Romania in the 1980s was a country of empty shops, power cuts, rationing and fear—but for one little girl it was also home.
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In this episode, author Oana Aristide shares the remarkable childhood experiences that inspired her novel Astronaut! From writing an anti-Ceaușescu protest demanding more cartoons to surviving freezing winters, queuing for food and learning not to trust the wrong people, her memories bring Cold War Romania vividly to life.
Oana explains how children experienced dictatorship differently from adults, revealing a world where imagination flourished despite repression. Rich with humour, warmth and poignant reflection, this conversation offers a unique perspective on life behind the Iron Curtain.
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Related episodes:
- Cold War, Warm Hearts – Hitchhiking behind the 1960s Iron Curtain https://pod.fo/e/2098ae
- A Childhood under the eye of the Secret Police https://pod.fo/e/a4730
- My life laid bare through secret police files https://pod.fo/e/12e45f
- A Hungarian childhood in Cold War Romania https://pod.fo/e/1190aa
- Escaping from Cold War Romania https://pod.fo/e/11ad63
- Emanuela – a Cold War Romanian Childhood https://pod.fo/e/f0376
- Reporting the 1989 Romanian Revolution https://pod.fo/e/1ea8c
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