Burying the Typewriter

Winner of the Bakeless Prize for Nonfiction, a childhood memoir of political oppression and persecution during Romania's Ceausescu years. Carmen Bugan grew up amidst the bounty of the Romanian countryside on her grandparents' farm where food and laughter were plentiful. However, her father's behavior became increasingly disturbing. He wept while listening to Radio Free Europe, hid pamphlets in sacks of dried beans, and mysteriously buried and reburied a typewriter. Upon discovering he was a political dissident, Bugan felt anxious for him to conform. Isolated and helpless, especially with her mother in the hospital and her sister at boarding school, she faced the turmoil of loving her "hero" father despite the pain he caused the family. After her father's imprisonment and subsequent house arrest for the family, they were forced to chart a new course for the future. A poignant reminder of a dramatic moment in Eastern European history and a warm, intelligent debut.