So, the character of a people that had to be so clever, so adaptable, and so resilient—with all of these different cultures—became part of their collective DNA. These many cultures become part of one’s own DNA. There are Slavic influences. Greek influences, Ottoman influences. Of course, there is the Western Habsburg culture as well. So, I was born into a richly multi-cultural history.
I grew up in Bucharest, which is a very Western-looking, elegant city. They used to call it the Paris of Eastern Europe. I was raised hearing different languages and reading a lot.
Since we lost my dad, my mother, a piano professor, was working full-time. I grew up with tutors, reading the classics in different languages. I had had a French teacher at nine, and a tutor for English as I approached my university entrance exams. The implicit requirement (which I still hold) was that one had to seek to speak different languages impeccably – out of respect for that privilege.
And education was always considered hugely important in our circles, as the only portable asset nobody could take away.
