The latest addition to my website is Mircea Cărtărescu‘s Orbitor Vol 3, Aripa dreaptă [Blinding – The Right Wing]. This is the third book in his Orbitor (Blinding) trilogy. This one has many of the themes of the first two books – Mircea’s life, from childhood to adulthood, Romanian politics and stunning and highly imaginative visions of Bucharest, of butterflies and his own life but it also focusses on the 1969 Romanian Revolution which saw the overthrow and execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena. Mircea does not take much part in it, though he seems to participate in one or two of the demonstrations, but he certainly witnesses and comments on it. However, what makes this book is Cărtărescu’s wonderful vision as we see Bucharest and the people (and insects!) in it not just as they are but through the author’s colourful imagination, often surrealistic, sometimes horrific but always stunningly creative.