Liminality, Hybridity, and the Aesthetic of Experimentation with Language in the Works of Carmen-Francesca Banciu
Liminality, Hybridity, and the Aesthetic of Experimentation with Language in the Works of Carmen-Francesca Banciu

Author(s): Anca Luca Holden
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Romanian Literature
Published by: Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti
Summary/Abstract: Prior to the fall of the communist regime in Romania in 1989, many authors went into forced or voluntary exile as a result of their political views. Although Romania’s democratization process is lengthier and considerably more challenging than initially anticipated, writers have enjoyed greater freedom since 1990 than under Communism. Nonetheless, there are still authors who continue to leave Romania despite the demise of totalitarianism. Yet, since forced exile is not practiced by the new regime, those who leave the country could be classified as cultural expatriates. Like most exiles, however, cultural expatriates develop a hybrid identity since they are simultaneously inside and outside the cultures that they adopted and left. Operating in a liminal space, located in between cultures and languages, authors with multiple cultural and linguistic backgrounds gain a unique perspective on the role of literature as a form of representation and of experimentation with language. This privileged insight distinguishes their writings in a significant way since it can offer a more complex understanding of notions like home, homeland, and national and cultural identity.

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