The novel was adapted for film as ‘Felix and Otilia’ in Romania in 1972. As a not exactly flattering portrait of the early 20th century bourgeois society in Bucharest, and as an attempt for Romanian literature to catch up with the great 19th century Balzac-style novels, it is quite a landmark achievement. In fact, it might be that Felix never actually gets to see the real Otilia, that he develops this ideal image of her, or makes her into what he would like a girl to be. It is a classic Romanian novel about the young Felix Sima who comes to Bucharest to study medicine and falls in love with his tutor’s daughter, Otilia, who seems to behave in a rather capricious way. Lisbeth Salander is a pretty enigmatic sort of character, so for my next link I have chosen another young woman who is so enigmatic that she gives the book its title: Enigma Otiliei (The Enigma/Riddle of Otilia) by George Calinescu. The films are pretty violent too, it has to be said. I thought them violent, overlong and quite frankly dull at times, could have done with some stringent editing.

I am currently watching the Swedish language version of the three films on BBC4 (half a film every week), but I gave up reading the books after finishing the first one The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I haven’t read the book, merely seen the film, and that is my next link: Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. My next link is to a rich heir with a disability (rather than a terminal illness) who is loved by someone who is not interested in his huge wealth: the huge bestseller Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. The book is about a rich but ill heiress, who is treated rather badly by a self-interested couple. Although he moves so slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, you are never bored.’ 😂 To fully appreciate him, you must read slowly, tasting every word, chewing, swallowing, and then digesting his ideas as well. He is quiet, takes such small steps, little by little he lets us advance into the story.

I found my teenage diary and this is what I had to say about it when I was 15: ‘He so calms me, this man.

So my first link is to another book that I read a very, very long time ago, loved back then but haven’t reread since, namely The Wings of the Dove by Henry James.

Enigma Otiliei by George Călinescu