Moldova is a new nation-state with a long history. Despite only recently gaining independence, following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Moldova's roots stretch all the way back to the Principality of Moldavia, established in 1359. After centuries toiling under Ottoman control, and latterly Russian Imperial rule, the Moldovans briefly tasted independence in the early twentieth century, before being annexed by the Soviet Union. In recent times, the Transnistrian Dispute has once again threatened the sovereignty, and indeed the independence, of Moldova and this conflict remains unresolved today.

For the first time in English, this book places the problems of contemporary Moldova in a long-term historical perspective. It argues that the Moldovans' complex relations with the Russians and the West are not simply the product of the Soviet era but have their roots in earlier centuries. Haynes contends that the Moldovan lands, and Moldovan identity and culture, have long been contested: by the Roman and Byzantine Empires of antiquity, by the expanding Hungarian and Polish-Lithuanian kingdoms in the Middle Ages, by the Ottoman, Habsburg, Russian and Soviet empires in more recent centuries, and by the Romanian state. The book provides a political and cultural history of the growth and development of the medieval Principality of Moldova, the Principality's partition and Russian rule in Bessarabia from 1812, Bessarabia under Romanian rule in the inter-war period, Soviet Moldova and the independent Republic of Moldova.

Moldova: A History

Stephen Henighan, a Romanian grammar book and hours of language tapes under his belt, billets with a family as an English teacher in Moldova, a country born from the dismantling of Romania during World War II. As a Westerner in this "lost province" and former Soviet republic, Henighan feels he’s an unnerving disappointment for many Moldovans, especially to the MTV-addicted, twenty-year-old Andrei.

Lost Province

It doesn't take much - "£100 is usually sufficient" - to persuade Tony Hawks to take off on notoriously bizarre and hilarious adventures in response to a bet. And so it is, a pointless argument with a friend concludes in a bet - that Tony can't beat all eleven members of the Moldovan soccer team at tennis. And with the loser of the bet agreeing to strip naked on Balham High Road and sing the Moldovan national anthem, this one was just too good to resist.

The ensuing unpredictable and often hilarious adventure sees him being taken in by Moldovan gypsies and narrowly avoid kidnap in Transnistria. It sees him smuggle his way on to the Moldovan National Team coach in Coleraine and witness (almost) divine intervention in the Holy Land.

In this inspiring and exceptionally funny book, Tony Hawks has done it again, proving against all odds that there is no reason in the world why you can't do something a bit stupid and prove all of your doubters wrong. Or at least that was the idea....

Playing the Moldovans at Tennis

Throughout the past two centuries, Moldova was the object of a variety of culture-building efforts from Russian, Romanian, and Soviet influences before emerging as an independent state in 1991. The author

•Highlights the political uses of culture—the ways in which language, history, and identity can be manipulated by political elites
 •Examines why some attempts to mold identity succeed where others fail
 •Reveals why, in the case of Moldova, a project of identity construction succeeded in creating a state but failed to make an independent nation



The Moldovans: Romania, Russia, and the Politics of Culture

The Republic of Moldova claims a European lineage reaching back in time long before its 14th century accession to statehood. In the 15th century, it managed against all odds to avoid being conquered by Islam and-albeit an intermittent vassal after 1485-it maintained its autonomy and was never turned into a province of the Ottoman Empire. After this period, however, Moldova would not be so fortunate, as it altered between Russian, Romanian, and Soviet control until it finally gained its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union. The A to Z of Moldova, through its chronology, introduction, appendixes, maps, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects, traces the history of this small, but densely populated country, providing a compass for the direction it is heading.

The A to Z of Moldova

"Marvelous and illuminating. . . . Forces us to reassess our notions of good and evil."—Irvine Welsh

In a contested, lawless region between Moldova and Ukraine known as Transnistria, a tightly knit group of "honest criminals"—exiled there by Stalin-live according to strict codes of ritualized respect and fierce loyalty. Here, tattoos tell the story of a man's life, "honest" weapons are separated from "sinful" ones, and authority is always to be distrusted. Beyond the control of any government and outside the bounds of "society" as we know it, these men uphold values including respect for elders and an unwavering adherence to the truth with passion-and often by brute force. In a voice utterly compelling and unforgettable, Nicolai Lilin, born and raised within this exotic subculture, tells the story of his moral education among the Siberian Urkas. A bestseller in his home country of Italy, this unique tale of an extreme boyhood "will produce a thrill of pleasure that is hard to forget" (Roberto Saviano).

