Danube–Black Sea Canal
During the period of liberalization preceding the "July Theses", literature was allowed to make several references to the Canal's penitentiary history. Examples include Marin Preda's "Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni" and, most likely, Eugen Barbu's "Principele" (by means of an allegory, set during the 18th century Phanariote rules). In 1973–1974, Ion Cârja, a former prisoner, wrote a book titled "Canalul morții" ("The Death Canal") detailing his sufferings during incarceration; it was first published in Romania in 1993, after the Revolution of 1989. In György Dragomán's 2005 novel, "The White King", set in 1980s Romania, the main protagonist 11-year-old boy's father is deported to a labor camp to work on the Danube–Black Sea Canal.