Marta Rădulescu
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Marta D. Rădulescu or Rădulescu-Moga (April 24, 1912 – September 5, 1959) 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, journalist, and novelist, made famous in the 1930s for her autofictional work. From an academic family with a penchant for radical politics, she veered into fascist politics, supporting the
Iron Guard The Iron Guard () was a Romanian militant revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary Clerical fascism, religious fascist Political movement, movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel M ...
. The commitment shaped part of her literary output. From a satirical rendition of education in the provinces, with borrowings from
Ionel Teodoreanu Ionel Teodoreanu (, born Ioan Hipolit Teodoreanu; 6 January 1897 – 3 February 1954) was a Romanian novelist and lawyer. He is mostly remembered for his books on the themes of childhood and adolescence. Biography Born in January 1897 in Iași ...
, it veered into a document of interwar radicalization and student political battles. Scandal followed the publication of her early prose works, particularly after claims that they had been largely or entirely written by her father—or, alternatively, by her friend and putative lover Nicolae Crevedia. Her polemic with Crevedia was consumed in the national press and in books written by both participants. Rădulescu's family moved away from an initial commitment to left-wing politics, joining the far-right of
Romanian nationalism Romanian nationalism is a form of nationalism that asserts that Romanians are a nation and promotes the identity and cultural unity of Romanians. Its extremist variation is Romanian ultranationalism. History Antecedents The predecessors of ...
. This transition ended up straining relations between Marta and her
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
publishers at ''
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 ...
''. She became a believer in antisemitic conspiracy theories, airing these through the magazine ''Revista Mea'', which she put out as an Iron Guard satellite between 1935 and 1937. By then, however, her sincerity and political literacy had been put into question by Crevedia. She faded into obscurity by 1940, when she issued her last novel, the first installment of an uncompleted cycle. Her other published works include modern fairy tales and a travelogue of her hiking trips.


Biography


Debut

Born 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 ...
,Mariana Vartic, "Rădulescu Marta D.", in Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', Vol. II, p. 461. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. Marta noted that she had
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
n roots, despite being formally from the "
Old Kingdom In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning –2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth Dynast ...
".Robot, p. 3 She was the daughter of chemist Dan Rădulescu who, in the 1930s, worked as a professor at the
University of Cluj A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
.Clark, p.147 Dragoș Sdrobiș
"Stânga și dreapta la Universitatea din Cluj în anii 1930. Cazul profesorului Dan Rădulescu de la Facultatea de Științe"
in ''
Apostrof ''Apostrof'' (Romanian for "Apostrophe") is a monthly literary magazine published in Cluj-Napoca, Romania under the Romanian Writers' Union patronage. It was founded in 1990 by Babeș-Bolyai University professor Marta Petreu, who is also its edit ...
'', Issue 7 (302), 2015
Under the pseudonym Justus, he also penned literary works. Nicolae Scurtu
"O epistolă necunoscută a lui Nicolae Crevedia"
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 ...
'', Issue 3/2012
Marta's brother, Fluor, followed the same career path as their father, and ended up teaching alongside him. It was also in
Cluj Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
that Rădulescu completed her secondary education, at Regina Maria High School; she had earlier been homeschooled by her mother. According to her own recollections, her first poem was an "invective" directed at sandals her father had bought for her—Magda was frustrated that other children had fancier footwear, while her family shunned luxuries. A "literary friend" read the poem, and encouraged her to send her attempts for publication in ''Dimineața Copiilor'' magazine (a supplement of '' Dimineața'' daily).Marta D. Rădulescu, "Legăturile mele cu editura ''Adevĕrul''", in '' Dimineața'', November 13, 1933, p. 43 Though not published immediately, she was urged by editor Nicolae Constantin Batzaria to continue with perfecting her style. Her first published work, the poem ''Vorbind cu luna'' ("Talking to the Moon"), appeared in ''Dimineața Copiilor'' in 1929. Rădulescu was already writing down prose, but was apprehensive about sending it to be published in magazine. As she explained, she was reading in ''
Adevărul Literar și Artistic (; 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 Roma ...
'' scathing reviews of other aspiring novelists, penned by Mihail Sevastos. Her mind was then made up to only publish "all in one go, as a volume." As recalled in 1988 by Horia Stanca, Magda entered Cluj's literary scene in 1930, when, chaperoned by her father, she attended literary parties hosted by physician Victor Papilian. It was here that she read from her sketches—published in 1931 as the volume ''Clasa VII A'' ("Grade 7th A"). According to critic
Pavel Dan Pavel Dan (September 3, 1907 – August 2, 1937) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian prose writer. He was born in Tritenii de Jos, Clapa, Cluj County, in the Transylvania region. His parents, Simion Dan and Maria (''née'' Te ...
, it was "not a good book", but "promising";
Pavel Dan Pavel Dan (September 3, 1907 – August 2, 1937) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian prose writer. He was born in Tritenii de Jos, Clapa, Cluj County, in the Transylvania region. His parents, Simion Dan and Maria (''née'' Te ...
, "Cărți. ''Marta D. Rădulescu, Sunt studentă''", in ''Abecedar'', Issues 49–52/1934, pp. 15–16
another reviewer,
Perpessicius Perpessicius (; pen name of Dumitru S. Panaitescu, also known as Panait Șt. Dumitru, D. P. Perpessicius and Panaitescu-Perpessicius; October 22, 1891 – March 29, 1971) was a Romanian literary historian and critic, poet, essayist and fiction wr ...
, viewed her as noting "with humor, a humor often filtered through venom, a crooked and obsessive world, that of schoolmarms". He also argued that Rădulescu was heavily indebted to the
young adult literature Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
put out by
Ionel Teodoreanu Ionel Teodoreanu (, born Ioan Hipolit Teodoreanu; 6 January 1897 – 3 February 1954) was a Romanian novelist and lawyer. He is mostly remembered for his books on the themes of childhood and adolescence. Biography Born in January 1897 in Iași ...
.
Perpessicius Perpessicius (; pen name of Dumitru S. Panaitescu, also known as Panait Șt. Dumitru, D. P. Perpessicius and Panaitescu-Perpessicius; October 22, 1891 – March 29, 1971) was a Romanian literary historian and critic, poet, essayist and fiction wr ...
, "Mențiuni Critice", in ''
Cuvântul ''Cuvântul'' (, meaning "The Word") was a daily newspaper, published by philosopher Nae Ionescu in Bucharest, Romania, from 1926 to 1934, and again in 1938. It was primarily noted for progressively adopting a far-right and fascist agenda, an ...
'', March 27, 1932, p. 2
The stories were also at the center of a scandal involving both the young writer and her father. Since they made no effort to disguise facts from life, and satirized living people using their real names, critics readily claimed that her father had ghostwritten them: during the late 1920s, as a contributor to ''
Cuvântul ''Cuvântul'' (, meaning "The Word") was a daily newspaper, published by philosopher Nae Ionescu in Bucharest, Romania, from 1926 to 1934, and again in 1938. It was primarily noted for progressively adopting a far-right and fascist agenda, an ...
'', Dan Rădulescu had campaigned for reform in public education. Some found the work to be a distasteful act of revenge. Responding to such claims in ''Societatea de Mâine'',
Ion Clopoțel Ion Clopoțel (November 10, 1892 – August 23, 1986) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian journalist, sociographer and memoirist. The native of a rural area west of Brașov, he attended high school in that city and ultimately earned a univer ...
argued that ''Clasa VII A'' was rather a call for "betterment", "a protest against the lackadaisical nature of some classes being taught, and against some purposefully disengaged attitudes." Marta herself noted that she had been disgusted by her time in high school—though she had loved most areas of study, she could not bear the "dogmatic" way of teaching them. ''Clasa VII A'' was her "liberation from a nightmare." The modernist doyen
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 ...
noted the work for its "irreverent rebelliousness" which "gave harmless satisfaction to an entire generation of youth oppressed by their schooling."Lovinescu, p. 243 Rădulescu's first publishing contract was with
Scrisul Românesc Scrisul Românesc is a Romanian publishing house, founded in 1922 in Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, sit ...
of
Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...
