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News.ro – “Platanos, by Doina Ruști, a novel about a dystopian world where fantasy and mystery intertwine”

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“Platanos,” by Doina Ruști – a novel about a dystopian world where fantasy and mystery intertwine, now on a promotional tour in Bucharest schools

BUCHAREST \| by Aura Marinescu \| October 6, 2025, 16:40

Platanos, the new novel by Doina Ruști, will embark on a promotional tour starting October 8, with meetings in Bucharest high schools and across the country.
The author’s first encounter with readers will take place at Saint Sava National College, on Wednesday at 11 a.m., in an event dedicated to high school students for whom Platanos carries a long-standing emotional connection.

For years, Ruști’s short story Platanos has been studied in 8th-grade Romanian literature classes, generating remarkable enthusiasm among students and teachers alike—so much so that many urged the writer to turn it into a full-length novel.

Published at the end of September by Youngart Publishing House, the new novel portrays a dystopian world where fantasy and mystery intertwine.
The title character, now seen in an unexpected light, joins Sisinel as he discovers the city beyond the river and unravels the secrets of the vegetal realm.

Platanos, himself a hybrid but far more learned, is eager to share his knowledge with others and to teach Sisinel the meaning of true friendship.
Yet those around them cannot help but wonder: where did Platanos learn all these things?

“I want to thank the teachers and students across the country who encouraged and helped me write this novel. For many years, I received thousands of letters filled with suggestions, requests, and hopes for the destiny of the characters.
My heroes grew up alongside the students who studied the story. Some of Platanos’s friends have finished high school by now, and so, in this book, the characters are teenagers themselves.
Many of their traits come from the countless questions I received from pupils, but also from the bond created between me and the readers of the story.
I feel fortunate to have met so many students, thanks to the kindness of Tina Sâmihăian, the coordinator of the school textbook,” said Doina Ruști.

Wednesday’s event is organized by the Romanian Language and Literature Department of Saint Sava National College, with the participation of teachers Irina Georgescu, Silvia Fulaș, Cristina Văduva, Dragoș Păduraru, Andreea Nistor, Gabriela Gheorghe, and Andreea Porumbel.

Doina Ruști and the ART Publishing Group are preparing several other meetings with students from Bucharest — including at Jean Monnet Theoretical High School, Mihai Viteazul National College, George Coșbuc Bilingual College, Miguel de Cervantes Bilingual High School, and more — as well as events in other cities across the country.

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