NORMAN MANEA
283
friend and neighbor was out looking for the Great Scriptwriter." The
reader smiled at his own joke, happy to be back with the joys of read–
mg.
"I had a bit of a rest in a park. It's an aggressive spring, I'd say,"
added the distinguished reader, timidly and conspiratorially, as he went
toward his usual place at the back, beside the window.
Soon, therefore, columns of books and old newspapers were rising
high on Mr. Matei Gafton's desk.
The Activity oj the Ministry oj Internal Affairs under the Regime oj
Marshal Ion Antonesw,
published by the Dacia-Traian National Society
of Book Publishing and Graphic Arts, 1943; the
Decree oj October 1940
on the R eo rganiza tion oj Romanian Sport;
the
Decree oj October
1942
on
PropaJ?anda, Danger, and the Existence and Interests
of
the State,
1940, 1942,
1943; Romanianization commissioners, penalties Jor high treason, death Jor de–
portees who surreptitiously return to Romania .
Yes, it was all there . The
de–
cree prohibiting marriage with Joreigners or Jews;
the
Graziani Trial; The in–
troduction oj harsher penalties Jor high treason and espionage,
to which he
had settled down; the
Appeal oj
65
Romanian intellectuals to Ion Antonesw
in April
1994
Jor the withdrawal oj Romania from the war.
And then , of
course, there were the papers and, oh yes, the books. The librarian al–
ready knew the menu.
But the studious pensioner did not feel like doing any more research
that afternoon. Spring was sabotaging his reading and study. The room
was deserted - just a few elderly maniacs. He might be considered one
himself, with all those index cards and quotations for a work that no
one had asked for, expected, or wanted. His head ached. No, he could
not do any work today. Let spring take the blame: the restlessness, the
migraine ... a delayed encounter not suitable for captives who have
long been broken in. That bewildering upheaval - a mirage in which
you could not have any confidence.
Without meaning to, Mr. Gafton put his hand on his forehead to
wipe away the perspiration. A whirlwind, yes, an invisible fire in the sky .
. . He bent over the open notebook, his mind made up to start writing.
"Ethi cs and justice must be th e principles of both the legislation and the
life of a new society. Public servants, right from the bottom to the top,
should be the first to respect them. Just one example: the package re–
ce ived through the mail a short time ago from a former colleague. Well,
I checked the contents against the Argentinian invoice note and some of
the items on the list had disappeared." Yes , he recognized the words
with a certain disgust . He tore up the sheet and threw it into the
wastepaper basket. Here is another full page, the draft of another letter.
