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702 NOTICES BIBLlOGRAPHlQUES 12

The correspondence Is aiso teiiing ln terms of hnman relationships. Istratl was nn Orientai, who was eager for friendship and warmth. Western Europę was for hlm a place wherc people Were coid and where 'friendship had qulte a different meaning than the one he had been used to: “Mais, sachez que 'nos* deux aimons <vos' deux comme cela nc se folt pas & Paris ,.    (13th of July 1924).

Worth mentionlng is the Introduction Aiexandru Thaiex madę to these iettcrs. It stands proof to a deep knowledge of IstratPs work and life and is extremely usefui for reading the letters.

L.B.

The American Bibliography of Slaoic and East European Studies for 1975. Editor: David H. Kraus. Associate Editor: Anita R. Navon. American Association for the Advance-ment of Siavic Studies, Columbus, Ohio.

The American Bibliography of Siavic and East European Studies for 1975 contributcs towards the better knowledge of Siavic and Baikan studies In America. The conception Is exhaustive. The domains deait with rangę from generał works (conceming traveiiing, art aibums, area studies, ianguage and literaturę studies) to anthropoiogy, archeoiogy, foikiore, arts, economics, education, geography and demography, govemment law and poiitics, history, International reiations, ianguage and Ilnguistlcs, literaturę, philosophy, poiiticai theory and ideoiogy, psychoiogy, religion, science, socioiogy, obituaries, and a part dedlcated to book reviews.

The finał bibiiographical Iudex and anthor Index are extremely usefui.

The generał lmpression Is that of compieteness. The authors seem to have forgottcn just nothing for their book to be as compiete as possible. The lmpression is not deceiyed by the contents. The Seiection of works inciuded is equaiiy minutę and compiete.

The sections devoted to Romania are aimost compiete starting with books dedlcated to tourlsm and ending In reviews.

The lnltlatlve of such a bibliography is worth double attentlon. It is prhnariiy an cvl-dence of what has been Issued In the United States conceming East Europę and the Balkans and It Is an inyitation to do morę In the field. Generaiiy speaklng morę tourlsm books sUouid be edited on Romania and the arts In the East shouid be madę better known to the Amcricans.

To conclude, we wouid mention that the present bibliography becomes very much of a common asset as Engllsh is a ianguage of wlde circuiation and the books themsehes are snre to have a broad readershlp.

L.B.

Leksikon pisaca Jugoslaoija (A Iexicon of Yugoslavla’s Writers), Novi Sad, Matica Srpska,

1972.

The “Lexlcon of YugosIavia*s Writers”, prlnted In five voiiunes, the flrst of which came out ln 1972, represcnts an important editorial event in the neighbour country's literary life. And this is dne both to the rich list of authors comprised, as weli as to the flrst-hand contributors, speciaiists In literaturę, from all regional cultural centers in Yugoslayia. So, we are being presented with an Important work of exhaustlve refcrencew This work has been initiated by one of the oidest Yugosiavian literary societies, “Matica Srpska”. And the fact Is not at ail accidentai if we come to think that, from the very beginning of the 19th centnry, the most progressive-minded intellectuais were grouped around it, promotlng the Idea of the compiex and important role of literaturę in society. Ailiitating in favour of poli-ticai unity and the preservat!on of natlonal identity In the literaturę of Yugosiavia’s peopies, the dictlonary is a reply of our century to most of the schoiars’ Ideals attalned in the past. The factnai materiał on which the work is based ls of a very iaTge spatlal and tem-poral extent. The most detaiied data regarding the life, work, sociai and poiiticai activity of greater or iesser writers are suppiied, covering a wide span of time, between the 9th century — when the wrlting in Slayonic began — ln other words from CyriI and Methodius’ time up to our days. Ail these writers are presented in a slmpie style, ilmited to facts, without narrat!ve digressions, not evcn for the most distlnguished figures.