Siberian Education: Growing Up in a Criminal Underworld

The Good Life Elsewhere is a very funny book. It is also a very sad one. Moldovan writer Vladimir Lorchenkov tells the story of a group of villagers and their tragicomic efforts, against all odds and at any cost, to emigrate from Europe’s most impoverished nation to Italy for work. The Good Life Elsewhere aims to present the complexity of a new Europe, where allegiances shift but memories are rooted in place. The book integrates small-scale human follies with strategic partnerships, unification plans, and the Soviet legacies that still hang over the former Eastern Bloc. Lorchenkov addresses the vexing question of what to do when many formerly pro-Soviet/pro-Russia countries want to link arms with their Western European brethren. In this uproarious tale, an Orthodox priest is deserted by his wife for an art-dealing atheist; a mechanic redesigns his tractor for travel by air and sea; thousands of villagers take to the road on a modern-day religious crusade to make it to the promised land of Italy; meanwhile, politicians remain politicians. 

Like many great satirists from Voltaire to Gogol to Vonnegut, Lorchenkov makes use of the grotesque to both horrify us and help us laugh. It is not often that stories from forgotten countries such as Moldova reach us in the English-speaking world. A country where 25 percent of its population works abroad, where remittances make up nearly 40 percent of the GDP, where alcohol consumption per capita is the highest in the world, and which has the lowest per capita income in all of Europe – this is a country that surely has its problems. But, as Lorchenkov vividly shows, it’s a country whose residents don’t easily give up.

Russian critics have praised Lorchenkov’s work, calling this novel “a bleeding, wild work, grotesque in every twist of its plot and in every character, written brightly, bitterly, humorously, and – paradoxically, as we’re dealing with the grotesque – honestly.” In The Good Life Elsewhere, Vladimir Lorchenkov shows himself to be a fearless critic, an enduring optimist, and a master stylist. And he does it all “in vivid colors, with a pamphleteer’s spite, and a good-humored smile.”

The Good Life Elsewhere

The Republic of Moldova claims a European lineage reaching back in time long before its 14th century accession to statehood. In the 15th century, it managed against all odds to avoid being conquered by Islam and--albeit an intermittent vassal after 1485--it maintained its autonomy and was never turned into a province of the Ottoman Empire. After this period, however, Moldova would not be so fortunate, as it altered between Russian, Romanian, and Soviet control until it finally gained its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Moldova, through its chronology, introduction, appendixes, maps, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects, traces the history of this small, but densely populated country, providing a compass for the direction it is heading.

Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Moldova

This novel explores the issues besetting contemporary Moldova. It follows the tumultuous lives of three girls who have sworn to be best friends forever, but whose friendship is only truly put to the test when one of the girls goes missing. 
The plot centres around economic migration, the East-West culture clash,the sexual exploitation of Eastern European women and the role of local religion – which tends toward the sensational – in the psychological make-up of these female victims.

Bessarabian Nights

The defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans in 1475 at the Battle of Vaslui heralded the beginnings of a historic legacy. The victor became known as Stephen the Great or 'Athleta Christi', Champion of Christ. Perceived as the founder of a Balkan identity, Stephen the Great maintained Moldavia's independence during periods of fierce Ottoman attack between 1457 and 1504. His Christian religious stance meant that, in the eyes of Europe, he had not only defeated a significant territorial threat but had elevated Christianity to a superior level as victors over their Muslim opponents. This book seeks to unveil the mechanisms behind this legacy, to review the state formations that allowed this national hero to emerge, and to explain the methods that preserve his memory in the region today. By combining the latest historical studies of the anti-Ottoman resistance with new archaeological findings, Jonathan Eagles engages with a fresh approach to the history of the Balkans, and reinvigorates the study of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. This is an important book for those with an interest in medieval history, Balkan history and the Ottomans.

