Tipografic Majuscul (2020)

The Fence Case (Der Zaun-Fall) In 1981, political demands are painted on the walls of houses and public buildings in Botoșani, in northeastern Romania. They usually begin with “vrem...” (“we want...”) and call for an end to poverty and for free trade unions, as Romania’s ally Poland has allowed. The statements, written in large letters in chalk, are quickly removed by the Securitate, which in Romania serves as both the intelligence service and the secret police. The area is then kept under surveillance, and people are subjected to identity checks. The Pupil (Der Schüler) Mugur Călinescu’s mother is worried because her son has not come home. The pupil was caught writing on houses with chalk, arrested, and handed over to the Securitate. When he is released and allowed to return home, his mother encourages him to report to the Securitate and tell them who incited him, since she cannot believe her son would simply sneak out late at night and wander through the city in the dark. Mugur, however, tells the Securitate that he was inspired to act by Radio Free Europe, a station run by the Americans from West Germany, and by his knowledge that a trade union had just been founded in Poland. He does not regret what he did. His parents promise the Securitate that nothing like this will ever happen again. Mugur is also expected to make this promise, but he finds it difficult. His father, who is divorced from his mother, fears consequences for the whole family. The case is also investigated at Mugur’s school. They do not know whether to dismiss it as the foolishness of a teenager or blame the teachers for failing. In 1982, Mugur vows that he has become a model student. He now regrets what he did and says he would like to study economics. Today (Heute) The former Securitate employees now do something else, and their view of the past and of their former work has changed too. They claim that they always tried, through their work, to reintegrate young people like Mugur into society. They defend not only their own actions but also Ceaușescu’s policies. Mugur has since died, and his mother complains that, during the interrogations, they gave her boy, who was only 17, coffee to drink. The city of Botoșani is now plastered with advertisements for products from the West.