The Voluntary Memory: Exile in the Memoirs and Fiction of Norman Manea

This paper aims at explaining how the exile to Transnistria influenced Norman Manea's memoirs and fictional work. The paper's title is inspired from a concept of utmost importance for those who experienced imprisonment or forced exile. Norman Manea's works are also encompassed within this concept ‒ the author is aware that the return to memory, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is a constant occurrence for the person who went through the trauma. The main themes include: the relationship with the community and the self; symbols that are considered definitory for the oppressed, and the way these people turn to various ways of physical and mental salvation; the difficulty in discovering and shaping an identity against their aggressors and historical labels that they are assigned. Regarding the artistic side of the paper, the intention is to track how the memoir-related elements blend within fiction; the relationship between the raw event and its remembered version; the impact of the temporal distance, which can change and romanticize.