, a company that, in her own definition, was not one of national relevance, making it "sheer luck
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
I enjoyed such success as other debuting authors never had." ''Clasa VII A'' became a best-seller, going through three successive editions. By 1934, she boasted 100,000 lei in revenue, noting that this was above the sums earned by other, more senior writers. The volume was followed the same year by ''Mărgele de măceș'' ("Dog-rose Beads")—vacation stories and verses which critics have deemed mediocre. One exception was Perpessicius, who found the volume to be "mature", "diverse", and emancipated from Teodoreanu's influence—instead, he noted echoes from the earlier romantics, and in particular from
Alexandru Odobescu Alexandru Ioan Odobescu (; 23 June 1834 – 10 November 1895) was a Romanian author, archaeologist and politician. Biography He was born in Bucharest, the second child of General Ioan Odobescu and his wife Ecaterina. Ecaterina belonged to the ...
's hunting stories. Marta also persevered as a poet: in addition to ending her ''Mărgele de măceș'' with rhyming verse (which won Perpessicius' praise), she published other lyrical pieces in '' Societatea de Mâine'' and ''Hyperion''.


''Sunt studentă!''

By late 1932, Rădulescu was in correspondence with Nicolae Crevedia, an admirer and like-minded humorist-writer, who visited her at her second home in Pitești. Crevedia may have also acted as her literary agent, arranging the text for print, and instructing her on how to polish her style.Marta D. Rădulescu, "Cazul Marta D. Rădulescu", in ''Viața Ardealului'', Issues 6–7/1934, pp. 15–22 Reportedly, Rădulescu was taking courses at the literature and philosophy faculties 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 ...
, but did not graduate. On of her interviewers, Alexandru Robot, claims that the university "expelled her, as a subversive element." Living with her father in a large townhouse outside Cluj's Botanical Garden, she began writing her self-styled "fantasy reportage pieces", collectively grouped as ''Sunt studentă!'' ("I Am a Student!"). Mysteriously, this work was a fresco of her father's Cluj University, which Rădulescu may not have attended at all, to the backdrop of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and political convulsions. Such details renewed speculation that Marta was signing works penned by Dan Rădulescu. The latter's colleagues are disguised under various names, but, as noted at the time by critic
Pompiliu Constantinescu Pompiliu Constantinescu (May 17, 1901 – May 9, 1946) was a Romanian literary critic. Biography He was born on May 17, 1901, in Bucharest, "''in a place where he saw the light of day for the first time, on Sabines Street no. 109, the son of J ...
, not very well, with philologist
Gheorghe Bogdan-Duică Gheorghe Bogdan-Duică (born Gheorghe Bogdan; –September 21, 1934) was an Imperial Austrian-born Romanian literary critic. The son of a poor merchant family from Brașov, he attended several universities before launching a career as a critic, f ...
easily recognizable by any reader.
Pompiliu Constantinescu Pompiliu Constantinescu (May 17, 1901 – May 9, 1946) was a Romanian literary critic. Biography He was born on May 17, 1901, in Bucharest, "''in a place where he saw the light of day for the first time, on Sabines Street no. 109, the son of J ...
, "Cronica literară. Marta Rădulescu: ''Sunt studentă!''", in '' Vremea'', May 28, 1933, p. 7
The student-narrator takes part in the strike of 1932, where she meets recruiters for both the
Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...
and the fascist
Iron Guard The Iron Guard () was a Romanian militant revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary Clerical fascism, religious fascist Political movement, movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel M ...
