Sergiu Dan (; born Isidor Rotman or Rottman; December 29, 1903 – March 13, 1976) was a Romanian novelist, journalist,
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
survivor and
political prisoner
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...
of the
communist regime
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
. Dan, the friend and collaborator of
Romulus Dianu
Romulus Dianu (born Romulus Dima; March 22, 1905–August 25, 1975) was a Romanian prose writer, journalist and translator.
Biography
Born in Bucharest, his parents were ''Căile Ferate Române'' worker Gheorghe Dima, a relative of composer ...
, was noted during the
interwar period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...
as a contributor to Romania's
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
and
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
scene, collaborating with poet
Ion Vinea
Ion Vinea (born Ioan Eugen Iovanaki, sometimes Iovanache; April 17, 1895 – July 6, 1964) was a Romanian poet, novelist, journalist, literary theorist, and political figure. He became active on the modernist scene during his teens—his poetic wo ...
on ''
Contimporanul
''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of the Romanian word for "the Contemporary", singular masculine form) was a Romanian (initially a weekly and later a monthly) avant-garde literary and art magazine, published in Bucharest between June 1922 an ...
'' review and ''
Facla'' newspaper. He was also affiliated with the rival literary club, ''
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 ...
'', and noted for criticizing the
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
sympathies of other avant-garde writers. His main works of the 1930s include contributions to the
psychological novel
In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...
,
thriller and
political novel
Political fiction employs narrative to comment on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction, such as political novels, often "directly criticize an existing society or present an alternative, even fantast ...
genres, received with critical acclaim.
Of
Jewish Romanian
The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...
origin, Sergiu Dan was the subject of
antisemitic
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 ...
defamation, and, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, was deported to
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
. After his return home, Dan spoke about his experiences in the book ''Unde începe noaptea'' ("Where Night Begins"), which endures one of the few Romanian contributions to
Holocaust literature
The Holocaust has been a prominent subject of art and literature throughout the second half of the twentieth century. There are a wide range of ways–including dance, film, literature, music, and television–in which the Holocaust has been repre ...
, and has for long been censored by dictatorial regimes. The writer's political stance also clashed with the post-1948 communist establishment, and, during the 1950s, he was interned at
Aiud prison. Dan was eventually forced to adapt his writing style to the aesthetic requirements of
Romanian Socialist realism, and spent the final decades of his life in relative obscurity. His work was rediscovered and reassessed following the
1989 Revolution.
Biography
Early decades
The future writer was born in the town of
Piatra Neamț
Piatra Neamț (; german: Kreuzburg an der Bistrița (Siret), Bistritz; hu, Karácsonkő) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its privileged location in the Easter ...
, in
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
region, the son of Simon Rotman.
["Sergiu Dan - 'un ironist sentimental' "]
in ''Timpul de Gorj'', Nr. 51 (355), December 22–28, 2008 His first steps in cultural journalism happened before 1926, when he was affiliated with the newspaper ''
Cugetul Românesc''; his earliest poems were published in cultural magazines such as ''
Chemarea'' and ''
Flacăra
''Flacăra'' (Romanian language, Romanian for "The Flame") is a weekly literary magazine published in Bucharest, Romania.
History and profile
''Flacăra'' was started in 1911. The first issue was published on 22 October 1911. The founder was Co ...
'',
[ Boris Marian]
"Lăudabil demers: reeditarea unui roman al lui Sergiu Dan"
, in ''Realitatea Evreiască
''Realitatea Evreiască'' ( Romanian for "The Jewish Reality") is a Romanian cultural and news magazine, based in Bucharest, and addressed to the local Jewish community. The magazine was founded in 1956 under the name ''Revista Cultului Mozaic d ...
'', Nr. 262-263 (1062-1063), December 2006, p.19 and a debut
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
, ''Iudita și Holofern'' ("
Judith and
Holofernes
In the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, Holofernes ( grc, Ὀλοφέρνης; he, הולופרנס) was an invading Assyrian general known for having been beheaded by Judith, a Hebrew widow who entered his camp and beheaded him while he was ...
"), saw print in 1927.
[''Moșteniri ale culturii iudaice. Carte de neuitare a evreilor pietreni'']
, at th
Romanian Jewish Community site
retrieved February 11, 2011 Sergiu Dan's brother, Mihail Dan, was also a journalist, known for his translations from
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
author
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...
.
[ ]Paul Cernat
Paul Cernat (born August 5, 1972 in Bucharest) is a Romanian essayist and literary critic. He has a Ph.D. summa cum laude in philology. Cernat has been a member of the Writers' Union of Romania since 2009. As of 2013, he is lecturer of Romanian li ...
"Subterana politică a avangardei românești"
in ''Observator Cultural
''Observator Cultural'' (meaning "The Cultural Observer" in English) is a weekly literary magazine based in Bucharest, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe ...
'', Nr. 417, April 2008
In the late 1920s, Sergiu Dan and his friend Romulus Dianu were 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 ...
. It was there that Dan joined the literary circle of novelist
Camil Petrescu
Camil Petrescu (; 9/21 April 1894 – 14 May 1957) was a Romanian playwright, novelist, philosopher and poet. He marked the end of the traditional novel era and laid the foundation of the modern novel era in Romania.
Life
Petrescu was born in Bu ...
, and took part in the regular literary disputes at
Casa Capșa
Casa Capșa is a historic restaurant in Bucharest, Romania, first established in 1852. At various times it has also included a hotel; most recently, it reopened as a 61-room hotel 17 June 2003.
"…long a symbol of Bucharest for its inhabitants ...
and Corso restaurants. By 1928, he had fallen out with Petrescu: ridiculing the "
noocratic" philosophical project outlined by Petrescu, and calling its author "insane" and "poltroonish".
[ Anton I. Adămuț]
"Camil Petrescu – istoria unui manuscris (Câte ceva despre eros și despre existențialism)"
, in '' Idei în Dialog'', October 2007 (republished by the Romanian Cultural Institute
The Romanian Cultural Institute ( ro, Institutul Cultural Român, ICR), headquartered in Bucharest, was established in 2004 on the older institutional framework provided by the Romanian Cultural Foundation and before 1989 by the Institute for ...
