Obscenitatea Publica by Andrei Plesu

 Obscenitatea Publica by Andrei Plesu

 

I should feel very uneasy writing about Andrei Plesu. I remember one his texts where he is very tough on people like me, who have no qualms about writing, without the proper “expertise”, training, background and…verb.

He is probably right in condemning this explosion of expression, wherever, whenever and especially not called for. Albeit he was referring in particular to those who comment at the bottom of newspaper articles, anonymous insulters, using hate speech to pour venin in the public space, I do understand that there is a limit to what a pygmy like me can hope to obtain when facing a giant, like the author of this book.

 

For many years, Andrei Plesu had been the most beautiful mind, the Plato of Romania, the philosopher king we so much needed, a witty, charming, genius of a man. With an extraordinary speech and flamboyant bow tie-cravattes, he represented the NEC plus ultra of the intellectual world.

 

And all of a sudden all this started to crumble, when he showed a senseless (viewed from here) for a rude, sometimes drunk, venomous president. How can you share (even if few) values with Satan?

I am exaggerating, and in the view of the most recent political events, I find myself on the same side (more or less) of the political barricade with this negative president.

But when you represent the purest, most abstract and beautiful form of thinking and expression, you cannot lower yourself and howl, just because you are in the company of wolves.

This laudatory speech has been tempered and criticism has been expressed by the most famous of all intellectuals, but I have been disappointed and I even think that today’s <<breaking news>> vindicates me.

Andrei Plesu has expressed frequently the opinion that Crin Antonescu is no good. I’d say that even worse, he was mocked by Plesu so much and so gratuitously that all this proves today a very serious misjudgment.

In past few days Antonescu has resigned the position of leader of PNL, today he gave up running for the president’s office…and all this after resigning from the second official post in the country.

And in a corrupt political class, Crin Antonescu is a leader who has spent most of his years at the top of the game…in an ordinary apartment, in the same building with my mother.

I am not saying here we have the Angel and the Demon. But it proves to me that even a brilliant man, like Andrei Plesu can make horrible, disgusting mistakes.

That being said, Obscenitatea Publica is a very entertaining book, even if now I remember another failure to be correct: in some of his essays, Plesu plays along with the funny names of politicians: Vacariou, Bivolaru, Vacaru, Ciorbea and more, only to be repelled when others used the same artifice with…his name.