(including a glimpse of the agitator Bănică Dobre). The autofictional Rădulescu informs the reader that she prefers the Guard, but attends meetings of the far-left, during which communist activists imply that the difference between them and the fascists is a minor one. Constantinescu was critical of the book's unmitigated observation, noting that her "precious lucidity" fell short of an artistic effort, and that her usage of
simile A simile () is a type of figure of speech that directly ''compares'' two things. Similes are often contrasted with metaphors, where similes necessarily compare two things using words such as "like", "as", while metaphors often create an implicit c ...
s in her descriptions drew attention away from her lively dialogues. He also noted some fragments of poetic prose, using models "involuntarily stolen" from Teodoreanu, but also from
Tudor Arghezi Ion Nae Theodorescu (21 May 1880 – 14 July 1967) was a Romanian writer who wrote under the pen name Tudor Arghezi (. He is best known for his unique contribution to poetry and children's literature. Biography Early life He graduated from Sai ...
, Emil Gârleanu, and
Mihail Sadoveanu Mihail Sadoveanu (; occasionally referred to as Mihai Sadoveanu; 5 November 1880 – 19 October 1961) was a Romanian novelist, short story writer, journalist and political figure, who twice served as acting President of Romania, head of st ...
. According to Pavel Dan, all of ''Sunt studentă!''s pieces are too self-referential, even "surfeited": " hewrites about the fact that she is now an author. Of course, this fact unsettles the entire universe. ..Humanity itself breaks in half: on the one hand, those who appreciate her talent ..and, on the other, those who know-nothings, such as university professors". A similar verdict was provided by Lovinescu: "the writer explored the situations facing her tiny personality in two more novels .. which failed to make her interesting anew; the genre is too much for her to handle". The book was well received by the reading public at large, and generated a "tiny local storm" in Cluj, where Rădulescu had become universally recognized. In a 1933 piece, she thanked her new publishers, the "great company" Editura Adevărul of
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 ...
, for ensuring the "combative success of my funny little book." By 1935, it had had four consecutive editions."Cum organizează evreii boicotul împotriva spiritului românesc — Pățania scriitoarei Marta D. Rădulescu", in ''Patria'', May 23, 1935, p. 3 Mostly enthusiastic about her new prose, Crevedia took Marta with him to Bucharest. Inducted into the
Romanian Writers' Society The Romanian Writers' Society () 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 early Communist Romania, communist re ...
, she visited the Royal Foundations, meeting Arghezi,
Panait Istrati Panait Istrati (; sometimes rendered as ''Panaït Istrati''; (August 10, 1884 – April 16, 1935) was a Romanian working class writer, who wrote in French and Romanian, nicknamed ''The Maxim Gorky of the Balkans''. Istrati appears to be th ...
, George Dorul Dumitrescu, and
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, ...
. She told Robot that this visit had made her feel as if a "tiny morsel from a real greater whole", like "soldiers in their file." Crevedia also introduced her to Lovinescu's literary society, ''
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 f ...
'', where he read from her drafts.
Vlaicu Bârna Vlaicu Victor Virgil Bârna (December 4, 1913 – March 11, 1999) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian poet. Born in Crișan, Hunedoara County, in the Transylvania region, his parents Ion Bârna and Maria (''née'' Pavel) were peasants. After ...

"Un cuvânt nou în limba română"
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 ...
'', Issue 42/2001
An excerpt of ''Sunt studentă!'' was published by ''Societatea de Mâine'' in January 1933. The book finally came out later that year, again at Editura Adevărul. The same press holding published the lifestyle magazine '' Realitatea Ilustrată'', where Marta was also introduced. In summer 1933, she hiked and climbed through the
Bucegi Mountains The Bucegi Mountains ( ) are located in central Romania, south of the city of Brașov. They are part of the Southern Carpathians group of the Carpathian Mountains. At , ''Omu Peak, Omu'' is its highest point. To the east, the Bucegi Mountains ha ...
, or, as she called them, "Little Tibet". Her reportage, illustrated with her landscape photography, saw print in ''Realitatea Ilustrată''. In August, she was at the Writers' Society hotel in
Bușteni Bușteni () is a small mountain town in the north of Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley, at the bottom of the Bucegi Mountains, that have a maximum altitude of . Its name literally means Logging, tree-logs in Ro ...
