In A Scotsman in Ceaușescu’s Romania, Ronald Mackay offers a rare, personal glimpse into life behind the Iron Curtain during one of Romania’s most repressive periods. Set in the early 1980s, when Mackay was invited to teach at a Romanian university, the memoir captures the surreal contradictions, quiet resilience, and quiet resistance of everyday people living under Ceaușescu’s totalitarian regime.
With wit, warmth, and sharp observation, Mackay chronicles his interactions with students, colleagues, secret police, and villagers, painting a vivid picture of a society under constant surveillance yet rich in culture and human spirit. He explores how fear shaped behaviour, how humour and kindness endured, and how being a foreigner both shielded and isolated him. Through his outsider’s perspective, Mackay sheds light on the absurdities and quiet tragedies of dictatorship without ever losing sight of the people who lived through it with dignity.
The memoir is not just a political account—it is also a deeply human story of curiosity, cultural exchange, and unexpected friendship. It offers valuable insight into a Romania that is now history, while reflecting on how identity and integrity survive under pressure.
An evocative, accessible read for anyone interested in Cold War Europe, Romania, or memoirs of cross-cultural life.
