Blouse Romaine – The Unsung Voices of Romanian Women

Constantin Roman, Center for Romanian Studies

Los Angeles, California, 1988

Book

English

Lauren Bacall (photo), Movie Star (Lauren's mother was born in Romania and migrated to New York with her parents). Borne Betty Joan Perske, Mrs. Humphrey Bogart, (b. New York, 16 September 1924), wife of Humphrey Bogart
Romanian immigrants:
Mother left Romania by ship – aged somewhere between one and two – with her father, mother, elder sister, baby brother. Her father had been in the wheat business, had been wiped out, and had turned out whatever silver and jewellery there was left to a sister for money, enough to transport his family to the promised land – the New World – America. They arrived in Ellis Island and gave their name – Weinstein Bacal (meaning wineglass in German and Russian). The man must have written down just the first half of the name – too many people from too many countries, too many foreign names – so it was Max and Sophie Weinstein, daughters Renée and Natalie’s, son Albert.
(Lauren Bacall By Myself, pp. 5, Jonathan Cape, London, 1979)
Happy Times:
We had happy times, my grandmother cooking, singing German songs, reading constantly in French, German, Romanian, Russian and English. She and mother spoke Romanian and German when she did not want me to understand.
(Lauren Bacall, By Myself, op.cit. 5)

http://www.blouseroumaine.com/download-book-sample/index.html

Victoria Captari

APOWER

Researcher