''Sburătorul'' was a Romanian modernist

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

and literary society, established in Bucharest in April 1919. Led by

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 ...

, the circle was instrumental in developing new trends and styles in Romanian literature, ranging from a new wave of Romanian Symbolism to an urban-themed

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

and the Avant-garde. The review, subtitled ''Revista literară, artistică şi culturală'' ("The literary, artistic, and cultural review"), was published between April 1919 and May 1921, and again from March 1926 to June 1927 (a weekly magazine entitled ''Sburătorul Literar'' was published between September 1921 and December 1922). During its last period in print, ''Sburătorul'' engaged in a polemic with partisans of a more traditional style, especially figures grouped around the '' Sămănătorul'' magazine. Lovinescu himself argued against Nicolae Iorga's ethnocentric views on

Romania in the Middle Ages The Middle Ages in Romania began with the withdrawal of the Mongols, the last of the migrating populations to invade the territory of modern Romania, after their attack of 1241–1242. It came to an end with the reign of Michael the Brave (159 ...

Name

Romanian mythology The folklore of Romania is the collection of traditions of the Romanians. A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. First, the rural character of the Romanian ...

, ''

Zburător ''Zburător'' or ''sburător'' (Romanian word meaning 'flyer') is a supernatural being in Romanian folklore, described as a "roving spirit who makes love to maidens by night". General description The zburător is also likened to an incubus, and ...

ul'' (of which ''Sburătorul'' is an antiquated variant, used notably in the works of

Ion Heliade Rădulescu Ion Heliade Rădulescu or Ion Heliade (also known as ''Eliade'' or ''Eliade Rădulescu''; ; January 6, 1802 – April 27, 1872) was a Wallachian, later Romanian academic, Romanticism, Romantic and Classicism, Classicist poet, essayist, mem ...

) was the embodiment of lust, a beautiful but eerie young man with

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

ic features who visits adolescent girls in their dreams. Lovinescu explained the choice in his first editorial:

"Vague thrills, warmth and coldness, yearnings for impossible beauty, and, at once, torpor, a deep unsettling of the entire soul, bashfulness and insane certainty, an escape from the world and realities, blended with a belief in
chimaera Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes , known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively. At ...
, restlessness and a thirst for rest... hese come fromthe very same ''Zburătorul'', the same pale master of youthful dreams, the same kiss of warm lips on cool foreheads, the same mystical
engagement An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
to whatever will be. ..Those who begin issuing this magazine have received ''Zburătoruls kiss a long time ago. They are halfway through on the path of life. They have not, however, forgotten the thrills of yesteryear, nor taste and disgust for the world, the impossibility of fitting in and belief in impossible chimaera. They have not forsaken their idealism."Lovinescu, ''Sburătorul'', 1919, in ''Din presa...'', p. 24

Members and contributors

Felix Aderca Felix Aderca (; born Froim-Zelig roim-ZeilicAderca; March 13, 1891 – December 12, 1962),

Ion Barbu Ion Barbu (, pen name of Dan Barbilian; 18 March 1895 –11 August 1961) was a Romanian mathematician and poet. His name is associated with the Mathematics Subject Classification number 51C05, which is a major posthumous recognition reserved ...

Gheorghe Brăescu Gheorghe Brăescu (30 January 1871, Iaşi - 15 March 1949) 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 n ...

Sergiu Dan Sergiu Dan (; born Isidor Rotman or Rottman; December 29, 1903 – March 13, 1976) was a Romanian novelist, journalist, Holocaust survivor and political prisoner of the communist regime. Dan, the friend and collaborator of Romulus Dianu, was noted ...

Lucia Demetrius Lucia Aurora Demetrius (February 16, 1910–July 29, 1992) was a Romanian novelist, poet, playwright and translator. Life Born in Bucharest, her parents were the writer Vasile Demetrius and his wife Antigona (''née'' Rabinovici). Her father ...

Victor Eftimiu Victor Eftimiu (; 24 January 1889 – 27 November 1972) was a Romanian poet and playwright. He was a contributor to ''Sburătorul'', a Romanian literary magazine. His works have been performed in the State Jewish Theater of Romania. Eftim ...

* Benjamin Fondane *

Anton Holban Anton Holban (; 10 February 1902, in Huşi – 15 January 1937, in Bucharest) was a Romanian novelist. He was the nephew of Eugen Lovinescu. The son of Gheorghe Holban (whom had from his father’s side Germanic ancestry) and Antoaneta Lovin ...

Ion Minulescu Ion Minulescu (; 6 January 1881 – 11 April 1944) was a Romanian avant-garde poet, novelist, short story writer, journalist, literary critic, and playwright. Often publishing his works under the pseudonyms I. M. Nirvan and Koh-i-Noor (the latte ...

Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (; 8 December 1876 – 5 March 1955 in Bucharest) was a novelist of the Romanian interwar period. Life Hortensia Bengescu was born in Ivești, Galați, Ivești, Galați County, on 8 December 1876. She was the daughter of ...

* Camil Petrescu *

Ion Pillat Ion Pillat (31 March 1891 – 17 April 1945) was a distinguished Romanian poet. He is best known for his volume ''Pe Argeș în sus'' (''Upstream on the Argeș'') and ''Poeme într-un vers'' (''One-line poems''). His maternal grandfather wa ...

Victor Ion Popa Victor Ion Popa (; July 29, 1895 in Bârlad – March 30, 1946 in Bucharest) was a Romanian dramatist. He went to primary school in the village of Călmăţui, a village in the Grivița commune, in the former Tutova County, where his father was a ...

* Liviu Rebreanu *

Eugen Relgis Eugen D. Relgis (backward reading of Eisig D. Sigler; first name also Eugenio, Eugène or Eugene, last name also Siegler or Siegler Watchel;

Al. T. Stamatiad Al. T. Stamatiad (common rendition of Alexandru Teodor Maria Stamatiad, or Stamatiade; May 9, 1885 – December 1955) was a Romanian Symbolist poet, short story writer, and dramatist. A late arrival on the local Symbolist scene, he was primarily ...

Nicolae Steinhardt Nicolae Steinhardt (; born Nicu-Aurelian Steinhardt; July 29, 1912 – March 29, 1989) was a Romanian writer, Orthodox monk and lawyer. His main book, ''Jurnalul Fericirii'', is regarded as a major text of 20th century Romanian literature and ...

Vladimir Streinu Nicolae Iordache (May 23, 1902 in Teiu, Argeș – November 26, 1970 in Bucharest), known by his pseudonym Vladimir Streinu, was a Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southe ...

Francisc Șirato Francisc Şirato (August 15, 1877, Craiova, Principality of Romania - August 4, 1953, Bucharest, Socialist Republic of Romania) was a Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Sout ...

* Caton Theodorian * Tudor Vianu * I. C. Vissarion * Ilarie Voronca

Notes

References

*Eugen Marinescu (ed.), ''Din presa literară românească (1918-1944)'', Ed. Albatros, Bucharest, 1986 Defunct magazines published in Romania Defunct literary magazines published in Europe Romanian writers' organizations Magazines established in 1919 Magazines disestablished in 1927 Magazines published in Bucharest Romanian avant-garde Romanian-language magazines Literary magazines published in Romania Avant-garde magazines {{italic title