's
România Culturală
'') He later expressed regret for the incident, noting that he had been especially amused by Petrescu's eccentric decision to store his philosophical manuscript in the
Vatican Library
The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...
.
Dan and Dianu were also co-opted by
Ion Vinea
Ion Vinea (born Ioan Eugen Iovanaki, sometimes Iovanache; April 17, 1895 – July 6, 1964) was a Romanian poet, novelist, journalist, literary theorist, and political figure. He became active on the modernist scene during his teens—his poetic wo ...
on his various journalistic ventures, beginning with the
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
and modernist literary review ''
Contimporanul
''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of the Romanian word for "the Contemporary", singular masculine form) was a Romanian (initially a weekly and later a monthly) avant-garde literary and art magazine, published in Bucharest between June 1922 an ...
'', where they published avant-garde prose and poetry with a political subtext. His texts were featured in various other venues: ''
Vremea'', ''
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, Eastern, and Southeas ...
'', ''Universul Literar'' (the literary supplement of ''
Universul
''Universul'' was a mass-circulation newspaper in Romania. It existed from 1884 to 1953, and was run by Stelian Popescu from 1914 to 1943 (with a two-year break during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbrev ...
'' daily) and ''
Bilete de Papagal ''Bilete de Papagal'' was a Romanian left-wing publication edited by Tudor Arghezi, begun as a daily newspaper and soon after issued as a weekly satirical and literary magazine. It was published at three different intervals: 1928-1930, 1937-1938, ...
'' (the satirical newspaper of poet
Tudor Arghezi
Tudor Arghezi (; 21 May 1880 – 14 July 1967) was a Romanian writer, best known for his unique contribution to poetry and children's literature. Born Ion N. Theodorescu in Bucharest, he explained that his pen name was related to ''Argesis'', th ...
).
During the period, Dan underwent formal training in
Economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
, graduating from the
Bucharest Commercial School.
With Dianu (who was also making his debut), Dan co-authored a
romanticized biography of the 19th century poet-storyteller
Anton Pann
Anton Pann (; born Antonie Pantoleon-Petroveanu , and also mentioned as ''Anton Pantoleon'' or ''Petrovici''; 1790s—2 November 1854) was an Ottoman-born Wallachian composer, musicologist, and Romanian-language poet, also noted for his act ...
: ''Viața minunată a lui Anton Pann'' ("The Wonderful Life of Anton Pann";
Editura Cultura Națională, 1929)—this
collaborative fiction
Collaborative fiction is a form of writing by a group of authors who share creative control of a story.
Collaborative fiction can occur for commercial gain, as part of education, or recreationally – many collaboratively written works have bee ...
piece was reissued in 1935 as ''Nastratin și timpul său'' ("
Nasreddin
Nasreddin () or Nasreddin Hodja (other variants include: Mullah Nasreddin Hooja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin) (1208-1285) is a character in the folklore of the Muslim world from Arabia to Central Asia ...
and His Time").
[Călinescu, p.1021; Crohmălniceanu, p.353, 605, 606] In this context, Dan also joined 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 ...
'' club, formed around the eponymous magazine of literary theorist
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 ...
, as one of the Jewish writers whom Lovinescu welcomed into his movement.
[ Vlaicu Bârna]
"Un cuvânt nou în limba română"
in '' România Literarǎ'', Nr. 42/2001[ Henri Zalis]
"Apropieri de o moștenire diferențiată"
, 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 ...
'', August 2004
During his period at ''Contimporanul'', Dan embarked on a conflict with the
Surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
and
far leftist group at ''
unu
''unu'' (Romanian for "one"; lower case used on purpose) was the name of an avant-garde art and literary magazine, published in Romania from April 1928 to December 1932. Edited by writers Sașa Pană and Moldov, it was dedicated to Dada and Su ...
'', the magazine of poet
Sașa Pană
Sașa Pană (; pen name of Alexandru Binder; 8 August 1902—22 August 1981) was a Romanian avant-garde poet, novelist, and short story writer.
Biography
Born to a Jewish family in Bucharest, he trained as a physician in Iași and Bucharest, b ...
. This controversy reflected the major discrepancies between ''Contimporanul'' and other avant-garde venues.
By 1930, Sergiu's brother Mihail Dan had left ''Bilete de Papagal'' and had become involved with ''unu'', of which he was later editor in chief. However, documents first made public in 2008 show that he was secretly an
informant
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
for the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
's intelligence agency, ''
Siguranța Statului
Siguranța was the generic name for the successive secret police services in the Kingdom of Romania. The official title of the organization changed throughout its history, with names including Directorate of the Police and General Safety ( ro, Di ...
'', with a mission to supervise ''unu''s ongoing flirtations with
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
.
He had for long been suspected of this by the literary society at ''Sburătorul''.
Also in 1930, shortly after the forceful return of
Romanian 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 ...
to the throne, Sergiu Dan was working, as political editor,
on the staff of ''
Dreptatea
''Dreptatea'' was a Romanian newspaper that appeared between 17 October 1927 and 17 July 1947, as a newspaper of the National Peasants' Party. It was re-founded on February 5, 1990 as a publication of the Christian-Democratic National Peasants' P ...
'', the platform of the
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc, or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It w ...
(PNȚ). According to the later account of communist journalist
Petre Pandrea Petre is a surname and given name derived from Peter. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Petre
* Charles Petre Eyre (1817–1902), English Roman Catholic prelate
* Ion Petre Stoican (circa 1930–1990), Romanian v ...
, Dan and Vinea together stole the original draft of an article by PNȚ economist
Virgil Madgearu
Virgil Traian N. Madgearu (; December 14, 1887 – November 27, 1940) was a Romanian economist, sociologist, and left-wing politician, prominent member and main theorist of the Peasants' Party and of its successor, the National Peasants' Part ...
