"Crossing The Iron Curtain" is a scholarly book that addresses one of the most fascinating questions of the Cold War era: What would have happened if writers in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe had the freedom to explore the themes of their choice and express themselves as they saw fit? The book highlights the works of three American critics of Romanian origin who went into exile in the USA in the 1970s to escape life under a dictatorship. It illustrates how their desire to resist political manipulation and develop a system of free thought led to an interest in overcoming the dualistic polarities that shaped the divided mentality in Europe after World War II. The critical voices of Matei Calinescu, Virgil Nemoianu, and Mihai Spariosu contribute to the philosophical reconnection between the former communist world and the free world after 1989.