Ștefan Augustin Doinaș
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Ștefan Augustin Doinaș (; pen name of Ștefan Popa) (April 26, 1922 – May 25, 2002) was a
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n Neoclassical poet of the
Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
era. He wrote 23 books of poetry, as well as children's books, essay collections, and a novel. DoinaÈ™ was born in Cherechiu,
Bihor County Bihor County (, ) is a county (județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea (Nagyvárad). Toponymy ...
. After graduating from the Moise Nicoară High School in Arad, he studied medicine in
Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
, where the University of Cluj had moved in the wake of the Hungarian occupation of
Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania (, ) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1946), Kingdom ...
. There he joined the Sibiu Literary Circle, a group formed around
Lucian Blaga Lucian Blaga (; 9 May 1895 – 6 May 1961) was a Romanians, Romanian philosopher, poet, playwright, poetry translator and novelist. He is considered one of the greatest philosophers and poets of Romania, and a prominent philosopher of the twenti ...
. Doinaș then studied philosophy and literature at the University of Cluj, graduating with a B.A. degree in 1947. Starting in 1948, he taught at schools in Hălmagiu and Gurahonț, in
Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...
. After moving to Bucharest in 1955, he was arrested in 1957 by the
Securitate The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...
for "failure to report" and turn over a fellow editor, who had invited his colleagues to participate in an anti-communist protest. He was released from prison one year later, and was subsequently rehabilitated by the Communist authorities. Doinaș published his first volume of poems, ''Cartea mareelor'' ("The Book of Tides"), in 1964. Some of his most famous works include: ''Omul cu compasul'', ''Seminția lui Laokoon'', ''Anotimpul discret'', ''Interiorul unui poem'', and ''Lamentații''. In 1992, he became a member of the Romanian Academy, and in 2002, honorary president of the
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 takin ...
. Elected in 1992 to the
Senate of Romania 2012–2016 2008–2012 In December 2008, the Democratic Liberal Party (Romania), Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and the Alliance PSD+PC, political alliance established between the Social Democratic Party of Romania, Social Democratic Party ...
as a member of the , he served until 1996. DoinaÈ™ died of
throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...
at Fundeni Hospital
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
. That night, his wife , a former first
ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...
whom he had married in 1958, committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
; she was 74. The two were buried in the city's Bellu Cemetery.


Presence in English Language Anthologies

* ''Testament - 400 Years of Romanian Poetry - 400 de ani de poezie românească'' - bilingual edition - Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Daniel Reynaud, Adriana Paul & Eva Foster - Editura Minerva, 2019 - * ''Romanian Poetry from its Origins to the Present'' - bilingual edition English/Romanian - Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Daniel Reynaud, Adriana Paul and Eva Foster - Australian-Romanian Academy Publishing - 2020 - ; * ''Born in Utopia - An anthology of Modern and Contemporary Romanian Poetry -'' Carmen Firan and Paul Doru Mugur (editors) with Edward Foster - Talisman House Publishers - 2006 - * ''Testament - Anthology of Romanian Verse - American Edition -'' monolingual English language edition - Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud and Rochelle Bews - Australian-Romanian Academy for Culture - 2017 -


References


External links

* 1922 births 2002 deaths People from Sântana Babeș-Bolyai University alumni Romanian male poets 20th-century Romanian poets 20th-century Romanian male writers People detained by the Securitate Titular members of the Romanian Academy Members of the Senate of Romania Deaths from esophageal cancer in Romania Burials at Bellu Cemetery Moise Nicoară National College alumni {{Romania-bio-stub