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Ioan Slavici (; 18 January 1848 – 17 August 1925) was a Romanian writer and journalist from
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
, later from
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. He made his debut in ''Convorbiri literare'' ("Literary Conversations") (1871), with the comedy ''Fata de birău'' ("The Mayor's Daughter"). Alongside
Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active memb ...
he founded the Young Romania Social and Literary Academic Society and organized, in 1871, the Putna Celebration of the Romanian Students from Romania and from abroad. At the end of 1874, he settled in Bucharest, where he became secretary of the Hurmuzachi Collection Committee, then he became a professor, and then an editor of the newspaper ''Timpul'' ("The Time"). Alongside
Ion Luca Caragiale Ion Luca Caragiale (; commonly referred to as I. L. Caragiale; According to his birth certificate, published and discussed by Constantin Popescu-Cadem in ''Manuscriptum'', Vol. VIII, Nr. 2, 1977, pp. 179-184 – 9 June 1912) was a Romanian play ...
and George Coșbuc, he edited the ''Vatra'' ("The Hearth") magazine. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fight ...
, he collaborated at the newspapers ''Ziua'' ("The Day") and ''Gazeta Bucureștilor'' ("The Bucharest Gazette"). He was awarded the
Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its by ...
Award (1903).


Early life

Slavici was born in the village of Világos (today Șiria, Romania), near Arad, in 1848, the
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
year throughout Europe, with ramifications in Transylvania (then part of the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
). Until 1868, Slavici studied at the local Orthodox school and various other institutions in Hungary, being taught in either Hungarian or German. When he finished his studies, Slavici left the Tiszántúl region for
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, where he intended to study law. The following year, however, financial difficulties forced him to return home and take a job as a notary public. Throughout his employment, Slavici saved the money that would help him continue his studies.


''Junimea''

In 1871, he left for
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
as part of his
military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) requir ...
. This proved to be a decisive moment in the life of the future writer, as Slavici had a chance to meet
Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active memb ...
, the most important Romanian poet, who was studying at the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public university, public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the Geogra ...
. The two became good friends, with Eminescu encouraging and assisting Slavici in the development of his style and of the works themselves. The same year marked Slavici's literary debut in ''
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 ...
'', the mouthpiece of the ''
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personal ...
'' society in
Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Western M ...
. In 1872, Slavici again had to interrupt his studies because of financial difficulties. Two years later, he left
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...
and moved to Iași, where he took part in the ''Junimea'' gatherings. In 1874 the Ioan Slavici Classical Theatre was established in Arad. His first book, ''Nuvele din popor'', a collection of
short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
, was published in 1881. It included '' Moara cu noroc'' (''The Lucky Mill'') and ''Budulea Taichii'', two of Slavici's best-known and crafted works.


Prisons and return to Romania

In 1882, he was selected as a corresponding member of the
Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its by ...
. In 1884, Slavici moved to Transylvania, becoming actively involved in the Romanian national movement, serving as a member of the Central Committee of the
Romanian National Party The Romanian National Party ( ro, Partidul Național Român, PNR), initially known as the Romanian National Party in Transylvania and Banat (), was a political party which was initially designed to offer ethnic representation to Romanians in the ...
, the main political forum of Romanians in the region. Hungarian authorities sentenced Slavici to one year in prison for his nationalist stance. This was the first of many short stays in prison in Slavici's life (not all of them connected with his political attitudes – some were the outcome of lawsuits against other journalists). Six years later, he moved to
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
and, in 1894, he began publishing the first parts of his most famous novel, '' Mara'', which was published as a single volume 12 years later. This is also the period of his activities as editor of '' Vatra'' magazine, alongside George Coșbuc and
Ion Luca Caragiale Ion Luca Caragiale (; commonly referred to as I. L. Caragiale; According to his birth certificate, published and discussed by Constantin Popescu-Cadem in ''Manuscriptum'', Vol. VIII, Nr. 2, 1977, pp. 179-184 – 9 June 1912) was a Romanian play ...
.


World War I and later years

In 1909, Slavici began work for the pro- German newspaper ''
Ziua ''Ziua'' (''The Day'' in Romanian) was a major Romanian daily newspaper published in Bucharest. It was published in Romanian with a fairly sizeable and often informative English section. ''Ziua'' was founded in 1994 by Sorin Roşca Stănescu, ev ...
''. With the outbreak of World War I, his writings at the newspaper brought him into conflict with other
intellectuals An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...
who supported the
Triple Entente The Triple Entente (from French '' entente'' meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as well ...
powers. On 14 August 1916, Romania entered the War on the Entente side, attacking Hungary in Transylvania. After a successful German and Austro-Hungarian counterattack, Romania had most of its territory (including Bucharest) occupied by the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Bulgarian troops in the summer of 1917. The Romanian legitimate government took refuge in Iași, with the
Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
establishing a puppet administration for the occupied lands. Slavici collaborated with the new government, being employed as editor of the official journal, the '' Bucharest Gazette''. After the German withdrawal in November 1918, he was put on trial for his wartime activities and spent one year in jail, while his reputation with the
intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
was tarnished. In 1925 Slavici went to stay with his daughter in Panciu (a town now in
Vrancea County Vrancea () is a county (județ) in Romania, with its seat at Focșani. It is mostly in the historical region of Moldavia but the southern part, below the Milcov River, is in Muntenia. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 340,310 and ...
). He died there later that year, and was buried at the hermitage within .


Antisemitism

In contrast to the ''
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personal ...
'' leadership (but consistent with the attitudes expressed by some of the group's members), Slavici was a noted
antisemite Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
. His early definition of Jews as "''a disease''"Slavici, ''Soll și Haben—Chestiunea Ovreilor din România'', in ''The Report of the International Committee for the Study of Holocaust in Romania'' was doubled by his arguments in favor of their violent expulsion from Romanian soil: :"''The solution that remains for us is, at a signal, to close the borders, to annihilate them, to throw them into the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
right up to the very last of them, so that nothing remain of their seed!''" Later on, Slavici considered that: :"''The hatred that has welled up against these people is natural, and this hatred can easily be unleashed against all of them that have inherited wealth or acquired it themselves, and could lead at the end to a horrible shedding of blood.''"


Legacy

The Ioan Slavici Classical Theatre in Arad and the Ioan Slavici National College in
Satu Mare Satu Mare (; hu, Szatmárnémeti ; german: Sathmar; yi, סאטמאר or ) is a city with a population of 102,400 (2011). It is the capital of Satu Mare County, Romania, as well as the centre of the Satu Mare metropolitan area. It lies in t ...
are named in his honor. Streets in Arad,
Baia Mare Baia Mare ( , ; hu, Nagybánya; german: Frauenbach or Groß-Neustadt; la, Rivulus Dominarum) is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramur ...
,
Bistrița (; german: link=no, Bistritz, archaic , Transylvanian Saxon: , hu, Beszterce) is the capital city of Bistrița-Năsăud County, in northern Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistrița River. The city has a population of approxim ...
, Satu Mare,
Suceava Suceava () is the largest urban settlement and the seat town ( ro, oraș reședință de județ) of Suceava County, situated in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania, and at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. Klaus P ...
, and
Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...
also bear his name.


Works


Theatre

;Comedy * ''Fata de birău'' (1871) * ''Toane sau Vorbe de clacă'' (1875) * ''Polipul unchiului'' (1875) ; Drama * ''Bogdan Vodă'' (1876) * ''Gaspar Graziani'' (1888)


Fairy tales

* " Zâna Zorilor", in English "The fairy Aurora""The fairy Aurora"
in ''Roumanian Fairy Tales'',
Henry Holt and Company Henry Holt and Company is an American book-publishing company based in New York City. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. Currently, the company publishes in the fields ...
, New York, 1885
* "" * " Doi feți cu stea în frunte", in English "The twins with the golden star" * "Păcală în satul lui" * "Spaima zmeilor" * "Rodul tainic" * "Ileana cea șireată" * "Ioanea mamei" * "Petrea prostul" * "Limir-împărat" * "Băiet sărac" * "Împăratul șerpilor" * "Doi frați buni" * "Băiat sărac și horopsit" * "Nărodul curții" * "Negru împărat" * "Peștele pe brazdă" * " Stan Bolovan" * "Boierul și Păcală"


Novellas

* ' (1873) * ''Scormon'' (1875) * ''La crucea din sat'' (1876) * ''Crucile roșii'' (1876) * ''O viață pierdută'' (1876) * ' (1878) * ''Budulea Taichii'' (1880) * '' Moara cu noroc'' (''The Mill of Good Luck'', 1880) * ' (1884) * ''Comoara'' (1896) * ''Vatra părăsită'' (1900) * ''La răscruci'' (1906) * ''Pascal, săracul'' (1920)


Novels

* ' (1894) * ''Din bătrâni'' (1902) * ''Din bătrâni. Manea'' (1905):) * ''Corbei'' (1906) * ''Din două lumi'' (1920) * ''Cel din urmă armaș'' (1923) * ''Din păcat în păcat'' (1924)


Memoires

* ''Fapta omenească. Scrisori adresate unui tânăr'' (1888–1889) * ''Serbarea de la Putna'' (1903) * ''Închisorile mele'' (1920) * ''Amintiri'' (1924) * ''Lumea prin care am trecut'' (1924)


References


External links

Works * * *
"Popa Tanda"
i
''Roumanian Stories''
trans. Lucy Byng, John Lane,
The Bodley Head The Bodley Head is an English publishing house, founded in 1887 and existing as an independent entity until the 1970s. The name was used as an imprint of Random House Children's Books from 1987 to 2008. In April 2008, it was revived as an a ...
, London, 1921, pp. 175–205 Biographical
Ioan Slavici
timeline.
The Report of the International Committee for the Study of Holocaust in Romania
(on the Romanian Presidency site), a review of Romanian Anti-Semitic stances (in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Slavici, Ioan 1848 births 1925 deaths Austro-Hungarian emigrants to Romania Ethnic Romanian politicians in Transylvania People from Arad County Junimists Corresponding members of the Romanian Academy Romanian magazine editors Romanian newspaper editors Romanian novelists Romanian male novelists Romanian male short story writers Romanian short story writers Romanian people of World War I Romanian notaries Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Romanian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Romania Antisemitism in Romania