Gib I. Mihăescu (; born Gheorghe I. Mihăescu; April 23, 1894 – October 19, 1935) 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 playwright. Born in

Drăgășani Drăgășani () is a city in Vâlcea County, Romania, near the right bank of the Olt river, and on the railway between Caracal and Râmnicu Vâlcea. The city is well known for the vineyards on the neighboring hills that produce some of the best W ...

, his parents were Ion Mihăescu-Stegaru, a lawyer, and his wife Ioana (''née'' Ceaușescu). He attended primary school in his native town from 1901 to 1905, followed by high school in Craiova (1905-1906), in Slatina (1906-1907), and

Râmnicu Vâlcea Râmnicu Vâlcea (also spelled ''Rîmnicu Vîlcea'' or, in the past, ''Rîmnic-Vâlcea'', ) (population: 92,573 as per the 2011 Romanian census) is the county capital ( ro, Reședință de județ) and also the largest town of Vâlcea County, centr ...

(1908-1909). He returned to school in Craiova in 1909, finally graduating from

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 194 ...

in 1914. Mihăescu's lack of interest in learning, along with the grief provoked by the illness and death of a brother in 1907, account for his mediocre performance and the many years he spent before finishing. In 1914, he entered the Law faculty of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...

at his father's insistence. He left in 1916 when Romania entered World War I; in any case, Mihăescu had not passed any exams during two years of study. Mobilized in autumn 1916, he attended an officers’ school in Botoșani for three months. He saw action at the

Battle of Mărășești The Battle of Mărășești (6 August 1917 – 3 September 1917) was the last major battle between the German Empire and the Kingdom of Romania on the Romanian front during World War I. Romania was mostly occupied by the Central Powers, but t ...

and in the Muscel area, and was decorated. Demobilized in 1918, Mihăescu spent a year at Drăgășani, restoring his health. His first published work was the short story “Linia întâi”, which appeared in '' Luceafărul'' in 1919. Readmitted to the Law faculty, which had expelled him, he passed his first exam in 1920, six years after starting. In 1919, he became an editor at ''Țara nouă'' newspaper. He resigned in 1920, when he left for

Cluj ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , le ...

, recently incorporated into

Greater Romania The term Greater Romania ( ro, România Mare) usually refers to the borders of the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union. It also refers to a pan-nationalist idea. As a concept, its main goal is the creation ...

. There, together with

Cezar 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 ...

and

Adrian Maniu Adrian Maniu (February 6, 1891 – April 20, 1968) was a Romanian poet, prose writer, playwright, essayist, and translator. Born in Bucharest, his father Grigore, a native of Lugoj, was a jurist and professor of commercial law at the University of ...

, he founded ''

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 ...

'' magazine. He returned to Bucharest in 1922 and took his law degree the following year. He quit newspaper work and practiced law, including for a short time at Chișinău. Afterwards, he taught civics and labor law at a Drăgășani apprentices’ school from 1926 to 1929. Mihăescu's first published book was a short story collection, ''La „Grandiflora”'' (1928), followed by ''Vedenia'' (1929). His contributions appeared in ''Viața literară'', Hiena'', ''Vremea'', ''Boabe de grâu'', ''Voința'', ''Adevărul literar și artistic'', ''

Viața Românească ''Viața Românească'' (, "The Romanian Life") is a monthly literary magazine published in Romania. Formerly the platform of the left-wing traditionalist trend known as poporanism, it is now one of the Writers' Union of Romania's main venues. ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ''Gândirea''. His 1928 play ''Pavilionul cu umbre'' achieved a resounding success at the

National Theatre Bucharest The National Theatre Bucharest ( ro, Teatrul Naţional "Ion Luca Caragiale" București) is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest. Founding It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Gra ...

, with Maria Ventura in the lead role. His novels were ''Brațul Andromedei'' (1930), ''Rusoaica'' (1933), ''Femeia de ciocolată'' (1933), ''Zilele și nopțile unui student întârziat'' (1934) and ''Donna Alba'' (1935). He settled in Bucharest in 1930; with the help of friends, he was hired at the Press and Information Bureau of the

Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. Suffering from tuberculosis, he checked into the Martin Luther Hospital in

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

in 1935. He was then sent to Bucharest, where he died the same year.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. II, pp. 99-100. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihaescu, Gib 1894 births 1935 deaths Carol I National College alumni People from Drăgășani Romanian dramatists and playwrights Romanian male novelists Romanian male short story writers Romanian short story writers Male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Romanian novelists 20th-century Romanian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century short story writers 20th-century Romanian male writers Romanian military personnel of World War I Romanian magazine founders Romanian newspaper editors University of Bucharest alumni 20th-century Romanian lawyers Romanian schoolteachers Romanian civil servants Tuberculosis deaths in Romania 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis