Patricia Furstenberg, Writer of Historical Fiction, Children's Books
Travel via Stories
Any visit at the National Museum of Maps and Old Books in Bucharest is a memorable adventure.
As a traveller and historical fiction writer I have always trusted maps and had a thing for ancient books. I know I’m not alone.
Continue reading “The Unique National Museum of Maps and Old Books in Bucharest”
Curious where did Vlad Dracula live during his second and longest reign of Wallachia, besides Targoviste? Then join my travels today.
Vlad had spent years traveling through the Ottoman lands, Moldavia, and Transylvania—but where did Vlad Dracula live during those years, and which courts, fortresses and roads shaped the man he would become?
Continue reading “Where Did Vlad Dracula Live as Voivode of Wallachia, 1456-1462, Part 5”
The years Vlad III spent in Moldavia and Transylvania, exiled, perhaps at the Edirne Ottoman court too, are the ones we now the least about-almost no records were left. These are the years that sparked my imagination writing the historical fiction saga Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows.
So what exactly do we know about the time Vlad III spent seeking refuge at the Ottoman court an then exiled at the Moldavia court and in Transylvania? He was not yet calling himself Vlad Dracula, and not yet called Vlad the Impaler either.
Continue reading “Following Vlad III in Moldavia and Transylvania: Exile and New Alliances, 1449–1456, Part 4”
Slow Gun Poetry, as Romanian Words That Endure, is inspired by this year’s theme of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival Slow Gun Poetry — Poezie cu bătaie lungă (Long-Range Poetry) inspired by poet Cezar Ivanescu’s reflection on the force of a single mark on a sheet of paper: how a single word can spark ideas, shape consciousness and even ignite revolutions.
This International Poetry Festival is at its 16th edition and takes place in Bucharest, 14-20 September 2026. All images in this blog post depict Bucharest.
Continue reading “Slow Gun Poetry: Romanian Words That Endure”
We’re following Vlad III to Târgoviște, his father’s princely court that, at least this time, proved to be a cold and lonely space when young Vlad arrived to reclaim its most-wanted throne.
To understand Vlad Dracula we should visit more than his fortresses. We should search the Ottoman courts as well as the Wallachian and Transylvanian cities that harbored him. Additionally, the roads, mountain passes, and foreign paths that influenced his life.
The places where he lived tell part of his story. But the places where he was held, fought, fled and returned to – tell the rest.
Continue reading “The Lonely Return of Vlad III to Târgoviște, Reclaiming the Wanted Throne 1448, Part 3”