Stephen the Great and Balkan Nationalism: Moldova and Eastern European History

The author investigates, from the standpoint of diplomatic and international history, a question which confronted and divided the Great Powers of Europe during the years 1855-9, namely, whether the principalities of Moldovia and Wallachia should be politically united. His attention has centred on the conflicting policies of the Powers, whose action was to determine the early destinies of Rumania, and upon the reaction of the question upon their interrelations. The work is based on numerous Foreign Office MSS, and was first published in 1929.

The Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1859: An Episode in Diplomatic History

Until 1940, Brichany, Bessarabia (now Briceni, Moldova) had been a thriving market town serving some 20 surrounding villages in northern Bessarabia. It was principally a Jewish town with a Christian quarter. Most earned their living as craftsmen or traders, but some were involved in tobacco farming or fruit orchards. Due to Brichany's close proximity to the Romanian and Austrian borders, there was also an important transport business.

Moishe Bershtayn was the owner of three estates, two mills, and a whiskey factory. However, his wealth and prominence did not save his family when the Red Army entered the city in June 1940. Most of the -bourgeois-, or -enemies of the people-, were arrested and sent to Siberia where they died in labor camps or were murdered. Although the middle and lower class residents were spared deportation, they suffered as their property and businesses were confiscated and a year of famine ensued. Brichany had lost its strong leaders and activists. No one organized resistance. On July 21, 1941, the Red Army left, and on July 22 the Romanians entered Brichany. The Holocaust had arrived. Only 1,000 of its former 10,000 residents survived. Fewer than 100 Jews live in Briceni today.

This book contains the memories of those who survived and those who had left Bessarabia before World War II. Through this English translation, researchers and descendants of survivors and emigrants can learn about the culture, social institutions, and leaders of Brichany. A map is included so that you can walk the streets in your mind's eye as you read the first-person accounts and descriptions of a Jewish community that no longer exists.

Briceni, Moldova is located at: 4822' North Latitude, 2705' East Longitude

Alternate names for the town are: Brichany [Russian], Briceni [Romanian], Britshan [Yiddish], Bryczany [Polish], Bricheni, Briceni-Târg, Bricheni Targ, Briceni Sat, Bricheni Sat, Berchan, Brichon, Britshani

Memorial Book of Brichany, Moldova - It's Jewry in the First Half of Our Century: Translation of Britshan: Britsheni Ha-Yehudit Be-Mahatsit Ha-Mea Ha-Aharona

When Sophie Hayes met Bledi she knew he'd change her life – but she had no idea how much. At first, it was a typical whirlwind romance. But one day Bledi told her that love always comes at a price ...

Bledi tricked Sophie into travelling to Italy, where he forced her to sell her body to help him pay off a debt. Terrified and ashamed, Sophie worked the dangerous Italian streets without rest, seeing as many as 30 clients in a night. She was completely at Bledi′s mercy for food, clothes and shelter. And without money, friends or family, she was trapped.

But Sophie found the strength to keep going, clinging to life by a single thread of hope: that somehow she′d find a way to escape.

Trafficked

Originally published in 1959, when Moldova was the Soviet republic of Moldavia, this book provides an interesting coverage of the history and geography of the country, which was, barring Armenia, the smallest Soviet republic.

Across Moldova

The monasteries and painted churches of Moldavia stand today as a testament to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the Romanian people. As the Romanians living in the historical provinces of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, which today form modern Romania, struggled to maintain their autonomy against Ottoman expansion, their relative freedom allowed them to express themselves both artistically and culturally. Among their most remarkable creations are the monasteries and painted churches of Moldavia, in northeastern Romania, the subjects of this book. These monuments, unique in the world, reflect a cultural legacy inherited from Byzantium and the Roman Empire.

