Ion Gorun (pen name of Alexandru I. Hodoș; December 30, 1863–March 30, 1928) was an

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

-born

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n prose writer, poet and translator.

Biography

Born in Roșia,

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county () of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat () is the namesake town of Sibiu (). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Hermannstadt''. Under the ...

, his parents were Iosif Hodoș and his wife Ana (''née'' Balint). His brothers Enea and

Nerva Nerva (; born Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynast ...

were both writers, as was his wife

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

; his uncle was Alexandru Papiu Ilarian. He attended high school at

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

and

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

between 1876 and 1880. Subsequently crossing into the

Romanian Old Kingdom The Romanian Old Kingdom ( or just ''Regat''; or ) is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia and Moldavia. The union of the ...

, he entered the medical faculty of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...

, taking classes from 1881 to 1883 before withdrawing and enrolling in the literature faculty, where he graduated in 1888, and the law faculty, which he did not complete. He became an editor for the National Liberal Party-affiliated magazine ''Națiunea'' and was editing secretary for ''Vieața'' (1893-1894) and ''Povestea vorbei'' (1896-1897). He headed ''Viața nouă'' magazine in 1898, and edited the Arad-based ''Românul''. He edited ''Pagini literare'' magazine from 1899 to 1900; together with Artur Stavri, edited ''Viața literară și artistică'' (1906-1908); with

George Coșbuc George Coșbuc (; 20 September 1866 – 9 May 1918) was a Romanian poet, translator, teacher, and journalist, best remembered for his verses describing, praising and eulogizing rural life, its many travails but also its occasions for joy. In 19 ...

, ''Revista noastră'', briefly in 1907; with Constanța Hodoș, ''Astra'' (1915-1918) and ''Războiul popoarelor'' (1914-1916). His work appeared in ''

Sămănătorul ''Sămănătorul'' or ''Semănătorul'' (, Romanian language, Romanian for "The Sower") was a Literary magazine, literary and Political journalism, political magazine published in Romania between 1901 and 1910. Founded by poets Alexandru Vlahuță ...

'', ''Vatra'' and ''Fântâna Blanduziei''. His first published verses appeared in 1889, in ''

Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' () 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 Titu Maiorescu in 1867. The ma ...

'', under the pen name Castor; his first newspaper work ran in ''Poporul''; his first book was the 1901 poetry collection ''Câteva versuri''. His prose books were ''Alb și negru'' (1902), ''Robinson în Țara Românească'' (1904), ''Lume necăjită'' (1911) and ''Obraze și măști'' (1922). He authored a monograph about

Alexandru Vlahuță Alexandru Vlahuță (; 5 September 1858 – 19 November 1919) was a Romanian writer. His best known work is '' România pitorească'', an overview of Romania's landscape in the form of a travelogue. He was also the main editor of ''Sămănătoru ...

. Authors he translated include

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

and

Karl May Karl Friedrich May ( , ; 25 February 1842 – 30 March 1912) was a German author. He is best known for his novels of travels and adventures, set in the American Old West, the Orient, the Middle East, Latin America, China and Germany. He als ...

; he also gave a Romanian version of

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works ...

's " Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch". In 1926, he was awarded the national prize for prose.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. I, p. 679. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. ISBN 973-697-758-7

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorun, Ion 1863 births 1928 deaths People from Sibiu County Romanian Austro-Hungarians Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to Romania University of Bucharest alumni Romanian male short story writers Romanian short story writers Romanian poets Romanian translators Romanian newspaper editors Romanian magazine editors 20th-century translators 20th-century short story writers 20th-century Romanian male writers