I had the opportunity and chance to meet Filip-Lucian Iorga in Paris and see him again in Bucharest in 2011, when, at his initiative, I held two conferences in the capital of Romania. I really appreciated his vast knowledge about the intellectual life in France. I also admired him for the ease with which he can communicate in different cultural environments he encounters in his country or abroad.
I wish a brilliant career to our friend, hoping that his great intellectual and human qualities will be taken for what they’re worth.
Jean Delumeau
I have known Filip-Lucian Iorga for over 15 years. I followed his evolution, starting with his high school years at the Spiru Haret National College, with the student years at the Faculty of History, University of Bucharest and continuing with his internships in Paris, at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne, during his master and Ph.D. studies. To me, the research of Filip-Lucian Iorga on the genealogical mythologies of the Romanian boyar families is extremely interesting, but also his project dedicated to the family memory and family identity of the current descendants of the boyar and grand bourgeois families. I prefaced his doctoral thesis, which he published in 2013 at the Humanitas Publishing House, under the title Strămoşi pe alese. Călătorie în imaginarul genealogic al boierimii române (Choosing Your Ancestors. A Journey in the Genealogical Imaginary of the Romanian Boyars).
All these years, I discovered that Filip-Lucian Iorga is a man capable of analysis and synthesis, tenacious and very discreet. I have also discovered he is a man of dialogue: as early as 2005 he published a book of conversations with Alexandru Paleologu, Breviar pentru păstrarea clipelor (Breviary for Preserving Moments), which was appreciated by readers and critics. He went on with Le tempérament œcuménique, a volume which was published in France, where he collected his conversations with important French historians such as Jean Delumeau, Jacques Le Goff, Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, but also with the famous Catalan musician Jordi Savall. I was myself one of those interviewed for this volume. In 2014, our conversation turned into a book of its own, Trecutul este viu (The Past is Alive). In the same year, Filip Iorga also published a volume of conversations with Prince Nicholas of Romania, the grandson of King Michael of Romania. Filip Iorga also uses his talent for dialogue and his tactfulness in his conversations with the living descendants of the Romanian nobility: he needs to be very considerate in order to persuade people who are generally very discreet to reveal the history of their families and their biographical path.
Filip-Lucian Iorga has a bunch of rare qualities, beyond his education and career so far: he is a diplomat by nature, he is discreet, tenacious, he is charming in conversation; he is a good negotiator (he knows when to let one pass) but he never renounces the deep-rooted values in which he believes. He has a rich and varied education, which helps him sail through very different areas and cultures.
Neagu Djuvara
Presentation in Regard journal:
“Filip-Lucian Iorga a 30 ans et déjà un parcours étonnamment riche d’historien et d’homme de lettres. Parfait francophone, il a notamment étudié à l’université Paris IV-Sorbonne, avant de devenir docteur en histoire à 28 ans. A son actif, plusieurs ouvrages, dont deux sortis en février 2013: Strămoşi pe alese. Călătorie în imaginarul genealogic al boierimii române (Ancêtres au choix. Voyage dans l’imaginaire généalogique des boyards roumains), publié aux éditions Humanitas, et Le tempérament œcuménique (Editions Baudelaire), suite d’entretiens avec Jean Delumeau, Neagu Djuvara, Jacques Le Goff, Jordi Savall, entre autres. Filip-Lucian Iorga parle ici de sa passion pour la généalogie, pour l’histoire de son pays, et analyse avec sensibilité et justesse le présent de la société roumaine. A la lumière du passé.”