Rădăcini de dor: Ciobănița, poezia de la stână și Calea deschisă spre lumină, de Eugen Matzota ▲▲▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.109, 9/2026 ▲▲▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! Abstract Roots of Longing: The Shepherdess, Pastoral Poetry, and the Path to Light By Eugen Matzota This article explores the authentic literary phenomenon of Neta Timaru ("Neta the Poet"), a shepherdess from Bughea de Sus, Prahova County, and the enduring editorial journey behind her poetic creation. Far removed from the artificial styling of salon literature, true poetry is born in the deep silence of the mountains, amidst the daily hardships and spiritual clarity of pastoral life. Tracing a cultural collaboration that spans nearly a decade—from the initial publication of her work and the 2018 review in AltCulture to the release of her latest volume, Rădăcini de dor (Roots of Longing)—the essay highlights the vital role of local community support, spearheaded by Teișani Mayor Gheorghe Stanciu, in preserving rural memory. Furthermore, the text reflects on the editorial philosophy of guiding an unadorned, divinely gifted voice without altering its raw purity. Structured around the raw realities of sheep-herding, nature, village life, and faith, Neta Timaru’s poetry stands as a testament to an unfiltered human experience. Accompanied by her handwritten confidences and a visual chronicle of community life, this piece reaffirms the editor’s commitment to bringing hidden literary gold out of the mountain silence and into the enduring light of culture.
Nu v-au furat libertatea. Ați renunțat la ea, de Lucian Ciuchiță ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 08/2026 ▲
Nu v-au furat libertatea. Ați renunțat la ea, de Lucian Ciuchiță ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 08/2026 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! Abstract: In "They Didn't Steal Your Freedom. You Gave It Away", published in ALTCULTURE Magazine (no. 108, 2026), Lucian Ciuchiță delivers a scathing, uncompromising critique of contemporary social and political apathy in Romania. Addressing the public as an amorphous, easily manipulated mass, the author dissects the systematic erosion of national dignity and honor, arguing that modern servitude has been disguised in polite attire and false sophistication. The essay frames elections not as genuine democratic choices, but as the mere periodic selection of new administrators for an ongoing captivity managed by competing factions of the deeply entrenched security establishment. Drawing sharp existential and civic conclusions, the text asserts that liberty is rarely stolen overnight in a dramatic coup, but rather surrendered piecemeal through thousands of daily compromises, indifference, fear, and resignation. By exposing the illusion of political reform across four decades of recycled power structures, Ciuchiță holds the citizenry directly accountable for their present powerlessness. Ultimately, the piece serves as a bitter wake-up call and an indictment of a society that traded critical thinking for comfortable lies, reminding readers that a population that voluntarily abandons its responsibility and dignity inevitably ends up being treated as slaves.
Cum apărăm Fraternitatea într-o societate care transformă adesea diferența în ostilitate? ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 08/2026 ▲
▲▲▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 8/2026 ▲▲▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! Abstract: How Do We Defend Fraternity in a Society That Often Transforms Difference into Hostility? Author: Adrian Scriminț In a public discourse increasingly fragmented by suspicion and fed by the seductive narratives of grand conspiracy theories—ranging from the mysteries of ancient Luxor to contemporary claims of hidden power structures—Adrian Scriminț undertakes a rigorous anatomy of Fraternity and the search for Truth. Warning that unexamined distrust steadily erodes the fundamental bond between human beings, the author contrasts dogmatic, easy certitudes with the Masonic exercise of inner labor: the discipline of questioning, the proper reverence for symbols as interior compasses, and the acceptance of mystery as a catalyst for reason rather than a tool for paranoia. The essay argues that genuine Fraternity is not built on forced uniformity or the total possession of absolute truth, but rather on our willingness to transform difference from a source of conflict into the very raw material of dialogue. By accepting that truth is fragmented and incomplete, the seeker avoids easy suspicion and refines their inner discernment. Ultimately, this article offers a profound ethical reflection on active listening, humility, and the courage to abandon comfortable illusions in order to walk alongside the Other toward a cleaner mind and a straighter heart.
