Danubius International Conferences, 12th International Conference The Danube - Axis of European Identity

Danube Library a Necessary Megaproject

Gheorghe Felea
Last modified: 2022-06-25

Abstract

Regarding the Danube, we deplore the fact that, so far, no reference encyclopedic work has appeared, which will map the Danube river basin, outline its economic and social coordinates, decode the thicket of geopolitical and geostrategic relations, determine the Danubian spiritual physiognomy, in one word to aim at the exhaustive presentation of the specific issues of the Amazon of Europe.

This fact is moreover unfortunate as the unparalleled poet Marele Eminescu, in his journalism, launched a wonderful phrase stating that the Danube, together with the Carpathians and the Black Sea, make up the Holy Trinity of Romanians, but, we add, they have not yet their encyclopedias. Proposing to cover this gap, the Multidisciplinary Study Project of the Danube Area provided for the drafting of a synthesis under the logo of the Danube Encyclopedia.

At the same time, the Letter of Intent also advanced the idea of establishing the Danube Institute. If this performance is to succeed, a priority project of the Institute should be the Danube Bibliography.

Also, it would be necessary to set up a Danube Library, an editorial project that would publish the representative books of the established authors, with their fundamental works: N Al Rădulescu. Grigore Antipa, N Iorga, Marcu Botzan, Eugeniu P Botez, P Gogeanu, Raul Călinescu, N Dașcovici etc..

Another direction of action could be the publication of anthologies: The Danube in literature, The Danube in the works of artists, The legends of the Danube, Famous travelers on the Danube, The Danube in the vision of diplomacy and geopolitics, etc..

Last but not least, an Atlas of the Danube Atlas could map the entire Danube Library.