About the book: 1959 / In the novel by Gheorghe Călinescu (1899-1965) "The Riddle of Otilia" (1938) the Romanian petty bourgeoisie of the early 20th century received a vivid and truthful image with all its typical features, monotony and lethargy of spiritual life, primitiveness of requests, cultural backwardness and naked greed. In the conditions of bourgeois-landlord Romania, the author’s courage and the revealing power of his novel made a deep impression on the leading circles of the reading public.