George Tomaziu - Spy Artist Prisoner

George Tomaziu - Spy Artist Prisoner (My Life in Romania Under Fascist and Communist Rule) 

5⭐

Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction,  History, Biography  

Pages:  228

Format: Paperback 

Translated by: Jane Reid 

Original Language: French 

Publisher: Envelope Books 

Date Published: 3rd March 2022

Huge thank you to Envelope Books for the copy of this book to read and review. 

Book Blurb: 

The Romanian artist George Tomaziu expected to be imprisoned for monitoring German troop movements during the Second World War. He also expected that, after the war and his release, he might be honoured for fighting Fascism. Instead, the new Communist government sent him back to prison and stranded him there, for 13 years. This is his memoir.

My Review: 

My first book from Envelope Books and honestly it was one of the most interesting and eye-opening books I have read in a while! Not only the book cover design was so beautiful and fitting for this story, but also the memoir itself is so emotional, poignant and so raw.

I know quite a lot about the history of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in the Baltic countries but I didn’t know much about how Romania was involved in WW2 and how the country's political developments evolved after WW2. This book taught me so much and gave me great insight into the history and political changes before, through and after WW2 in Romania.

The book is a memoir written by George Tomaziu, a Romanian artist and it is his account of living under Fascist, Socialist and then Communist regimes. With his artistic nature, he loses all hope that his country will ever be free from Fascism during WW2, which prompts him to become a spy for the British Intelligence Services, sharing information about German movements across Romania. Years later just before the war finishes, he gets arrested for spying and sent to prison. However, his first time in prison under the Fascist regime is short-lived and he is released. Then political powers in Romania are suddenly changed and Tomaziu is arrested again but now under a Communist regime and sent for thirteen years to the hard labour Romanian gulag. The book follows his life through all these changes in political power, his life of being an artist and a spy and recounts his horrific time in the Romanian gulag.  

For me, the bit about his life in the gulag was just heart-wrenching and horrid. Tomaziu talks about physical and mental torture, hunger, malnutrition, and being treated like an animal and not a human being. He saw so many of his friends and cell mates die from the terrible conditions, torture and illnesses in the gulag. He also talked about how he managed to keep his humanity and faith alive in such horrible conditions. All of this is not a light read and some parts are very disturbing and dark but it is also an eye-opener into what happened inside the Iron Curtain countries. It is a very important read and account of real life and real atrocities that happened not too long ago.

I was amazed by Tomaziu’s bravery and strength in times of torture, constant humiliation and hunger. He fought hard as he wanted to one day see his country free from Communism and the atrocities that came with it.

Overall:  Such an important book that everyone should read, especially to learn what happened behind the Iron Curtain and in Eastern Europe not too long ago. Especially this book is important in the light of current events that are happening in Eastern Europe and shows us whether we can learn from our history and people who lived through all the hard parts of it as George Tomaziu did. It is important to not forget the history and this book is a real and honest account that reminds us of the horrors of Fascism and Communism. Definitely, a book that I will not forget for a long time and I am so glad I had a chance to read it!

 

About the Author:

George (Gheorghe) Tomaziu was a Romanian painter, illustrator, memoirist and poet. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest. Spy Artist Prisoner is his memoir about living under the rule of Fascism and Communism in Romania before, during and after WW2. 

https://the-history-avenue.eu/2022/05/14/spy-artist-against-the-system-george-tomazius-life-in-communist-romania/