Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, August 2013 Finalist for the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing, April 2013 (UK) Winner of the Bakeless Prize for Nonfiction, a childhood memoir of political oppression and persecution during Romania's Ceausescu years  Carmen Bugan grew up amid the bounty of the Romanian countryside on her grandparent's farm where food and laughter were plentiful. But eventually her father's behavior was too disturbing to ignore. He wept when listening to Radio Free Europe, hid pamphlets in sacks of dried beans, and mysteriously buried and reburied a typewriter. When she discovered he was a political dissident she became anxious for him to conform. However, with her mother in the hospital and her sister at boarding school, she was alone, and helpless to stop him from driving off on one last, desperate protest. After her father's subsequent imprisonment, Bugan was shunned by her peers at school and informed on by her neighbors. She candidly struggled with the tensions of loving her "hero" father who caused the family so much pain. When he returned from prison and the family was put under house arrest, the Bugans were forced to chart a new course for the future. A warm and intelligent debut, Burying the Typewriter provides a poignant reminder of a dramatic moment in Eastern European history. 'extraordinary memoir..startling warmth, perception and humanity'-- Quentin Curtis, Telegraph 'a celebration of the power of the written word'-- Janet Christie, Scotland on Sunday 'beautiful, vivid memoir'-- Patrick Barkham, Guardian '{T}enderly moving memoir... poignant and unsentimental ..Bugan reminds us of the crushing sacrifices that Eastern European dissidents endured in those years.'--Roger Atwood, Boston Globe '...an impressive feat of narrative skill. ... Carmen Bugan has written a moving and truthful first-hand account of a story that cannot fail to absorb; her skill as a writer makes it an exemplary memoir as well.'--Patrick McGuinness, The Times Literary Supplement 'A stunningly powerful piece of writing, a modern classic.' --Bee Wilson, Sunday Times 'A book touched with grace.'--Paul Bailey, The Independent [U]ncompromising candor, dignity and grace. [A] heart-wrenching paean to childhood, courage, loss and forgiveness, told poetically by a writer whose voice echoes long after the closing page.[S]supebrly lucid and humane... --Justina Jase, Freedom Magazine Carmen Bugan is the author of the collection of poetry Crossing the Carpathians . Her work has been published in Harvard Review , the Times Literary Supplement , and Modern Poetry in Translation .