Nicolae M. Condiescu (October 2, 1880 – June 15, 1939) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n novelist and soldier. Born in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...

, his parents were Matei Condiescu, an officer in the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

, and his wife Maria (''née'' Panu). He attended primary school in his native city, followed by three grades at

Carol I National College The Carol I National College ( ro, Colegiul Național Carol I din Craiova) is a high school located in central Craiova, Romania, on Ioan Maiorescu Street. It is one of the most prestigious secondary education institutions in Romania. Between 1947 ...

(1891-1894) and the school for soldiers' sons, which he finished in 1900. Moving 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 of ...

, he completed the officers' school in 1902 and studied at the Higher War School from 1912 to 1914. He fought in the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

and in 1915 headed the Bucharest reserve officers' school. In 1916, he became a major, rising to lieutenant colonel in 1917; during World War I, he was part of the general staff. In 1920, he was made a colonel and aide to Prince Carol (from 1930 King

Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...

), whom he accompanied on a world tour. A professor at the Higher War School, he resigned from the army in 1926, and in 1933 was made a brigadier-general in the reserves."Condiescu, Nicolae M."
at the Alexandru and Aristia Aman County Library Condiescu made his published debut in 1895, in the Craiova-based ''Revista idealistă''. Under the pen name Nicolae Corbu, he wrote verses and prose from 1895 to 1897 in ''Foaia pentru toți'', ''Foaia populară'' and ''Revista idealistă'', but then took a fifteen-year break from magazine contributions. His first book was the 1899 poetry collection ''Din lacrămi''. Magazines that published his work in his later phase include ''

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 ...

'', ''Năzuința'', ''Cugetul românesc'', ''Ramuri'', ''Scrisul românesc'', ''Viața literară'' and ''

Revista Fundațiilor Regale ''Revista Fundațiilor Regale'' ("The Review of Royal Foundations") was a monthly literary, art and culture magazine published in Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern ...

''. From 1923 to 1924, he was part of ''Gândirea'''s leadership. He joined 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 ...

in 1922, and was its president from 1936 to 1939. Condiescu was elected an honorary 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 byl ...

in 1938.Membrii Academiei Române din 1866 până în prezent
at the Romanian Academy site He wrote a travel book, ''Peste mări și țări'' (vol. I, 1922; vol. II, 1923), after which he gained a reputation as a novelist with ''Conu Enake'' (1928) and ''Însemnările lui Safirim'' (1936).Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. I, p. 373. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Condiescu, Nicolae 1880 births 1939 deaths 19th-century Romanian poets 20th-century Romanian poets Romanian male poets 20th-century Romanian novelists Romanian travel writers People from Craiova Carol I National Defence University alumni Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War Romanian military personnel of World War I Honorary members of the Romanian Academy 19th-century male writers 20th-century Romanian male writers