
Omerta
A Book of Silences
Andrea Tompa(Author)
Seagull Books London Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 27. June 2025
Book
Hardback
724 pages
978-1-80309-408-3 (ISBN)
Description
A rich, layered narrative that explores the indomitable human spirit against the backdrop of Romania's complex history in the 1950s and '60s.
A rural area not far from the city of Cluj-Napoca, a former Hungarian province that has been part of Romania since 1920. World War II has ended and the region is under the firm clasp of Stalinist collectivization. In the atmospheric village of Kolozsvar, Omerta unfolds a riveting tale through four poignant perspectives, each peeling back the layers of its central characters' lives against the backdrop of a tumultuous Eastern Europe in the mid-twentieth century.
Kali, a peasant woman, escapes an abusive marriage to embark on a transformative journey to Kolozsvar, seeking refuge and purpose. She is employed as a maid by Vilmos, a reluctant Communist Party member with an unwavering dedication to his garden. As Vilmos's botanical brilliance attracts the state's attention, a clash between personal desires and political obligations ensues. Annush, the third narrator, a lovestruck teenager, becomes entangled in a complex web of emotions, grappling with love, loss, and the evolving landscape of her homeland. The tale deepens with Eleonora, who, seeking solace in a monastery, becomes a casualty of political purges and the suppression of religious faith under Romania's oppressive regime.
In this epic novel, Romanian-born Hungarian author Andrea Tompa skillfully intertwines these tales, shedding light on the injustices and corruption of a regime that sought to extinguish cultural identities. The lives of Kali, Vilmos, Annush, and Eleonora weave a tapestry of love, resilience, the virtue of roses, and the quiet strength required to endure in the face of political turmoil.
A rural area not far from the city of Cluj-Napoca, a former Hungarian province that has been part of Romania since 1920. World War II has ended and the region is under the firm clasp of Stalinist collectivization. In the atmospheric village of Kolozsvar, Omerta unfolds a riveting tale through four poignant perspectives, each peeling back the layers of its central characters' lives against the backdrop of a tumultuous Eastern Europe in the mid-twentieth century.
Kali, a peasant woman, escapes an abusive marriage to embark on a transformative journey to Kolozsvar, seeking refuge and purpose. She is employed as a maid by Vilmos, a reluctant Communist Party member with an unwavering dedication to his garden. As Vilmos's botanical brilliance attracts the state's attention, a clash between personal desires and political obligations ensues. Annush, the third narrator, a lovestruck teenager, becomes entangled in a complex web of emotions, grappling with love, loss, and the evolving landscape of her homeland. The tale deepens with Eleonora, who, seeking solace in a monastery, becomes a casualty of political purges and the suppression of religious faith under Romania's oppressive regime.
In this epic novel, Romanian-born Hungarian author Andrea Tompa skillfully intertwines these tales, shedding light on the injustices and corruption of a regime that sought to extinguish cultural identities. The lives of Kali, Vilmos, Annush, and Eleonora weave a tapestry of love, resilience, the virtue of roses, and the quiet strength required to endure in the face of political turmoil.
Reviews / Votes
"Outstanding. . . . Through vividly imagined prose, each character's voice emerges distinctly and engagingly, allowing all four to express their perspectives on the uniqueness of their lives within the collectivised society they inhabit." * Irish Times *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Greenford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 169 mm
Thickness: 52 mm
Weight
1218 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80309-408-3 (9781803094083)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Andrea Tompa is a Hungarian writer born in Romania. She is the author of three novels and lives in Budapest. Bernard Adams has published more than twenty-five translations. He lives in Zanka, a village on the north shore of Lake Balaton in western Hungary.
Content
Kali's Tale
Vilmos's Tale
Annush's Tale
Eleonora's Tale
Translator's Notes
Vilmos's Tale
Annush's Tale
Eleonora's Tale
Translator's Notes