After the fall of Byzantium and the expansion of Ottoman rule throughout the Balkan Peninsula, the Romanian principalities became the most important depository of the Byzantine heritage. It was here that this tradition was preserved, having been passed on to the Romanians of the Middle Ages by their ancestors. From here this heritage continued to spread throughout Europe and influence European society and culture, creating the historical phenomenon that the great Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga would refer to as "Byzantium after Byzantium." The monasteries and painted churches of Northern Moldavia stand today as true revelations of Byzantium.

This full-color album is written and photographed by Alan Ogden, the author of "Romania Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers, 1602-1941" and "Fortresses of Faith: A Pictorial History of the Fortified Saxon Churches of Romania", both published by the Center for Romanian Studies. The author provides a comprehensive introduction discussing the art and architecture of the monasteries and painted churches of Northern Moldavia. Each church is then presented separately in words and pictures to reveal its own unique history and artistic beauty. Also included is an introduction to the history of Moldavia and Romanian lands during the Middle Ages by Kurt W. Treptow, a noted specialist on Romanian history and original illustrations by renowned artist, Octavian Ion Penda.

Revelations of Byzantium: The Monasteries and Painted Churches of Northern Moldavia

HOSTAGE TO HISTORY: Travels in Moldova

Her name was Stella, Living in an orphanage in Hincesti. Forced out of the orphanage to live on the her own at siexteen, she suffered brutality, forced to sell her body to survive until finally succumbing to AIDS. Described as the "engine of the sex industry," Moldova sentences more "stellas" every June when the girls are forced out of the orphanages all over Moldova to be come victims in slave traffic.

In Stella's Sisters, Read the testimonies of five girls who found light in that pit of darkness, being saved from a hopeless existence by a mand and his ministry, Philip Cameron and Stella's Voice.

Stella's Sisters: Voices From Moldova

The wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova (The Infinite Ideas Classic Wine Library)

Yizkor Book of Our Birth Place: Bendery (Bender, Moldova): Translation of Kehilat Bendery; Sefer Zikaron

DOING HOMEWORK BECOMES A THING OF THE PAST  The unlikely foursome made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker -- Brenton, Sam "Snick,", Judy and Kelsey, respectively, -- are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don't want when you are keeping a secret.  Before long, members of the D Squad, as they are called at school are getting strange Instant Messages from a shady guy named Milner; their teacher, Miss Rasmussen, is calling private meetings with each of them and giving them pop tests that they are failing; and someone has leaked the possibility of a homework machine to the school newspaper. Just when the D Squad thinks things can't get any more out of control, Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Soon the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail...or worse!

Moldova

Moldova: A History

Rebecca Haynes

Lost Province

Stephen Henighan

Playing the Moldovans at Tennis

Tony Hawks

The Moldovans: Romania, Russia, and the Politics of Culture

Charles King

The A to Z of Moldova

Andrei Brezianu

Siberian Education: Growing Up in a Criminal Underworld

Nicolai Lilin

The Good Life Elsewhere

Vladimir Lorchenkov

Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Moldova

Andrei Brezianu

Bessarabian Nights

Stela Brinzeanu

Stephen the Great and Balkan Nationalism: Moldova and Eastern European History

Jonathan Eagles

The Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1859: An Episode in Diplomatic History

W.G. East

Memorial Book of Brichany, Moldova - It's Jewry in the First Half of Our Century: Translation of Britshan: Britsheni Ha-Yehudit Be-Mahatsit Ha-Mea Ha-Aharona

Yaakov Amizur

Trafficked

Sophie Hayes

Across Moldova

Y. Zlatova

Revelations of Byzantium: The Monasteries and Painted Churches of Northern Moldavia

Alan Ogden

HOSTAGE TO HISTORY: Travels in Moldova

Akhil Bakshi

Stella's Sisters: Voices From Moldova

Philip Cameron

The wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova (The Infinite Ideas Classic Wine Library)

Caroline Gilby

Yizkor Book of Our Birth Place: Bendery (Bender, Moldova): Translation of Kehilat Bendery; Sefer Zikaron

M Tamari

Playing the Moldovans at Tennis

Tony Hawks

The Homework Machine (The Homework Machine, #1)

Dan Gutman