Pavel Dan (September 3, 1907 – August 2, 1937) was an

Austro-Hungarian 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 between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

-born Romanian prose writer. He was born in Clapa, Cluj County, in the Transylvania region. His parents, Simion Dan and Maria (''née'' Tescariu), were poor peasants. He began primary school in 1914, and would later caricature his classmate Samoilă Gabor in "Intelectualii". He took part in a peasant uprising in nearby Țigăreni village, later transposing the event into another era in "Iobagii". In 1919, following the union of Transylvania with Romania, he entered the Romanian high school in Turda; "Întâlnire" and "Vedenii din copilărie" dealt with the atmosphere of the provincial town. During this period, the only positive figure in Dan's life was his teacher

Teodor Murășanu Teodor Murăşanu (; 19 July 1891 in Câmpia Turzii – 2 September 1966) was a writer and teacher in Turda, Romania in the first half of the 20th century. Biography Teodor Murășanu was born in a peasant family. He was the second of the ...

, himself a writer and editor at ''Pagini literare'', where Dan also contributed. As a schoolboy, he was preoccupied by large-scale literary projects that remained unfinished (the novels ''Mizerie'' and ''Logodnica'', and the novella ''O răzbunare sângeroasă''). He was a participant in the activities of the Titu Maiorescu reading society, and the magazine ''Fire de tort'' appeared upon his initiative in 1925. In 1927, he entered the literature faculty of the

University of Cluj A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

; his main specialty was Romanian language, with a secondary field being Latin. He was involved in

Victor Papilian The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

's circle. Dan's published debut as a critic took place in 1930, with a review of Garabet Ibrăileanu's ''Note și impresii'' in ''Darul vremii''. The second number of the same magazine included his short story "Ursita". In 1931, he became librarian and pedagogue at the high school in Turda. The following year, he was hired to teach at Sfântul Vasile High School in Blaj. From 1934 to 1936, he published a number of stories in ''Blajul'' magazine, including "Îl duc pe popa", "Corigențe", "Întâlnire" and "La închisoare". A single prose work of his, "Priveghiul", ran in ''

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 Petr ...

''. In 1936, he won the literary contest of ''România nouă'' with the story "Iobagii". The short story collection ''Urcan bătrânul'', introduced by

Ion Chinezu Ion Chinezu (August 15, 1894 – December 10, 1966) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian literary critic and translator. Biography Born in Sântana de Mureș, Mureș County, in the Transylvania region, his parents Ion Chinezu and Ana (''née ...

, was published posthumously in 1938. Soon after the event, Octav Șuluțiu wrote that his death "has cut short the appearance of one of the greatest Romanian writers, in the full course of his evolution". A more circumspect George Călinescu merely lamented the early passing of "a probably powerful writer".Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. I, p. 450. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. A high school in Câmpia Turzii and an elementary school in Tritenii de Jos now bear his name.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dan, Pavel 1907 births 1937 deaths Romanian male short story writers Romanian short story writers Romanian literary critics Romanian schoolteachers People from Cluj County Romanian Austro-Hungarians Babeș-Bolyai University alumni