AMALA ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.106, 06/2026 ▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! Abstract: Amala – The Tragic Horizon of a Stolen Dream In this poignant excerpt from Sub semnul lui 12 (Under the Sign of 12), Ion Bogdan Martin reconstructs the harrowing reality of the late communist era in Romania, through the fate of Amala and Carmen. Set against the backdrop of the summer of 1989—a time of systemic crumbling and desperate individual aspirations—the narrative transcends a simple story of star-crossed lovers to become a testament to the suffocating rigidity of the regime. Amala, a young man of dignity and ambition, and Carmen, caught in the web of an activist father’s prejudices and political zeal, represent the collision between the human desire for a "Superior Time" and the cruel, immutable gravity of the "Inferior Time." Their journey towards the Danube—the ultimate frontier—is not merely an escape attempt; it is a desperate search for a world where their love can exist outside the constraints of origin and social status. The tragic finale, where the two are reunited in death in the waters of the Danube, serves as a searing critique of the inhumanity of the era. The irony of the activist father calling upon God in his moment of despair, only after his own rigidity had catalyzed the catastrophe, highlights the moral bankruptcy of the system. Through the image of their hands reaching for each other in the depths of the river, the author encapsulates the ultimate sacrifice of the individual before the altar of a regime that sought to control not just the body, but the very right to dream of a better life.
Eu parcă simt că vine ceva…, de Ciprian Cristea ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲
Despre iubire, memorie și rezistență în „EstePi”, de Eugen Matzota ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 04/2026 ▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! Abstract Title: Of Love, Memory, and Resistance in "EstePi" Author of Review: Eugen Matzota Subject: The Dictatorship of Silence – EstePi Love by Ciprian Cristea In this compelling review, Eugen Matzota introduces a new voice in contemporary literature, Ciprian Cristea, whose debut into the world of philosophical dystopia marks the beginning of an ambitious nine-volume series. Matzota, who acted as a mentor to the author, explores the manuscript titled The Dictatorship of Silence – EstePi Love, a work that transcends simple storytelling to become an urgent radiological examination of the present. The text analyzes a frozen, perfectly administered world where human essence—emotion, longing, and identity—has been surgically removed in exchange for a sterile and controlled order. In this universe, individuals are stripped of their names and reduced to mere statistical functions—exemplified by the chilling identification of a loved one as "7-241." Matzota argues that Cristea’s work is not merely a projection of a bleak future, but a meditation on the dissolution of the soul within a society that confuses absolute control with happiness. Ultimately, the review highlights the central theme of the novel: love as the most radical and illegal act of spiritual resistance against a world governed by algorithms and programmed conformity.
CONVOIUL (XII) ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲
CONVOIUL (XII) de Gheorghe Schwartz Tradus de / Translated by Eugene MATZOTA ▲▲▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲▲▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! The Convoy (XII) by Gheorghe Schwartz Translated by Eugene MATZOTA ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE No. 105, 05/2026 Abstract: In this introspective chapter, the protagonist navigates the unsettling reality of life after exiting the "Convoy"—a regimented, utopian-like structure he refers to as the "Body of the Serpent." Trapped in a city that feels both alien and hauntingly familiar, he seeks refuge in a hotel lobby during a relentless rainstorm, searching for answers among other defectors. His attempt to decode the motives behind their "unthinkable" abandonment of a secure life culminates in a strained, enigmatic encounter with a fellow exile—a man of refined, diplomatic demeanor who embodies the very contradictions of their shared past. Through their dialogue, the story masterfully explores the existential cost of uniformity, the illusion of personal initiative in a world governed by rigid hierarchies, and the subtle, psychological surveillance that transcends the boundaries of the Convoy itself. This segment serves as a profound meditation on the struggle to maintain one’s individuality—and the "small habits" that anchor it—within the crushing pressure of a controlled society.
Sala de așteptare, de Viorel Ploeșteanu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 5/2026 ▲
Sala de așteptare, de Viorel Ploeșteanu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105 5/2025 ▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! The Waiting Room by Viorel Ploeșteanu Abstract: In this poignant narrative, Viorel Ploeșteanu masterfully delineates the slow erosion of a life through the story of Evelina, an octogenarian living in the heart of Bucharest. Her existence is inextricably bound to the physical landmarks of her past—the decaying apartment on C.A. Rosetti Street and a towering plane tree planted in her childhood. As she faces the isolation of a post-communist society where neighbors are strangers and her family has long since emigrated to the United States, the tree stands as her final companion and silent witness. The sudden destruction of this living monument serves as the ultimate catalyst for Evelina’s detachment from the world she once knew. The Waiting Room is a melancholic meditation on the fragility of memory, the pain of abandonment, and the quiet dignity with which the elderly confront their own obsolescence. It is a powerful portrait of a soul realizing that her entire history has been reduced to "sawdust swept away by strangers," leading to an inevitable, resigned surrender to the final sanctuary.
Câinii, de Nicolaie Dincă ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲
Câinii, de Nicolaie Dincă ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! The Dogs by Nicolaie Dincă Abstract: In this satirical short story, Nicolaie Dincă exposes the hypocrisies of rural authority through a clever narrative centered on two of the village's most prominent figures: the local police chief and the parish priest. Caught in a late-night encounter while supposedly tending to their respective duties, the two men exchange pleasantries that thinly veil their true nocturnal intentions. The irony reaches its peak the following day at the police station, when the two officials are forced into a tense confrontation after accidentally leaving incriminating personal items—a tie and a stole—at each other's homes. With the threat of exposure looming, the protagonist-adversaries reach a silent, cynical consensus, attributing their scandalous behavior to the village dogs. Through sharp, dry wit and a keen sense of irony, the story serves as a mirror for human frailty, demonstrating how easily the pillars of moral and civil order can compromise when their own secrets are at stake.
Maria iubea florile ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲
Maria iubea florile, de Ion Bogdan Martin ▲▲▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲▲▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! Maria Loved Flowers by Ion Bogdan Martin Excerpt from the book Under the Sign of 12 | ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE No. 105, 05/2026 Abstract: In this haunting and atmospheric narrative, the author recounts a chance encounter within the skeletal ruins of a derelict industrial plant on the outskirts of Bucharest. What begins as a quest for creative inspiration transforms into an unsettling dialogue with an elderly man who refuses to abandon his former workplace, obsessively maintaining an inventory of a single wooden chair. As the conversation unfolds, the crumbling factory—once a symbol of collective labor—becomes the stage for a poignant meditation on love, loss, and the refusal to accept the erasure of the past. The story skillfully blends social critique with a melancholic exploration of the "ghosts" that linger in the wake of privatization and societal upheaval. Through the figure of the old man and his devotion to his late wife, Maria, the text reveals a hidden landscape of personal devotion, culminating in a devastating twist that recontextualizes the entire experience. It is a profound look at how memory can become both a sanctuary and a self-imposed prison in a world that has discarded its history.
O viață într-o zi, de Cristian Mladin ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 04/2026 ▲
O viață într-o zi, de Cristian Mladin ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 04/2026 ▲ Noi mai credem în cultură! A Life in a Day by Cristian Mladin ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE No. 104, 04/2026 Abstract: This visceral narrative fragment from Cristian Mladin’s work captures the brutal intersection of history and sacrifice within the sacred grove of the Dacians. The scene depicts a desperate, high-stakes ambush by an elite Roman unit tasked with the assassination of King Decebalus. Through the eyes of Zyraxes, a young warrior defined by his valor, the reader is thrust into the chaos of battle—a collision of faiths, civilizations, and loyalties. Beyond the immediate carnage, the text functions as a meditation on the warrior’s ethos and the heavy price of national preservation. As Zyraxes makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the King’s survival, the story culminates in a poignant encounter between the ruler and his fallen savior, framing the tragedy of war against the eternal, indifferent brilliance of the sun. It is a haunting exploration of duty, the fragile boundary between life and the afterlife, and the timeless burden of sovereignty: Si vis pacem, para bellum.