, and forged it in such manner as to make it seem that Madgearu was an anti-Carlist; they then sold a copy to Madgearu's rival, the
corporatist
Corporatism is a collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, on the basis of their common interests. The ...
theorist
Mihail Manoilescu
Mihail Manoilescu (; December 9, 1891 – December 30, 1950) was a Romanian journalist, engineer, economist, politician and memoirist, who served as Foreign Minister of Romania during the summer of 1940. An active promoter of and contributor to f ...
. Manoilescu took a copy of this document to Carol, discrediting himself when the forgery was exposed.
Petre Pandrea Petre is a surname and given name derived from Peter. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Petre
* Charles Petre Eyre (1817–1902), English Roman Catholic prelate
* Ion Petre Stoican (circa 1930–1990), Romanian v ...
, "Carol II-Madgearu-Manoilescu", in ''Magazin Istoric
''Magazin Istoric'' ( en, The Historical Magazine) is a Romanian monthly magazine.
Overview
''Magazin Istoric'' was started in 1967. The first issue appeared in April 1967. The headquarters is in Bucharest. The monthly magazine contains articles ...
'', April 2002, p.27 Pandrea claimed that, between them, Dan and Vinea made off with 150,000
lei from the affair, whereas their victim Manoilescu fell into permanent disfavor.
Sergiu Dan's actual editorial debut came in 1931, when
Editura Cugetarea published his novel ''Dragoste și moarte în provincie'' ("Love and Death in the Provinces").
In 1932, Dan and dramatist
George Mihail Zamfirescu
George Mihail Zamfirescu (born Gheorghe Petre Mihai; 13 October 1898 – 8 August 1939) was a Romanian prose writer and playwright.
He was born in Bucharest, the son of Petre Mihai, a drayman, and his wife Lina (Raluca) Costache. Between 1905 ...
shared the annual prize of 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 ...
, of which they both became members.
[ Victor Durnea]
"Societatea scriitorilor români"
, in ''Dacia Literară
''Dacia Literară'' was the first Romanian literary and political journal.
History
Founded by Mihail Kogălniceanu and printed in Iaşi, Dacia Literară was a Romantic nationalist and liberal magazine, engendering a literary society
A lit ...
'', Nr. 2/2008 (republished by the Romanian Cultural Institute
The Romanian Cultural Institute ( ro, Institutul Cultural Român, ICR), headquartered in Bucharest, was established in 2004 on the older institutional framework provided by the Romanian Cultural Foundation and before 1989 by the Institute for ...
's
România Culturală
'') In 1932, Sergiu Dan joined the staff of Vinea's gazette ''
Facla'', with novelist
Ion Călugăru
Ion Călugăru (; born Ștrul Leiba Croitoru, Ion Călugăru, Ioan Lăcustă''"Uzina care încearcă să gonească morții". Note nepublicate (1948)'' at thMemoria Digital Library retrieved February 17, 2010 also known as Buium sin Strul-Leiba Croi ...
, poet
N. Davidescu, writer-director
Sandu Eliad, and professional journalists
Nicolae Carandino Nicolae Carandino (19 July 1905 – 16 February 1996) was a Romanian journalist, pamphleteer, translator, dramatist, and politician.
He was born in Brăila into a family of intellectuals, the son of a Romanian mother and Greek father. After co ...
and
Henric Streitman
Henric Ștefan Streitman (first name also Henric Șt., Enric, Henri or Henry, last name also Streitmann, Streittman, Ștraitman; 1873 – ''circa'' March 30, 1950) was a Romanian journalist, translator and political figure, who traversed the polit ...
.
Dan resumed his writing career with ''Arsenic'', published by Cultura Națională in 1934, and ''Surorile Veniamin'' ("The Veniamin Sisters", Editura Vatra, 1935).
The former volume received another cultural prize, granted by literary critics at the
Eforie
Eforie (; historical names (for Eforie Sud): ''Băile Movilă'', ''Carmen-Sylva'', ''Vasile Roaită'') is a town and a holiday resort on the Black Sea shore, in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is located about 14 kilometers south ...
festival of 1934.
During 1934, Dan was one of 46 intellectuals who signed an appeal in favor of normalizing relations between Romania and its communist enemy to the east, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
—the basis for a cultural and political association, ''
Amicii URSS
''Amicii URSS'' (Romanian for " heFriends of the Soviet Union"; , occasionally known as ''Prietenii URSS'' (), which carries the same meaning) was a cultural association in interwar Romania, uniting left-wing and anti-fascist intellectuals who adv ...
'', which was secretly maneuvered by the outlawed
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party ( ro, Partidul Comunist Român, , PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that woul ...
.
Between Transnistria and Aiud
Sergiu Dan became a victim of
antisemitic
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 ...
repression during the early stages of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when
authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic votin ...
and
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
regimes took over (''see
Romania during World War II
Following the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, the Kingdom of Romania under King Carol II officially adopted a position of neutrality. However, the rapidly changing situation in Europe during 1940, as well as domestic political uph ...
''). Initially, he was expelled from the Writers' Society.
[ Radu Cosașu]
"Ura în toată incultura ei"
in ''Dilema Veche
''Dilema veche'' (English: "Old Dilemma") is a Romanian weekly magazine that covers culture, social topics, and politics. It was founded in 2004 as the successor to the magazine ''Dilema'', which was founded in 1993. Both magazines were founded by ...
'', Nr. 118, April 2006 In July 1940, writing for ''Universul Literar'', fascist author Ladmiss Andreescu proposed a boycott of Dan's work, and an overall ban on Jewish literature. Under the
National Legionary State
The National Legionary State was a Totalitarianism, totalitarian Fascism, fascist regime which governed Kingdom of Romania, Romania for five months, from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941. The regime was led by ...
, some authors sympathetic to the ruling
Iron Guard celebrated its enforcement of censorship as a revolution against modernist literature. In their magazine ''
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 ...
'', Dan was referred to as an exponent of "Judaic morbidity". Dan escaped the
Pogrom of January 1941, hidden and protected by his friend Vinea.
Later, the new dictatorial government of ''
Conducător
''Conducător'' (, "Leader") was the title used officially by Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu during World War II, also occasionally used in official discourse to refer to Carol II and Nicolae Ceaușescu.