moartea face cu mâna… nebuna, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 8/2026 ▲
moartea face cu mâna... nebuna, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108 8/2026 ▲ ABSTRACT Title: moartea face cu mâna... nebuna (death waves its hand... the crazy one) Author: Doria Șișu Source: ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE, No. 108, 8/2026 Synopsis and Themes This poem is a striking, fragmented, and highly meta-textual exploration of trauma, repressed memories, and the agonizing process of writing poetry itself. It masterfully blends brutal, surreal imagery with an intruding, cynical voice—acting either as an internal critic or an imagined editor—that constantly interrupts, mocks, and judges the poetic act. Key Ideas • Visceral Trauma and Memory: The poem opens with violent, surreal metaphors—a giant blade rolling through the streets and blood-stained hands that represent "forgotten and murdered memories." It later addresses the chilling normalization of trauma and assault, describing them with a jarring sense of detachment. • The Meta-Poetic Dialogue: What makes the piece unique is the continuous disruption by a second voice. This critical presence breaks the fourth wall, demanding "mystery" and "poetic breath," calling out "clichés," and pitying the author who is "thinking she makes poetry" while stealing words from her past. • Dissociation and Defense Mechanisms: The speaker exhibits profound emotional disorientation, questioning their own subconscious reactions ("I realized I laugh in my sleep / or is sleep laughing in me?"). • Isolation as a Conclusion: The final lines shift to a poignant, quiet resignation. The narrator retreats into darkness, building walls of stones around their knees in a futile, heartbreaking attempt to speak of love to inanimate objects.
De la iunie 1990 la România fără cărți, de Eugen Matzota ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 08/2026 ▲
De la iunie 1990 la România fără cărți, de Eugen Matzota ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 08/2026 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! ▲▲▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.108, 8/2026 ▲▲▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! Editorial — by Eugene Matzota Abstract From June 1990 to a Bookless Romania: A society that trades libraries for screen-fed anger and packaged ignorance willingly condemns itself to short memory and voluntary servitude. Drawing a parallel to the social pathology of June 1990—shifting from physical violence in the streets to mass hysterical applause for the manipulation of primal instincts—this essay critiques the modern collective cowardice and rejection of reason. Abandoning books turns humanity into its own executioner, leaving those who embrace darkness with no right to complain when they are ruled by shadows.
Geometria luminii dincolo de ecran, de Eugen Matzota ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.107, 07/2026 ▲
Geometria luminii dincolo de ecran, de Eugen Matzota ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.107, 07/2026 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! The Geometry of Light Beyond the Screen Editorial — by Eugene Matzota Abstract: In the editorial of this issue, the author points out that the order of the world has never depended on the whims of the powerful or the scale of characterless technology, but rather on the right angle preserved by a man in silence. From the ticking of brass in 1900 to the cold silicon of our century, the "Great Sifting" continues unabated, while Altculture positions itself as a form of spiritual hygiene and a workshop of the ancient Architecture. Using the square and the compass as living instruments of measure, this editorial is a call to lucidity in an era dominated by noise and screens: an open construction site where the rough ashlar still awaits us all.
The Vanishing Aromanian Today, Eugene Matzota ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.107, 07/2026 ▲
The Vanishing Aromanian Today, Eugene Matzota ▲▲▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.107, 7/2026 ▲▲▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! The Vanishing Aromanian Today — recently launched on Amazon! Abstract: Written for those brothers of mine who are close to me, but far from their identity, this book offers a comprehensive journey through the history, resilience, and modern challenges of a remarkable people without a state, yet never without an identity. Tracing the thread of Aromanian history from Antiquity to the present, the work explores the diverse etymology and background of their names through Theodor Capidan’s lens, contrasts simplistic stereotypes with nineteenth-century accounts of flourishing urban and commercial communities by travelers like William Martin Leake, Gustav Weigand, and Ami Boué, and confronts the silent, contemporary threat of globalized assimilation. It stands as a vital call to action for each new generation to preserve its language, traditions, and collective memory.