Făgăraş as Jerusalem? Interethnic and interreligious ethos in Transylvania

Abstract

The study presents Transylvania as a space of ethnic-religious tolerance, having as a case study the image of the town Făgăraș, as depicted in Eginald Schlattner’s novels. This space appears as one of a heavenly nuance, based on a long tradition of coexistence of the members of different ethnic groups and religions. However, the inter-war and post-war period means the emergence of new challenges posed by the confrontation with the harmful effects of the two ideologies: Nazism and Communism. In this way, the dramas of the socio-historical context interweave with elements forming young Eginald. They will remain a constant in the writer’s life, offering Făgăraș the role of a forming educational array, with a paradigmatic value