History
The word is derived from the Ro ...
''
Ion Antonescu listed Dan as one of the Jewish authors specifically banned, on a special inventory with nationwide circulation. Dan was also among the Jewish men and women who were deported to
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
s in Romanian-administered
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
(''see
Holocaust in Romania
The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...
''); he was eventually released and could return to Bucharest, where he was under treatment with the Jewish physician and fellow writer
Emil Dorian, before the
August 1944 Coup managed to topple Antonescu.
[Rotman, p.176]
Dealing with his Transnistrian deportation, the novel ''Unde începe noaptea'' was published by Editura Naționala Mecu in 1945.
[Crohmălniceanu, p.605] The book, written as a response to early signs of
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements:
...
,
was reportedly taken out of circulation for unknown reasons; it was later suggested that it clashed with the Communist Party agenda, at a time when Romania was undergoing fast
communization
Communization (or communisation in British English) mainly refers to a contemporary communist theory in which there is a mixing-up of insurrectionist anarchism, the communist ultra-left, post-autonomists, anti-political currents, groups like ...
.
["Hasefer — ca de obicei, la înălțimea așteptărilor"]
, in ''Realitatea Evreiască
''Realitatea Evreiască'' ( Romanian for "The Jewish Reality") is a Romanian cultural and news magazine, based in Bucharest, and addressed to the local Jewish community. The magazine was founded in 1956 under the name ''Revista Cultului Mozaic d ...
'', Nr. 256-257 (1056-1057), June–July 2006, p.5 Two years later, Naționala Mecu released another one of Dan's war-themed novels, ''Roza și ceilalți'' ("Roza and the Others").
After 1948, Sergiu Dan's political views collided with the agenda set by the
Romanian communist regime, and he was eventually arrested. Reportedly, Dan had first attracted political persecution upon himself when, in 1947, he spoke out as a defense witness at the trial of his friend, the PNȚ journalist Nicolae Carandino.
[ Iulia Deleanu]
"Epoca interbelică – refolosirea balanței"
in ''Observator Cultural
''Observator Cultural'' (meaning "The Cultural Observer" in English) is a weekly literary magazine based in Bucharest, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe ...
'', Nr. 406, January 2008 The
Securitate
The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regime ...
secret police confiscated his works in progress, which reputedly formed part of a special secret archive. The conditions of Dan's new detainment were characterized by literary historian
Henri Zalis as "savage".
He was notably held, with many other public figures of various backgrounds, at
Aiud prison. Petre Pandrea, himself imprisoned there after an inner-party purge, later included Dan on his list of writers, humorously titled the "Writers' Union of Aiud"—in contrast to the communist-controlled
Writers' Union of Romania
The Writers' Union of Romania (), founded in March 1949, is a professional association of writers in Romania. It also has a subsidiary in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The Writers' Union of Romania was created by the communist regime by taking ...
. Dianu, who had worked with Vinea and controversial journalist
Pamfil Șeicaru during the war years, was also in custody by 1950, as one of the journalists charged with having tarnished "the world's luminous transformation on the path toward the justest regime in the history of mankind".
Dan was eventually released around 1955, when, according to Zalis (a personal witness to the events, alongside novelist
Zaharia Stancu
Zaharia Stancu (; October 7, 1902 – December 5, 1974) was a Romanian prose writer, novelist, poet, and philosopher. He was also the director of the National Theatre Bucharest, the President of the Writers' Union of Romania, and a titular memb ...
), he confided to fellow members of the official Writers' Union about his time in prison.
The Union later exposed Dan to sessions of "self-criticism", forcing him to comply with the demands of
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
(''see
Socialist realism in Romania
After World War II, socialist realism, like in the Soviet Union, was adopted by a number of new communist states in Eastern Europe, including Romania. This was accompanied by a series of organizational moves, such as the incarceration of numerous ...
'').
His later bibliography includes: ''Taina stolnicesei'' ("The
Stolnik
Pantler (, , russian: сто́льник, ) was a court office in Lithuania, Poland, and Russia, responsible for serving the royal table, then an honorary court title and a district office.
Stolnik in Crown of Poland
In the Crown of Poland und ...
Woman's Secret"), published by
Editura de stat pentru literatură și artă (ESPLA) in 1958 and ''Tase cel Mare'' ("Tase the Great"),
Editura pentru literatură, 1964.
In 1970,
Editura Minerva
Editura Minerva is one of the largest publishing houses in Romania. Located in Bucharest, it is known, among other things, for publishing classic Romanian literature
Romanian literature () is literature written by Romanian authors, although the ...
republished ''Roza și ceilalți'' and ''Arsenic'', while
Cartea Românească
Cartea Românească ("The Romanian Book") is a publishing house in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1919. Disestablished by the Communist Romania, communist regime in 1948, it was restored under later communism, in 1970, when it functioned as the off ...
printed his last volume, ''Dintr-un jurnal de noapte'' ("From a Nightly Diary").
That year, in protest against
communist censorship, Dan refused to accept the ''
Meritul Cultural'' medal.
He also concentrated on his translator's activity, being noted for his rendition of ''
Madame Bovary
''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities ...
'' and ''
Salammbô
''Salammbô'' (1862) is a historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt (241–237 BCE). Flaubert's principal source was Book I of the ''Histories'', written by the Greek hist ...
'', the classical works of French novelist
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...
.
His overall contribution also covers
Romanian-language
Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communities in t ...
versions of works by
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He ...
,
Michel Droit
Michel Droit (23 January 1923 in Vincennes, Val-de-Marne – 22 June 2000) was a French novelist and journalist. He was the father of the photographer Éric Droit (1954–2007).
Biography
After studying at the Faculté des lettres de Paris and Sc ...
,
Maurice Druon
Maurice Druon (23 April 1918 – 14 April 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Française, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999.
Life and career
Born in Paris, France, Druon was the s ...
,
Anatole France
(; born , ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie França ...
