Owlspotting

The hardest thing after a debut is a consistent follow-up. I think the second issue of Esquire Romania has met that standard and done one better.

I’m not one to brag, but you’ll find that the second issue is more local, more diverse and more vividly illustrated than number one. And I’m very happy about that. My part in this effort consisted mostly of a personal essay on my family. This form of journalism–one that I treasure immensely–is something that I hope will stir readers and writers alike. It’s not so much writing on the self but reporting on the self, a much more arduous and interesting process. I got my idea when I found some rejection letters that my grandfather received from Romanian newspapers back in the 1950s. It seems he wanted to write for them. I set out to investigate this and… as the story says… ended up finding something completely different.

The opening spread on my story looks like this:

Below is a sneak preview of the cover and the summary pages — yes, Robert Downey Jr. looks awesome. And the story on him is a riot!

Other fun stuff in issue #2: Seven professors step in front of the camera. Iosif Viehmann, a prominent speleologist, isolates himself in a cave for 10 days. Bradut figures out Romanian stereotypes. Cristian Ghinea tears into the myth of young people saving politics. As a bonus, Vasluianu offers an opinion. And more.

* Design by (the magnificent) Raymond Bobar.