Ștefan I. Nenițescu (October 8, 1897–October 1979) 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 poet and aesthetician. Born in

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 ...

, his parents were the poet

Ioan S. Nenițescu Ioan S. Nenițescu (April 11, 1854–February 23, 1901) was a Romanian poet and playwright. Born in Galați, his parents were Ștefan Vasiliu, a manual laborer, and his wife Elisabeta (''née'' Zaharia). After completing the Alexandru Ioan I c ...

and his wife Elena (''née'' Ștefan). He attended

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a Public university, public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is ...

from 1920, as well as the literature and philosophy department of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...

. At first an assistant professor of aesthetics, he later became an associate professor at Bucharest. He served as press secretary and later economic adviser to the Romanian legation in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. Nenițescu's first publication was a 1915 article about

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

that appeared in ''Noua revistă română''. His first book of poetry, ''Denii'' (1919), was followed by ''Vrajă'' (1923) and ''Ode italice'' (1925). His single volume of theatre was ''Trei mistere'' (1922). From 1924, he wrote for ''

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 P ...

'', and was a founding member of Romania's

PEN Club PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internati ...

. He also contributed poetry and art criticism to ''

Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' () 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 Titu Maiorescu in 1867. The ma ...

'', ''Ideea europeană'', ''Vremea'', ''Universul literar'', ''

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. ...

'', ''

Adevărul (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Kingd ...

'', and ''Arta plastică''. In 1925, Nenițescu published a treatise, ''Istoria artei ca filosofie a istoriei''. He translated from

Benedetto Croce Benedetto Croce, ( , ; 25 February 1866 – 20 November 1952) was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography, and aesthetics. A Cultural liberalism, poli ...

(''Aesthetic'', 1922) and

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise '' The Prince'' (), writte ...

(''

The Mandrake ''The Mandrake'' (Italian: ''La Mandragola'' ) is a satirical play by Italian Renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli. Although the five-act comedy was published in 1524 and first performed in the carnival season of 1526, Machiavelli likel ...

'', 1926). Initially, Nenițescu's poetry was discursive and religious, in line with the ''Gândirist'' current. His verse became progressively more hermetic, as can be seen in the anthology volume ''Ani'' (1973). Including texts published in the 1940s and '50s, it reveals the intellectualized lyric verse of an eminently classical nature.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. II, p. 215. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. At the onset of the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

, Nenițescu was sentenced in 1949 to

forced labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

for life; after spending time in several prisons, including those in

Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș (river), Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in th ...

and Văcărești, he was set free in 1964. His house, at 4, Maria Rosetti Street in central Bucharest, was demolished in 2020, despite opposition from the city's mayor,

Nicușor Dan Nicușor Daniel Dan (; born 20 December 1969) is a Romanian politician, mathematician, and civic activist serving as the sixth president of Romania since 2025. He previously served as the mayor of Bucharest from 2020 to 2025 and as a member of ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nenitescu, Stefan 1897 births 1979 deaths 20th-century Romanian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Romanian translators Gândirea Italian–Romanian translators People from Bucharest Romanian art critics Romanian literary critics Romanian poets Romanian translators University of Bucharest alumni Academic staff of the University of Bucharest Inmates of Văcărești Prison Inmates of Pitești prison People detained by the Securitate