I know, it's very odd indeed. And surprising. I had to read Ion in school and to be honest, I wasn't a big fan of it and so, I was very pleasantly surprised when I stared reading A&E as it's quite different. Completely turned me around about Rebreanu. Yes, I love that this is his favorite! I just saw this quote the other day and I love the concept of a "book of eternal illusions".
Thank you for commenting, @aydogdy!!