Born in Mana, Orhei, Romania on 2 Oct. 1935 as a second child of a pair of country teachers. In 1954, attended the Bucharest University to study Philology. Dramatic change in his life occurred in November 1956, when Russian Army crashed the Hungarian revolution. Together with other students all across Romania, he spoke against Russian intervention. Paul Goma was arrested and spent 2 years in the infamous Romanian Gulag in Jilava and Gherla. After being released, he spent 5 additional years at a domicile arrest. In 1966, first edition of his novel "Ostinato" is published illegally in Occident, that of course didn't improved his relation with the communist regime. Later, a new novel "Usa" (the Door), was published in West Germany (Suhrkamp Verlag) and France (Gallimard). That brings him to wide recognition as a writer and freedom fighter. In 1977 was arrested by the secret police (Securitate), and expelled to France (like Soljenitzin and Saharov, were expelled from Russia, at the time). Arrived to Paris, France on 20 November 1977, where he lives now.

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Paul Goma

Writer

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