,
Boris Polevoy
Boris Nikolaevich Polevoy (or Polevoi) (russian: Бори́с Никола́евич Полево́й; – 12 July 1981) was a Soviet writer. He is the author of the book '' Story of a Real Man'' about Soviet World War II fighter pilot Aleksey M ...
,
Elsa Triolet
Elsa Triolet (born Ella Yuryevna Kagan; (russian: Элла Юрьевна Каган); – 16 June 1970) was a Russian-French writer and translator.
Biography
Ella Yuryevna Kagan was born into a Jewish family of Yuri Alexandrovich Kagan, a ...
and
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
.
In 1973, he was interviewed by the young literary critics Ileana Corbea and Nicolae Florescu for the volume ''Biografii posibile'' ("Possible Biographies").
Work
Early contributions
The earliest literary contributions by Sergiu Dan are generally small-scale narratives about provincial life, which often lead to a fiery and unexpected
climax
Climax may refer to:
Language arts
* Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work
* Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance
Biology
* Climax community, a biological community th ...
.
Those fragments published by ''
Contimporanul
''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of the Romanian word for "the Contemporary", singular masculine form) was a Romanian (initially a weekly and later a monthly) avant-garde literary and art magazine, published in Bucharest between June 1922 an ...
'' in the 1920s have been included by researcher
Paul Cernat
Paul Cernat (born August 5, 1972 in Bucharest) is a Romanian essayist and literary critic. He has a Ph.D. summa cum laude in philology. Cernat has been a member of the Writers' Union of Romania since 2009. As of 2013, he is lecturer of Romanian li ...
in a special group of "iconoclastic" and
absurdist short prose (with those of Dianu,
F. Brunea-Fox F. Brunea-Fox (born Filip Brauner; January 18, 1898–June 12, 1977) was a Romanian reporter, journalist and translator.
Born into a Romanian Jews, Jewish family in Roman, Romania, Roman, his parents were Simcha Brauner and Leia (''née'' Gelbe ...
,
Filip Corsa or
Sandu Tudor
Sandu Tudor (; born Alexandru Al. Teodorescu, known in church records as Brother Agathon, later Daniil Teodorescu, Daniil Sandu Tudor, Daniil de la Rarău; December 22 or December 24, 1896 – November 17, 1962) was a Romanian poet, journalist, th ...
). His
experimental prose fragment ''Rocambole'' was a
parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
of
Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail
Pierre Alexis, Viscount of Ponson du Terrail (8 July 1829 – 20 January 1871) was a French writer. He was a prolific novelist, producing in the space of twenty years some seventy-three volumes, and is best remembered today for his creation of ...
's
19th century series (and of literary conventions in general): although only covering half a page, it carried the subtitle "grand
adventure novel
Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction.
History
In the Introduction to the ''Encyclopedi ...
", and showed its eponymous
anti-hero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
as an
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
uous
kleptomania
Kleptomania is the inability to resist the urge to steal items, usually for reasons other than personal use or financial gain. First described in 1816, kleptomania is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder. Some of the main cha ...
c. The inspiration behind this format, similar to those employed by Dianu and the others, was the avant-garde hero
Urmuz. According to Cernat, the ''Contimporanul'' writers borrowed Urmuz's manner of toying with the expectations of traditional readers, but were less interested than him in preserving an implicit social message. Cernat illustrates this conclusion with Dan's
free verse
Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French ''vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech.
Definit ...
"diary-poem", published in Issue 71 of ''Contimporanul'', a sample of "cynical
libertinism
A libertine is a person devoid of most moral principles, a sense of responsibility, or sexual restraints, which they see as unnecessary or undesirable, and is especially someone who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behaviour o ...
" and "absolute aesthetic freedom":
A triple issue of ''Contimporanul'' (96-97-98 for 1931) featured Dan and Dianu's text for the stage, ''Comedie în patru acte'' ("A Comedy in Four Acts"). Cernat finds that it is a "timid" version of
Futurist
Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abou ...
writings by
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist, and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye d ...
, comparable to similar contributions by
A. L. Zissu.
Dan's style became more personal during his affiliation with ''
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 ...
'' and his earliest novels, although, Henri Zalis notes, he was more eclectic than other ''Sburătorists''.
Researcher and critic
Ovid Crohmălniceanu finds that Sergiu Dan was one of the
psychological novel
In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...
ists who, following ''Sburătorul''s critique of
social determinism
Social determinism is the theory that social interactions alone determine individual behavior (as opposed to biological or objective factors).
A social determinist would only consider social dynamics like customs, cultural expectations, educatio ...
and praise of the liberated urban intellectual, focused primarily (and, in Crohmălniceanu's opinion, excessively) on the refined "erotic obsessions" of exceptional individuals. He therefore places Dan in a group of ''Sburătorists'' which also includes
Felix Aderca,
Isaia Răcăciuni
Isaia is an Italian menswear brand founded in Naples in 1920.
The brand is recognized by its tiny red coral logo, which is a good-luck charm in Naples.
Gianluca Isaia is the chief executive officer. Its brother brand is Eidos (είδος meani ...
,
Mihail Celarianu
Mihail Celarianu (August 1, 1893 – 1985) was a Romanian poet and novelist.
A native of Bucharest, he was the third of eight children born to Constantin Celarianu, an officer in the Romanian Army, and his wife Antoaneta (''née'' Pricup). Aft ...
and
Dan Petrașincu. In his 1941 synthesis of
Romanian literature
Romanian literature () is literature written by Romanian authors, although the term may also be used to refer to all literature written in the Romanian language.
History
The development of the Romanian literature took place in parallel with tha ...
, academic
George Călinescu
George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899, Bucharest – 12 March 1965, Otopeni) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the mos ...
described the post-1931 novels written separately by Dianu and Dan as rather similar, with the exception that Dan's were the products of "a more organized industry"; both authors, he argues, remained "highly conventional" in applying to Romania the
genre fiction
Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term used in the book-trade for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre.
A num ...
equivalent of
Hollywood films
The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...
.
[Călinescu, p.797]
Overall, Crohmălniceanu notes, Sergiu Dan had an "offhand narrative style, moving around with ease, the same as
ellow novelistCezar Petrescu
Cezar Petrescu (; December 1, 1892–March 9, 1961) was a Romanian journalist, novelist, and children's writer.
