Out of the Transylvania Night by Aura Imbarus

Title: Out of the Transylvania Night
Author: Aura Imbarus
Publisher: Bettie Youngs Books
Source: Aura Imbarus coordinated by Susan M. Hein

Under the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, Christmas was outlawed and not recognized as an official holiday, yet it was still celebrated.  On December 21st, 1989, Aura Imbarus went shopping with her parents.  First they went to the government sanctioned grocery store hoping for exotic bananas and oranges.  Their next stop was the town square to find a new black market connection for chocolate.

Imbarus and her parents found gunfire and foreign mercenaries instead.  This was the event that led Imbarus to believe (and hope!) her country could be different than what she’d known all of her life. Microphones and eyes were everywhere to eavesdrop and inform on neighbors.  Rationed items such as gas, electricity and food were part of her daily life. 

The information about the revolution was sparse but the Imbarus family tried to get the most reliable information they could from the international radio broadcasts and eyewitnesses.  It was difficult to know if the revolutionists were making headway.  After it became clear Nicolae Ceausescu was no longer in power, the new government began rewarding revolutionists with extra rations but the system was flawed.  Non-revolutionists were claiming a hand in the victory so they could get more.

Ultimately Imbarus left Romania to have a life that was more within her control.  But she went to extremes – by working several jobs and continuing her education to the point she had no extra time, her marriage became a joyless one.  The continued connection to her family made her look at her new life and where she had missteps.

The story of Imbarus is a timeless one.  People will always want a better life than what they have but not everyone has the courage to start over in a new country.  She paints a truly bleak picture of her economic situation and living conditions in Romania.  The joy and love her family brought to her life was obvious but it wasn’t enough to keep her happy forever.  From the beginning to the end of Out of the Transylvania Night, Imbarus drives home the importance of choice in life. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aura Imbarus, PhD, is a former popular journalist in Europe, university professor, speaker, and award-winning educator. She is co-founder and ambassador of the Romanian-American Professional Network (RAPN) and the president of its Los Angeles chapter. She is also president of EuroCircle’s Los Angeles chapter.

Aura was born in Sibiu, Romania. Educated at the famed Octavian Goga High School, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Modern Languages and an MA in English Literature at Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania. She earned her PhD in Romance Languages-Philology under the tutelage of Professor Dumitru Cicio-Pop, PhD, who writes the Foreword for her book. (Dr. Ciocoi-Pop is the former president of Lucian Blaga University. A popular activist for human rights, he was imprisoned for two years for speaking out against the Communist regime.) Aura lives in Los Angeles.