, vacationing alongside dramatist
A. de Herz Adolf Edmund George de Herz, commonly shortened to A. de Herz, also rendered as Hertz and Herț (December 15, 1887 – March 9, 1936), was a Romanian playwright and literary journalist, also active as a poet, short story author, and stage actor. H ...
and his actress daughter Alexandra "Kuki", whom she befriended. Rădulescu was passionate about sports: in addition to hiking, she enjoyed
competitive dance Competitive dance is a popular, widespread sport in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, tap, and improv—before a ...
, biking, skiing, and horse-riding; by 1933, her only visit abroad was to what she called " non-Hitlerian Germany".


Conflict with Crevedia

In July 1933, Rădulescu informed her readers that she was seeing someone romantically, and that she believed in marriage as a fulfillment of her status as a woman—though she also jokingly commented that her ideal man would have been an
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
bishop. ''Sunt studentă!'' was followed in 1934 by an autobiographical novel, ''Să ne logodim!'' ("Let's Get Engaged!"), which was taken up by
Cartea Românească Cartea Românească ("The Romanian Book") is a publishing house in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1919. Disestablished by the communist regime in 1948, it was restored under later communism, in 1970, when it functioned as the official imprint of t ...
publishers. Literary scholar Dan Smântânescu discovered her as a "talent of quick observation" and a "novelist in a sense that is completely unlike all of what we have learned to appreciate in modern epic complexities." Her depiction of sentimental transactions was authentic, in that it showed an engagement being determined "not by residual morality, but by the imperatives of present-day life." While working on translating works by
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...
and a draft of a large novel called ''Cadavre'' ("Carcasses"), she published a children's volume. It was called ''Cartea celor 7 basme'' ("The Book of 7 Fairy Tales"), and was written in a pretentiously poetic style. Rădulescu's work also appeared 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 P ...
'', '' Viața Literară'', and ''Ideea Literară''. By then, the Rădulescus' relationship with the fascist Iron Guard was becoming ambiguous, then notoriously close. From initially liberal positions, which criticized the antisemitic excesses and vandalism of the Guardists, Dan slowly moved toward ideas which the authorities deemed "communistic", and then became a putative follower of the Guard. In the December 1933 elections, he shocked Cluj's intelligentsia, who still knew him as a "left-wing theoretician", by presenting himself as a Guardist candidate."Kolozsváron és Bukarestben diákzavargások követték a Vasgárda feloszlatását. Beverték a Metropol és Newyork kévéhéz ablakait. Összeüütközések a karhatalom és a diáktüntetők között. Bukarestben a vasgárdisták lelőttek egy detektívet", in ''
Új Kelet ''Új Kelet'' (; Hungarian translation: "New East") is a Hungarian-language Zionist Jewish newspaper published first in Kolozsvár (Cluj) in Transylvania, Romania in 1918. Prior to the annexation of Transylvania to Hungary in 1940 when it cease ...
'', December 12, 1933, p. 3
That same month, despite protests from the faculty, the government of
Ion G. Duca Ion Gheorghe Duca (; 20 December 1879 – 29 December 1933) was a Romanian liberal politician, diplomat, and lawyer who briefly served as Prime Minister from November to December 1933. A leading figure in the National Liberal Party, Duca hel ...