He was born in Hodora, Iași County, the son of Dimitrie Petrescu, an engineer and a teacher. After attending elementary school ...
, in quite varied environments. A certain analytical lucidity
f hisbetrays
..an additional interest for the mystery of psychological mechanisms within his heroes' actions".
[Crohmălniceanu, p.353] The shock value of avant-garde and libertinism is preserved in some of Dan's 1930s novels. Călinescu wrote that his characters generally lack "even the slightest notion of virtue", their "flimsy mentality" being the reason why Dan's novels always resemble "comedies".
However, according to Crohmălniceanu, Dan's "sharp intelligence", "delicate observation" and love of
aphorism
An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
compensated for "the lack of any prolonged moral discretion."
While the
Anton Pann
Anton Pann (; born Antonie Pantoleon-Petroveanu , and also mentioned as ''Anton Pantoleon'' or ''Petrovici''; 1790s—2 November 1854) was an Ottoman-born Wallachian composer, musicologist, and Romanian-language poet, also noted for his act ...
narrative earned appreciation for freely mixing
picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
elements into a
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
framework, Dan's solo debut with ''Dragoste și moarte...'' takes direct inspiration from
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...
.
The book is seen by Ovid Crohmălniceanu as "a good reconstruction of a particular human ambiance, with a suggestion regarding the forms of
Bovarysme that envelop
he provincialsetting."
The more complex ''Arsenic'' can be read, according to Crohmălniceanu, as both a
thriller populated with "dubious" figures and, "under careful reading", a study "on the petty cowardice of existence."
The protagonist is a physician who renounces his professional standard, assists his friend, the simple giant Bibi, in plotting the murder of a common enemy, and then lives to regret his deed, while, at the same time, he betrays Bibi's confidence by pursuing an affair with his wife Ana; Ana however cheats on both men with the president of an insurance company. Călinescu remarks that the novel was constructed with an "intelligent" rhythm of
suspense and humor, noting the "fantasy" invested in the secondary plots and characters: the colonel who dies obsessing about
fodder
Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...
, his
bourgeois
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
daughters, or the
coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
who constructs absurd theories about criminal behavior.
''Arsenic'' received high praise from Crohmălniceanu: "The book is written with much confidence, it displays remarkable intellectual detachment, fine
Voltairian irony and an ingenious, irreproachable,
counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...
construction."
[Crohmălniceanu, p.354]
In ''Surorile Veniamin'', Dan's
political novel
Political fiction employs narrative to comment on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction, such as political novels, often "directly criticize an existing society or present an alternative, even fantast ...
, the narrative follows the symmetrical lives of two sisters: Felicia, who rejects social conformity and braves a life of poverty; and Maria, who works in the thriving
oil industry
The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...
and then becomes a kept woman. The plot is complicated by Felicia's affair with agitator Mihai Vasiliu, a
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party ( ro, Partidul Comunist Român, , PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that woul ...
member who is pursued by ''
Siguranța Statului
Siguranța was the generic name for the successive secret police services in the Kingdom of Romania. The official title of the organization changed throughout its history, with names including Directorate of the Police and General Safety ( ro, Di ...
'' agents, and who hides in Maria's apartment. Călinescu rated the more "serious" book as inferior to the "flighty verve" of ''Arsenic''.
Crohmălniceanu believes the book displays qualities similar to ''Arsenic''s, but notes that Vasiliu's ultimate arrest, which leaves both sisters unconsoled, leads the outcome into a "disappointingly inconsistent" solution.
''Unde începe noaptea'' and later works
With ''Unde începe noaptea'', Sergiu Dan spoke about his own experience as a victim of
Nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
and of
Ion Antonescu's regime, with additional detail on the
January 1941 Pogrom.
The book carries a
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
from the
freethinker
Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other metho ...
Léon Bloy
Léon Bloy (; 11 July 1846 – 3 November 1917) was a French Catholic novelist, essayist, pamphleteer (or lampoonist), and satirist, known additionally for his eventual (and passionate) defense of Catholicism and for his influence within French C ...
: "Only Jewish tears are the heaviest. Theirs is the weight of many centuries."
Centered on Jewish industrialist David Bainer, the narrative progresses over the slow degeneration into
racial antisemitism
Racial antisemitism is prejudice against Jews based on a belief or assertion that Jews constitute a distinct race that has inherent traits or characteristics that appear in some way abhorrent or inherently inferior or otherwise different from ...
, culminating in deportation.
Crohmălniceanu noted: "In grave pitch, the author manages, against previous expectations, to write a book as yet unparalleled in our literature, about
Nazi extermination camps
Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
".
Literary critic John Neubauer and his co-authors listed Sergiu Dan among the few
East-Central Europe
East Central Europe is the region between Germanic languages, Germanic, West Slavic languages, West Slavic, and Hungarian language, Hungarian-speaking Europe and the East Slavs, East Slavic countries of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Those lands a ...
an authors to have been caught up in wartime "carnage" and survived (their list also includes, for Romania, political prisoner
Tudor Arghezi
Tudor Arghezi (; 21 May 1880 – 14 July 1967) was a Romanian writer, best known for his unique contribution to poetry and children's literature. Born Ion N. Theodorescu in Bucharest, he explained that his pen name was related to ''Argesis'', th ...
and Holocaust survivor
Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel (, born Eliezer Wiesel ''Eliezer Vizel''; September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored Elie Wiesel b ...
). They describe ''Unde începe...'' as "a
documentary novel about life in the concentration camp", one of the first-generation East-Central European books to deal with the World War II tragedy. The category places Dan among
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( Bosnian and Croatian: ''Jugoslaveni'', Serbian and Macedonian ''Jugosloveni''/Југословени; sl, Jugoslovani) is an identity that was originally designed to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has ...
Vladimir Dedijer
Vladimir Dedijer ( sr-Cyrl, Владимир Дедијер; 4 February 1914 – 30 November 1990) was a Yugoslav partisan fighter during World War II who became known as a politician, human rights activist, and historian. In the early postwar ye ...
