The 2006 Barometer the Romanian Ministry of Culture released yesterday uncovers Romanians' lack of appetite for books, movies and art. According to the research, Bucharest inhabitants consume more cultural products than Romanians in other regions. The number of citizens in contact with forms of culture reaches an average of 20%. As for Bucharest, it goes up to 60%. Television and radio still prevail on the private consume of cultural products. Sandra Brown beats Dostoyevsky As for literature, romance novels top preferences, followed by adventure books and detective stories and the classics come fourth. 35% of Romanians say they don't read literature. When asked how many books, apart from school textbooks, dailies and magazines, they have at hone, 15% answer: "None". 22% say they have got 20 books at most in their own houses. (...) It is to be noticed that 54,1% fail to utter the name of one foreign writer. As for those able to provide such names, after Shakespeare, Dumas and Tolstoy, there follow Sandra Brown and Dostoyevsky comes only next. (...) As far as movies are concerned, 41% of people say Sergiu Nicolaescu is the best known Romanian director and 8% go for Steven Spielberg. 51% fail to name one Romanian movie director and 72% know about no foreign one. Just like with the books, entertainment movies top the list. Comedies, thrillers and policiers are preferred to romance. About 1 Romanian our of 10 takes interest in documentaries and historical movies, genres with substantial cultural contents.

Monica ANDRONESCU