In Romania, as the totalitarian madness of the Ceausescu regime nears its end, Tereza Codotreanu, a lingerie factory worker, goes daily—punctually— to the Iași train station to watch the train to Bucharest depart.
Why? Because she is on strike. Her solitary protest worries some neighbours, while others anonymously report her. Eventually, the Securitate intervenes. Tereza is deemed insane and released.
Michel Rouan’s novel The Bucharest Train unveils Tereza’s secret: the di[iculty of loving in a world where cruelty and grotesqueness go hand in hand. As the story unfolds, the true reason behind her strike is revealed.
Readers of Spanish or French can find the book in bookstores. For those who don’t, there is at least the chance to experience Tereza’s emotional world through music.
The instrumental piece Tereza’s Strike, composed by Una Lengua Infinita, is inspired by this unique story. It captures the melancholy, intensity, and tenderness that accompany Tereza in her daily ritual of watching the train depart.