,
Vladimir Nazor
Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidium of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first Sp ...
and
Viktor Novak
Viktor Novak (4 February 1889 – 1 January 1977) was a Yugoslav Croat historian, professor at the University of Belgrade and full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), and a corresponding member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sci ...
;
Czechoslovaks Ján Bodenek
Ján is a Slovak form of the name John.
Famous people named Ján
* Ján Bahýľ, inventor
* Ján Čapkovič, football player
* Ján Čarnogurský, former Prime Minister of Slovakia
* Ján Cikker, composer
* Ján Ďurica, football player
* Ján ...
,
Jan Drda,
Miloš Krno and
Jozef Horák; Polish
Kazimierz Brandys
Kazimierz Brandys (27 October 1916 – 11 March 2000) was a Polish essayist and writer of film scripts.
Biography
Brandys was born in Łódź. He was the brother of the writer Marian Brandys and husband of the translator . He graduated in law f ...
,
Hungarian Ernő Szép
Ernő or Erno is a Finnish and Hungarian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Ernő Balogh (1897-1989), Hungarian pianist, composer, editor, and educator
* Ernő Bánk (1883-1962), Hungarian painter and teacher
* Ernő B ...
and
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
n
Iordan Velchev. This view is contrasted by poet and critic Boris Marian, who finds that the narrative, which displays "impressive realism" and "alert style", is not documentary, but rather personal; according to him, although briefly showing communists at work, ''Unde începe...'' goes against its time by not presenting them in an ideal light.
According to Henri Zalis, Dan's account forms "an ample
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
" about "the inferno of a Nazi camp".
In ''Roza și ceilalți'', the libertine daughter of a Jewish tailor is persuaded by her coreligionists into accepting the sexual advances of a
Nazi German
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
officer. Called a "tragic buffoonery" by George Călinescu (in an updated version of his 1941 overview), the narrative culminates with the German retreat, after which Roza, branded a
collaborator, is tortured and raped by her own community.
Essentially an
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
, Dan refused to comply with the requirements imposed on literature by the
Socialist realist establishment during the late 1940s.
However, giving in to political pressure after his return from jail, he produced ''Tase cel Mare'': called an "accessible" and "simplistic" novel by Zalis,
it is thematically linked to the world depicted in ''Surorile Veniamin''.
Legacy
Essayist and literary historian
Barbu Cioculescu Barbu may refer to:
People
* Barbu (name), a list of people with the name and surname ''Barbu''
* Alejandro Barbudo Lorenzo, nicknamed ''Barbu'', Spanish footballer
Places
* Barbu, Iran, a village in the Bushehr Province of Iran
* Barbu, Norway, ...
recalled that Dan, "an excellent writer and man of character", was vilified in the 1940s by a "wretched
epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...
".
[ ]Barbu Cioculescu Barbu may refer to:
People
* Barbu (name), a list of people with the name and surname ''Barbu''
* Alejandro Barbudo Lorenzo, nicknamed ''Barbu'', Spanish footballer
Places
* Barbu, Iran, a village in the Bushehr Province of Iran
* Barbu, Norway, ...
"A fi chinez, lapon, hindus..."
in ''România Literară ''România Literară'' is a cultural and literary magazine from Romania. In its original edition, it was founded on 1 January 1855 by Vasile Alecsandri and published in Iași until 3 December 1855, when it was suppressed. The new series appeared o ...
'', Nr. 29/2003 The antisemitic rhyme went as follows:
During the antisemitic censoring and deportation of Sergiu Dan, George Călinescu still defied the political restrictions. His work still included literary profiles of Dan and other Jewish Romanian writers. This gesture of goodwill was acknowledged by Dan. He spoke to
Emil Dorian about the Antonescu regime's attempt to circulate an alternative, antisemitic, Romanian literature tract, overseen by
Ion Petrovici
Ion (Ioan) Petrovici (June 14, 1882 – February 17, 1972) was a Romanian professor of philosophy at the University of Iași and titular member of the Romanian Academy. He served as Minister of National Education in the Goga cabinet and Ministe ...
.
Călinescu's defiance was perceived as an outrage by Romania's
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
periodicals. The newspaper ''
Porunca Vremii'' called for Călinescu to be punished for his attack on "the cleanliness of the Romanian soul". It asserted that Jewish writers, Dan included, had no part to play in
Romanian culture
The culture of Romania is an umbrella term used to encapsulate the ideas, customs and social behaviours of the people of Romania that developed due to the country's distinct geopolitical history and evolution. It is theorized and speculated that ...
.
The same was stated 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 Pet ...
''. It argued that, in reviewing Dan and the others, Călinescu had soiled the "Romanian blood that was shed under the pointy claw of the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
".
After renewed
communist censorship, Sergiu Dan's work was again given consideration in Communist Romania during the 1960s
liberalization
Liberalization or liberalisation (British English) is a broad term that refers to the practice of making laws, systems, or opinions less severe, usually in the sense of eliminating certain government regulations or restrictions. The term is used m ...
episode. However, researcher
Radu Ioanid
Radu may refer to:
People
* Radu (given name), Romanian masculine given name
* Radu (surname), Romanian surname
* Rulers of Wallachia, see
* Prince Radu of Romania (born 1960), disputed pretender to the former Romanian throne
Other uses
* Ra ...
notes, his references to the Holocaust were uncomfortable subjects for the
national communist apparatus. Ioanid speaks about "selective censorship" on Romanian Holocaust literature, with Dan being one of the few authors whose works on the topic remained publishable.
Radu Ioanid
Radu may refer to:
People
* Radu (given name), Romanian masculine given name
* Radu (surname), Romanian surname
* Rulers of Wallachia, see
* Prince Radu of Romania (born 1960), disputed pretender to the former Romanian throne
Other uses
* Ra ...
, "Romania", in David S. Wyman, Charles H. Rosenzveig (eds.), ''The World Reacts to the Holocaust'', Johns Hopkins University Press
The Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publi ...
