Ștefan I. Nenițescu (October 8, 1897–October 1979) was a Romanian poet and aesthetician. Born in Bucharest, his parents were the poet

Ioan S. Nenițescu Ioan S. Nenițescu (April 11, 1854–February 23, 1901) was a Romanian poet and playwright. Born in Galați, his parents were Ștefan Vasiliu, a manual laborer, and his wife Elisabeta (''née'' Zaharia). After completing the Alexandru Ioan I c ...

and his wife Elena (''née'' Ștefan). He attended Sapienza University of Rome from 1920, as well as the literature and philosophy department of the University of Bucharest. At first an assistant professor of aesthetics, he later became an associate professor at Bucharest. He served as press secretary and later economic adviser to the Romanian legation in The Hague. Nenițescu's first publication was a 1915 article about William Shakespeare that appeared in ''Noua revistă română''. His first book of poetry, ''Denii'' (1919), was followed by ''Vrajă'' (1923) and ''Ode italice'' (1925). His single volume of theatre was ''Trei mistere'' (1922). From 1924, he wrote for ''

Gândirea ''Gândirea'' ("The Thinking"), known during its early years as ''Gândirea Literară - Artistică - Socială'' ("The Literary - Artistic - Social Thinking"), was a Romanian literary, political and art magazine. Overview Founded by Cezar Pet ...

'', and was a founding member of Romania's

PEN Club PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...

. He also contributed poetry and art criticism to ''

Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' ( Romanian: ''Literary Talks'') is a Romanian literary magazine published in Romania. It is among the most important journals of the nineteenth-century Romania. History and profile ''Convorbiri Literare'' was founded by ...

'', ''Ideea europeană'', ''Vremea'', ''Universul literar'', '' Viața Românească'', ''

Adevărul ''Adevărul'' (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published dur ...

'', and ''Arta plastică''. In 1925, Nenițescu published a treatise, ''Istoria artei ca filosofie a istoriei''. He translated from

Benedetto Croce Benedetto Croce (; 25 February 1866 – 20 November 1952) was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician, who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography and aesthetics. In most regards, Croce was a lib ...

(''Aesthetic'', 1922) and Niccolò Machiavelli ('' The Mandrake'', 1926). Initially, Nenițescu's poetry was discursive and religious, in line with the ''Gândirist'' current. His verse became progressively more hermetic, as can be seen in the anthology volume ''Ani'' (1973). Including texts published in the 1940s and '50s, it reveals the intellectualized lyric verse of an eminently classical nature.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. II, p. 215. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. At the onset of the communist regime, Nenițescu was sentenced in 1949 to forced labor for life; after spending time in several prisons, including those in

Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...

and Văcărești, he was set free in 1964. His house, at 4, Maria Rosetti Street in central Bucharest, was demolished in 2020, despite opposition from the city's mayor, Nicușor Dan.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nenitescu, Stefan 1897 births 1979 deaths 20th-century Romanian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century translators Gândirea Italian–Romanian translators People from Bucharest Romanian art critics Romanian literary critics Romanian poets Romanian translators University of Bucharest alumni Academic staff of the University of Bucharest Inmates of Văcărești Prison Inmates of Pitești prison People detained by the Securitate