes.
Opening slice. Sooooo goooooood!
