Transylvania by Bronwen Riley
Many people think Transylvania is a fictitious land, like Ruritania or Narnia. It is the birthplace of Dracula. It is the place where dragons live in Harry Potter and the country to which the Pied Piper spirited the children of Hamelin. Indeed, although Transylvania is a real place, truth here is often stranger than fiction. Streams run with silver, the mountains are full of gold, dinosaur nests are found in river beds and haystacks in trees. It is a country of striking cultural contrasts: of Orthodox monasteries, Gothic churches and Communist follies. While the 'King of the Gypsies' lives in a grandiose modern palace, the future King of England has bought a modest peasant's house in a remote village. Transylvania only recently awakened from the deep sleep of Communism and, though life is now changing fast, traditions remain here that elsewhere died out long ago. Transylvania captures this vanishing world in words and pictures.
Bronwen Riley writes superbly..Dan Dinescu's photography is simply stunning Independent This wonderful book is a testament to this haunting land. Riley is passionate about the region, and has spent much of the past 10 years living in remote mountain villages. In her elegant prose she explores this land recently unshackled from the chains of communism, and finds a place steeped in gypsy magic. Illustrated with Dinescu's hauntingly lovely photographs, this is a very special book. Sunday Telegraph Stunning photography illustrates a fascinating journey by Romania expert Riley around this little-known region. Its myths, characters and buildings give remarkable insight into a hidden world. Tatler Bronwen Riley writes superbly about her fascination for the region's landscapes, customs and - above all - people, who now face another threshold as modernity at last arrives in remote Romania, courtesy of the EU. Dan Dinescu's photography is simply spine-tingling. Irish Sunday Tribune Bronwen Riley's words and Dinescu's pictures should inspire more travellers to explore this repository of Romanticism while it lasts. Daily Telegraph
Bronwen Riley lived for a time in the remote mountains of Transylvania, studying village traditions and learning Romanian. An Oxford Classics graduate, she specialised in the post-Byzantine art of Romania at the Courtauld Institute, London. She is now managing editor of guidebooks at English Heritage and organises tours of small groups to share her great enthusiasm for and knowledge of Romania.
Bucharest-born Dan Dinescu is best known for his marvellous documentation of Maramures, a region in north-west Romania where life stayed unchanged for centuries. Over the course of 25 years, he has captured the people and places of this remote country in luminous, memorable images.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780711227811 |
| ISBN 10 | 0711227810 |
| Title | Transylvania |
| Author | Bronwen Riley |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Quarto Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2008-03-13 |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |