dacă e să subliniem iubirea, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.106, 6/2026 ▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! Abstract: The Subversive Architecture of the Everyday – A Reading of Doria Șișu’s Poetry In this poem featured in issue 106 of ALTCULTURE Magazine, Doria Șișu proposes a radical reconfiguration of the great human themes—love, war, death, and longing—through an aesthetic of the "red marker" and playful subversion. The author does not question these concepts from a distance; instead, she intervenes directly in their mechanics, proposing a "therapy of the absurd" as a form of resistance. The poem functions as a manifesto against the gravity with which we are accustomed to viewing tragedy: - Love becomes a matter of public signaling, a necessity that must be displayed "strategically on highways." - War and violence are countered with an armor of harmlessness ("gingerbread," "lollipops"), a strategy of "brainwashing" with gentleness that exposes, by contrast, the cruelty of reality. - Death is met not with resignation, but with the playful defiance of one who understands that life, being "free of charge," is a gift worth capturing in a "photo of us laughing." The poem's ending, marked by a liberating forgetting, functions as a philosophical conclusion: true freedom does not reside in preserving pain or the past, but in the capacity to erase the traces of everything that constrains us. Doria Șișu transforms the page of poetry into a workspace where, with a red marker, the reader is invited to rewrite the priorities of an existence often stifled by convention.
Romanian Blues (IV) – Fragment din ”Omul de cenușă” ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲
Romanian Blues (IV) - Fragment din ”Omul de cenușă” ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 05/2026 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! Romanian Blues (IV) – Excerpt from "The Ash Man" by Nicholas Jordan ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE No. 105, 05/2026 Abstract: In this vivid segment from The Ash Man, the narrative shifts from the intimate disillusionment of a weary guide in Scandinavia to the high-stakes, gray-market world of 1989 international tourism. As the Berlin Wall falls, signaling the end of an era, the protagonist navigates the precarious boundary between his professional persona and the "black tours" that sustain the elite cadre of guides—modern-day conquistadors trading in everything from illicit goods to lost souls. The narrative reaches a metaphysical climax aboard a cruise ship in Malta, where, amidst the secret geopolitical maneuvers of the Bush-Gorbachev summit, a chance encounter with a mysterious Knight of Malta challenges the protagonist’s perception of destiny, identity, and the cyclical nature of suffering. Merging historical reality with the esoteric, Jordan crafts a haunting reflection on the role of the "witness" in a degrading world, ultimately leading the protagonist to accept the most daunting assignment of all: a "Blue Christmas" pilgrimage through the monasteries of northern Romania.
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.
în lanțuri, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 5/2026 ▲
în lanțuri, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.105, 5/2026 ▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! In Chains by Doria Șișu Abstract: In this poignant lyrical reflection, Doria Șișu explores the existential weight of living within a society defined by artifice and spiritual erosion. The poem serves as a meditation on the paralyzing nature of conformity—a "chain of grins"—where authentic human connection is sacrificed to superficiality. Through evocative imagery of waiting—words and love standing in line, waiting for the "falling of the chain"—the poet depicts the internal struggle to remain human in an increasingly hollow world. The central figure of the woman, rooted in "clay and soul," becomes a symbol of endurance, transforming years of suffering into a grounded, wingless angel. Ultimately, the work posits that true rebellion lies not in destruction, but in the radical act of forgiveness—a virtue that restores the broken human being and validates the struggle for transcendence against the constraints of a dehumanizing reality.
Romanian Blues (III) – Fragment din ”Omul de cenușă” ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 04/2026 ▲
Romanian Blues (III) - Fragment din ”Omul de cenușă” ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 04/2026 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! Abstract: This excerpt from Nicholas Jordan’s The Ashman captures an evocative journey through Stockholm’s cultural landscape, seen through the eyes of a newcomer guide from Eastern Europe. The narrative seamlessly blends the historical gravity of the Vasa Museum with the intimate, often subversive experience of a guided tour at the National Museum of Fine Arts. Central to the text is an encounter with a provocative painting—attributed by an enigmatic local guide, Ulla, to the Renaissance master Hans Baldung Grien. As the guide provides a meticulously detailed, almost obsessive analysis of the artwork’s symbolism and anatomy, the protagonist becomes increasingly aware of the dissonance between official institutional records and the guide's cryptic, erudite narrative. *Romanian Blues* serves as a meditation on the subjectivity of art interpretation, the weight of cultural heritage, and the subtle power dynamics between a guide, their audience, and the mysteries hidden within the frame.
ÎNTRE MINE ȘI FINAL, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 4/2026 ▲
ÎNTRE MINE ȘI FINAL, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 4/2026 ▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! ABSTRACT Between Me and the End (Published in ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE No. 104, 4/2025) Author: Doria Șișu Overview Between Me and the End is a visceral, poetic meditation on the human condition, exploring the liminal space between existence and finality. Through a stream-of-consciousness narrative, the author confronts the relentless passage of time and the inherent sarcasm of a life lived in a cycle of unanswered questions. It is a call to awaken from the "illusory awakening" of modern existence and to recognize the stranger staring back from the mirror. Key Themes - The Weight of Permanence: The text identifies a "permanent sigh" in every morning breath and a "permanent void" filled with sadistic protocol and destructive trifles. It challenges the ego’s cry of "Why me?" by suggesting that time is an unblinking observer we fail to see. - The Duality of Life and Death: The author portrays life as a force that keeps us tied by our "short shoelaces," bound inextricably to death. Human beings are depicted as beings who pretend to be whole while clutching at the wings of others, mistakenly believing they possess freedom while blinded by their own shadows. - The Metaphor of the "Wooden Man": In a powerful shift toward the end, the narrator identifies as a "wooden man" awaiting the reader’s "polishing" (shaping). This plea emphasizes that power and love reside in the observer's hands, turning a silent block of wood into a "screaming syllable" that lives through the heartbeat of others. Conclusion Doria Șișu concludes with a poignant Post Scriptum on the "short madnesses" we choose as a perfect adjustment to a mad world. Ultimately, the piece serves as a philosophical reminder that we are merely "playing at being human," a game for which we eventually pay the earth with our own mortality. It encourages the reader to lean their head against the "edge of knowledge" as a final virtue and to find laughter beyond the secret of words.
Romanian Blues (II) – Fragment din ”Omul de cenușă” ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.103, 03/2026 ▲
Romanian Blues (II) - Fragment din ”Omul de cenușă” ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.103, 03/2026 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! Abstract Title: Romanian Blues Source: Fragment from The Ash Man (Omul de cenușă) by Nicholas Jordan Set against the backdrop of the shifting geopolitical landscape of late 1989, Chapter 14 finds the protagonist, an elite tour guide for Globe, in Scandinavia. While the "wind of change" sweeps across Eastern Europe—from the opening of Hungary's borders to the ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia—the protagonist encounters a group of displaced guides who have been reassigned from their usual Balkan and Danubian routes due to the mounting unrest. Through their cynical banter, the protagonist is introduced to the concept of the "Romanian Blues"—a state of inexplicable, deep-seated melancholy associated with the haunting traditions and ritualistic "shouts" of Northern Romania’s Maramureș region. As he leads a group of tourists through the desolate, wintry landscapes of Lapland and Sweden, the protagonist becomes obsessed with this "Romanian Blues." To pass the time during the monotonous journey toward the North Cape, he begins studying the Romanian language, drawing parallels between his own migratory existence and the adventures of Nils Holgersson from Selma Lagerlöf’s classic tales. The narrative weaves together the protagonist's personal sense of exile, the fading glory of Viking mythology in Uppsala, and a quiet, linguistic preparation for a country he cannot yet visit, all while maintaining his professional facade amidst a world on the brink of total transformation.