Talk:Dragoș Protopopescu

Latest comment: 15 years ago by Dahn in topic "Victim"? Metaphors aside...

"Victim"? Metaphors aside... edit

Let me start by saying this article could use an expansion, and I for one intend to add to it as time permits. From what I know at the moment, the circumstances of his death seem to be debated: while it is notorious that he committed suicide, it is not known exactly how (George Călinescu has it that he allowed himself to be decapitated by an elevator, while another source I have to check again gives a completely different picture afaicr).

Now, to the core issue. I have no objection to the current redlink being filled - it would be a valid category to have, but to what measure does it apply to DP? 1. It would be very difficult and highly metaphorical to argue that he was coerced into killing himself. 2. Yes, he was arrested by a communist regime, but he most likely falls into the "most likely to be arrested (and quite likely to be convicted) by any other post-WWII regime, democracies included" category (though, yes, I don't expect others to follow me in this rather speculative portion of the argument). In fact, the article as is does say that he was also arrested by Carol's regime. What's more, DP did not spend a day in a post-1948 prison as a convict, nor was he deported/confined without trial for a debilitating period after that date. So, in what sense was he a "victim"?

There are a few other aspects of his life that the article could perhaps outline in the next expansion: or all his problematic affiliations ("problematic" is an euphemism - he took part in some of the far right press' most scatological and xenophobic press campaigns), DP was also a pioneer of English Studies in Romania, and wrote quite interesting (if, one could argue, rather puerile) works of fiction. Dahn (talk) 10:32, 19 October 2008 (UTC)Reply