The Hatchet

The first crime novel in Romanian literature is now available in a new illustrated edition. The story is based on the classic Romanian folk poem Miorita. Vitoria Lipan is the wife of a shepherd living in a Moldavian village. She can't read or write but she has outstanding intuition. One day she gets a premonition that something happened to her husband, who was away looking to buy more sheep.

Guided by archaic symbols and local superstitions, Vitoria embarks on a journey to learn the truth. Her character is a unique portrayal of a simple peasant woman in the 1930s. Despite being illiterate she becomes a true female sleuth, crushing every stereotype of that time period.