Adrian Mahu - Architects and exile

The author of "Architects and Exile" managed to publish, in 1992, the catalog "Romanian Architects Abroad". Apart from the very modest publishing conditions, the catalog has one major shortcoming. Exile, a complex phenomenon so painful, was only mentioned in passing. Some 1,300 architects left Romania because of the totalitarian regime. Many of them were leading personalities in the field, and their exile was a heavy blow for Romanian architecture.

No books have yet been written about exiled architects and their achievements in their adopted countries. "Architects and Exile is a world first. Some of the architects who left Romania felt the need to tell the author about their experiences after leaving their homeland. The book has 448 pages with more than 800 color images, but does not attempt to rank the 68 architects. With only two exceptions, they are listed in alphabetical order.

In the way it is written, this document-book is aimed not only at architects, but also at anyone who wants to know more about what one architect calls "the unraveling of one of the most painful things that can happen to us".

The author of the book, Adrian Mahu, is a Doctor of Architecture, having defended his doctoral thesis under the guidance of Professor Emeritus Mircea Alifanti: "National Specificity in the Concerns of Architects from Different Countries" in 1980. His theoretical concerns have been favorably praised by great personalities in international architecture: Bruno Zevi, Reima Pietilä, Kazuo Shinohara, James Stirling, Ralph Erskine, Richard England and others.

"Magic Print" was the only publishing house that showed interest in publishing "Architects and Exile". The author expresses his gratitude to Mrs. Maria Dohotaru, general manager of "Magic Print" publishing house and printing house, as well as to the "Magic Print" staff who worked for the publication of "Architects and Exile".