, Baltimore & London, 1996, p.238. Some other such exceptions are
Camil Baltazar,
Maria Banuș,
Aurel Baranga
Aurel Baranga (born Aurel Leibovici; June 20, 1913 – June 10, 1979) was a Romanian playwright and poet.
Born into a Jewish family in Bucharest, his parents were company clerk Jean Leibovici and his wife Paulina. He graduated from Matei Basa ...
,
F. Brunea-Fox F. Brunea-Fox (born Filip Brauner; January 18, 1898–June 12, 1977) was a Romanian reporter, journalist and translator.
Born into a Romanian Jews, Jewish family in Roman, Romania, Roman, his parents were Simcha Brauner and Leia (''née'' Gelbe ...
,
Eusebiu Camilar Eusebiu is a Romanian male given name that may refer to:
* (1910–1965), Romanian writer
* Eusebiu Diaconu (born 1981), Romanian Greco-Roman wrestler
* (1838–1922), Romanian author
* Eusebiu Ștefănescu (1944–2015), Romanian actor
* Eusebiu ...
,
Georgeta Horodincă,
Alexandru Ivasiuc
Alexandru "Sașa" Ivasiuc (; July 12, 1933 – March 4, 1977) was a Romanian novelist.
Life
He was born in Sighet, the son of a science teacher. After the Second Vienna Award of 30 August 1940, the family fled to Bucharest, only returning to ...
,
Norman Manea
Norman Manea (; born July 19, 1936), is a Romanian Jewish writer and author of short fiction, novels, and essays about the Holocaust, daily life in a communist state, and exile. He lives in the United States, where he is a Professor and writer ...
,
Sașa Pană
Sașa Pană (; pen name of Alexandru Binder; 8 August 1902—22 August 1981) was a Romanian avant-garde poet, novelist, and short story writer.
Biography
Born to a Jewish family in Bucharest, he trained as a physician in Iași and Bucharest, b ...
and
Titus Popovici.
A reprint of ''Unde începe noaptea'' was still not possible, even though Carandino, newly released from prison, pleaded on this issue with communist
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He was ...
.
After the
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...
, Dan remained largely unknown to the Romanian public. Boris Marian wrote in 2006: "more gifted, we believe, than any one of his better-known colleagues,
ergiu Danis a name rarely mentioned nowadays."
Henri Zalis took special care to republish and reevaluate the early work of Sergiu Dan and other Jewish Romanians, a conscious effort to reduce the impact of antisemitic or communist repression. According to fellow critic Ovidiu Morar, this reevaluation of the political aspect was groundbreaking, and "worthy of appreciation".
[ Ovidiu Morar]
"''O istorie condensatǎ a literaturii române''"
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 ...
'', April 2006 Cultural journalist Iulia Deleanu also noted that, in his treatment of Dan and other persecuted Jewish writers of that generation, Zalis acted as a "diagnostician".
Of Dan's contribution, Zalis noted: "
tmust not be forgotten
ince Ince may refer to:
*Ince, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire, UK
*Ince-in-Makerfield in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, UK
*Ince (UK Parliament constituency), a former constituency covering Ince-in-Makerfield
*Ince (ward), an electoral ward covering ...
it speaks of an experienced tragedy, one that is inseparable from the history of
iscentury. A history that belongs to us, once it is no longer overlooked."
During
Bookfest 2006, Zalis and
Editura Hasefer, the Jewish Romanian publishing house, released a critical edition of ''Unde începe noaptea''.
["Știri. Lansări de carte la Târgul de Carte Bookfest"]
in '' Cronica Română'', June 16, 2006
Notes
References
*
George Călinescu
George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899, Bucharest – 12 March 1965, Otopeni) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the mos ...
, ''Istoria literaturii române de la origini pînă în prezent'',
Editura Minerva
Editura Minerva is one of the largest publishing houses in Romania. Located in Bucharest, it is known, among other things, for publishing classic Romanian literature
Romanian literature () is literature written by Romanian authors, although the ...
, Bucharest, 1986
*
Paul Cernat
Paul Cernat (born August 5, 1972 in Bucharest) is a Romanian essayist and literary critic. He has a Ph.D. summa cum laude in philology. Cernat has been a member of the Writers' Union of Romania since 2009. As of 2013, he is lecturer of Romanian li ...
, ''Avangarda românească și complexul periferiei: primul val'',
Cartea Românească
Cartea Românească ("The Romanian Book") is a publishing house in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1919. Disestablished by the Communist Romania, communist regime in 1948, it was restored under later communism, in 1970, when it functioned as the off ...
, Bucharest, 2007.
*
Ovid Crohmălniceanu, ''Literatura română între cele două războaie mondiale'', Vol. I, Editura Minerva, Bucharest, 1972.
*John Neubauer ''et al.'', "1945", in
Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer (eds.), ''History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures and Disjunctures in the 19th and 20th Centuries'',
John Benjamins
John Benjamins Publishing Company is an independent academic publisher in social sciences and humanities with its head office in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The company was founded in the 1960s by John and Claire Benjamins and is currently managed ...
, Amsterdam & Philadelphia, 2004, p. 143-176.
* Liviu Rotman (ed.),
Demnitate în vremuri de restriște',
Editura Hasefer,
Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania &
, Bucharest, 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dan, Sergiu
1903 births
1976 deaths
20th-century Romanian novelists
Romanian historical novelists
Romanian male novelists
Jewish novelists
Thriller writers
20th-century biographers
Romanian biographers
Male biographers
20th-century Romanian poets
20th-century short story writers
Romanian male short story writers
Romanian short story writers
Romanian male poets
Jewish poets
20th-century Romanian dramatists and playwrights
Male dramatists and playwrights
Jewish dramatists and playwrights
Modernist theatre
Contimporanul writers
Futurist writers
Socialist realism writers
Romanian opinion journalists
Romanian newspaper editors
Romanian humorists
20th-century translators
Romanian translators
People from Piatra Neamț
Romanian Jews
Moldavian Jews
Jewish Romanian writers banned by the Antonescu regime
Survivors of World War II deportations to Transnistria
Inmates of Aiud prison