Drumul egal al fiecărei zile (The Equal Way of Every Day), a story alluding to intellectual survival in a provincial environment during the aggressive Stalinist 1950s, won her critical acclaim and the Romanian Academy prize. In 1979, she published a series of short stories under the title Dăruiește-ți o zi de vacanță ("Offer Yourself a Day Off"), which expanded on the themes of The Equal Way. During the same year, in August, she traveled to the People's Republic of Poland, where she witnessed the mood encouraged by the visit of Pope John Paul II (according to her recollections, it was "a magic sentiment of human dignity").Adameșteanu, "Nu vă fie frică!"
