Title: Trailblazers of the Press
Subtitle: American War Correspondents in Interwar Romania
Description: Published as part of EDERA - The Ethos of Dialogue and Education, streamlining the themes Negotiating between objectivity and stereotypes. American correspondents in Romania (T3) and Embodying the American Feminine Ethos: Renegotiating Romanian Women’s Identity from Hollywood to Rockefeller (T6).
Trailblazers of the Press. American War Correspondents in Interwar Romania analyzes the portrayals of Romania shaped by the American war correspondents’ who visited the country during the interwar era. These representations illustrate the cultural and identity negotiation process between the observers and the observed and among the many prevalent identities in this space. The historical and political analysis of America’s stance towards Romania in the context of the world wars has been thoroughly addressed in both the American and Romanian academia. This book emphasizes the historical context of Romanian-American relationships and negotiations and the cultural, social, gender and identity dimensions reflected in the American correspondents’ representations of significant historical events, especially from 1939 to 1940, when they arrived in Romania in considerable numbers.
Trailblazers of the Press explores a topic often neglected in Romania’s historical narrative. It highlights the crucial role of American journalists in documenting social, cultural, and historical events in Romania during World War II within a European context. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the Romanian people’s cultural and social aspects by offering valuable historical, military, and diplomatic insights.
“This book challenges the accepted belief regarding the irrelevant influence of the United States in interwar Romania, providing significant knowledge for a detailed analysis of the way America portrayed Romania. The book aims to remedy the information deficiencies about foreign war correspondence, diaries, and accounts of those who visited or lived for a time in interwar Romania, proving the special American interest in this cultural and identity space.”
Cornel Sigmirean, author of Istoria formării intelectualităţii româneşti din Transilvania şi Banat în epoca modernă. Studenţi români la universități din Europa Centrală şi de Vest
“This book analyzes the intricate Romanian-American relations in the inter-war era through the lenses of American war correspondents in Romania (while investigating their diaries, memoirs and other testimonies), with a view to showing that the evolution of such relations, influenced by the US political and economic interests in the region, can shed novel light on the inherent power dynamics of the Romanian-American exchanges.”
Mariana Neț, author of Once Upon Two Cities: A Parallel Between New York City and Bucharest by 1900
“This is a must-read book for anyone who seeks to understand how American war reporting in interwar Romania negotiated the ebb and flow of information transmission in order to uncover the power dynamics between the two countries. Trailblazers of the Press provides a fascinating multidisciplinary account of Romania’s diplomatic and cultural exchanges with America, which is central to our contemporary history.”
Elena Butoescu, author of Literary Imposture and Eighteenth-Century Knowledge
Subjects: Press coverage, War correspondents, War correspondents, united states, Women war correspondents, Romania, United States
Places: Romania, United States, Doftana, Bucharest, Transylvania (Romania), Iași (Romania)
People: Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971), Walter Duranty (1884-1957), Negley Farson (1890-1960), John Gunther (1901-1970), Lee Miller (1907-1977), Paul Scott Mowrer (1887-1971), John S. Reed, Robert St. John, Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961), Stanley Washburn (1878-1950), Leigh White
Time periods: Interwar Romania, World War, 1939-1945, World War, 1914-1918