arrested him for his involvement with an outlawed subversive movement. At the time, prosecutor Nicolae Birăescu alleged that documents implicating Rădulescu Sr in terrorist activities had been found in a Guardist safe-house. Soon after, the literary relationship between Crevedia and his protégée ended, with the two alleged former lovers becoming enemies. What followed was, according to Crevedia himself, an "embarrassing amorous polemic". In articles he published on the subject, he publicly suggested that himself or someone else had been the author of Rădulescu's various works. In July 1934, the regional magazine ''Viața Ardealului'' noted: "The case of Marta D. Rădulescu grips public opinion just like a novel or a change of government would"; her name, journalist Sever Stoica argued therein, "is almost as well-known as that of a Hollywood star.""Mariajul literar între dșoara Marta D. Rădulescu și d. N. Crevedia. Convorbire cu d. Sever Stoica", in ''Viața Ardealului'', Issues 6–7/1934, pp. 13–15 Reportedly, Crevedia was upset that Marta had dissolved their engagement, and wished to take revenge. He believed that ''Să ne logodim!'' was a book about their relationship. For her part, Marta claimed that the story of their engagement was a fabrication, and that the only words attesting her affection for him were plainly sarcastic. As evidence of this and other details, published Crevedia's letters to her in the same ''Viața Ardealului''; on this basis, she threatened to sue him. The fragments were covered by ''
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' ...
'' daily, which noted that they evidenced her poor grasp of Romanian orthography, but also that Crevedia had embarrassed himself—since he had been the first person to promote "idolatry" of Marta; the controversy was summarized therein as ''țigănie'' ("quarrel among Gypsies"). As Stoica noted, Crevedia had only succeeded in making Marta more beloved by the public. Stoica also rejected Crevedia's allegations about Marta's plagiarism, noting that he had made no effort to substantiate them. A similar claim was stated by poet
Mihai Beniuc Mihai Beniuc (; 20 November 1907 – 24 June 1988) was a Romanian socialist realist poet, dramatist, and novelist. Biography He was born in 1907 in Sebiș, Arad County (at the time in Austria-Hungary), the son of Athanasie and Vaseline Beniuc. H ...
: "Could it be that Miss Marta's books are so extraordinary that they were necessarily written by someone else?" Reportedly, writer
Mircea Damian Mircea Damian (pen name of Constantin Mătușa; March 14, 1899–June 16, 1948) was a Romanian prose writer and journalist. Biography Born in Izvoru, Olt County, he attended primary school in his native village, followed by high school in ...
confronted Crevedia at a Bucharest coffeehouse and "administered ima scathing public lesson in morality." The claim of plagiarism from Crevedia was dismissed by his colleague Pan M. Vizirescu (who moreover claimed that Crevedia himself was a plagiarist), and then also by the literary researcher
Ion Chinezu Ion Chinezu (August 15, 1894 – December 10, 1966) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian literary critic and translator. Biography Born in Sântana de Mureș, Mureș County, in the Transylvania region, his parents Ion Chinezu and Ana (''n ...
.


''Revista Mea'' and later years

From January 1935 to 1937, Marta again took up the Iron Guard cause publicly, putting out ''Revista Mea'' ("My Own Magazine") as a regional mouthpiece of the movement—with Fluor as a co-editorDan Rădulescu, Marta D. Rădulescu-Moga, Fluor D. Rădulescu, "Demascarea ziarelor comuniste ''Adevărul'' și ''Dimineața''. De unde banii?", in ''
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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 No ...
'', June 16, 1936, p. 3
and with contributions from Guard affiliates such as
Traian Brăileanu Traian Brăileanu or BrăileanAndrei Corbea-Hoișie, "'Wie die Juden Gewalt schreien': Aurel Onciul und die antisemitische Wende in der Bukowiner Öffentlichkeit nach 1907", in ''East Central Europe'', Vol. 39, Issue 1, 2012, p. 22 (September 14, ...
,
Emil Cioran Emil Mihai Cioran (; ; ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorism ...
, and Ion Moța. The latter two called for a rejuvenated Romanian literature, emancipated from "the Jewish shackles", and stripped of "kike commercialism". His convictions largely defined by his children's affiliations, Dan Rădulescu was also part of the ''Revista Mea'' staff. His articles there clarified that he now viewed communism as "suicide", and the far-right as a guarantee of " urindependent ancestral faith and ethnic countenance". His overall conclusion was that: "The right's spirituality will win against communism's destructive materialism.""Cărți. