Mircea Damian (pen name of Constantin Mătușa; March 14, 1899–June 16, 1948) was a

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 ...

n prose writer and journalist.

Early life

Born in Izvoru,

Olt County Olt County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt river). The capital city is Slatina. History On 24 August 2017, the Olt County ...

, he attended primary school in his native village, followed by high school in Slatina. He led a disorganized and nomadic life, living from one day to another while wandering from city to city (

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 approxima ...

, Dej,

Bacău Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...

, Galați, Constanța) and founding or working on various obscure publications.

Career

He finally settled in

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 of ...

, where he worked as an editor on several publications and founded and led one of his own, the magazine ''Vitrina literară'' (1929–1934). He solidified a reputation as an apt polemicist. He also delved into literature, as an author of humorous stories. He was well-received in the ''

Sburătorul ''Sburătorul'' was a Romanian modernist literary magazine and literary society, established in Bucharest in April 1919. Led by Eugen Lovinescu, the circle was instrumental in developing new trends and styles in Romanian literature, ranging from a ...

'' literary circle, although in ''Istoria literaturii române contemporane'', its leader

Eugen Lovinescu Eugen Lovinescu (; 31 October 1881 – 16 July 1943) was a Romanian modernist literary historian, literary critic, academic, and novelist, who in 1919 established the ''Sburătorul'' literary club. He was the father of Monica Lovinescu, and the u ...

gave a much more modest opinion of Damian's merits. His first book was the 1929 ''Eu sau frate- meu?!...'', a collection of humorous sketches. Two others appeared in the same genre (''Două și-un cățel'', 1933; ''Bolșevicul'', 1936); the latter was retrospective in nature. Other books fit into the genre of literary reportage: ''Celula nr. 13'' (1932), ''București'' (1935) and ''Rogojina'' (1945). His novels generally were of the journal or confessional variety: ''De-a curmezișul'' (1935) and ''Gheorghe I. Marin'' (1937). Only the 1936 novel ''Om'' had literary pretensions; this love story rings rather false, particularly in its poetic and lyrical passages. Toward the end of his life, he returned to journalism, heading the newspapers ''București'' (1941) and ''Fapta'' (1945–1947). In May 1941,

Nichifor Crainic Nichifor Crainic (; pseudonym of Ion Dobre ; 22 December 1889, Bulbucata, Giurgiu County – 20 August 1972, Mogoșoaia) was a Romanian writer, editor, philosopher, poet and theologian famed for his traditionalist activities. Crainic was a ...

, Minister of National Propaganda in the Ion Antonescu regime, suspended ''București'', citing its pro-democracy outlook. Damian sent a protest telegram that Crainic, due to its references to his personal life, found violent and offensive. Referred to military prosecutors, the journalist was sentenced to a year's imprisonment for offending the public authorities, and carried out his sentence in full. He later wrote ''Rogojina'', which deals with his incarceration at

Văcărești Prison Văcăreşti may refer to several entities in Romania: * Văcărescu family of boyars * Văcărești, Bucharest * Văcăreşti Monastery * Văcăreşti prison *Văcărești, Dâmbovița Văcărești is a commune in Dâmbovița County, Muntenia, Ro ...

. In 1933, he was awarded the

Romanian Writers' Society The Romanian Writers' Society ( ro, Societatea Scriitorilor Români) was a professional association based in Bucharest, Romania, that aided the country's writers and promoted their interests. Founded in 1909, it operated for forty years before the e ...

prize.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. II, p. 443–44. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. He died of throat cancer.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Damian, Mircea 1899 births 1948 deaths People from Olt County Romanian humorists Romanian novelists Romanian magazine founders Romanian magazine editors Romanian newspaper editors Prisoners and detainees of Romania Deaths from laryngeal cancer Deaths from cancer in Romania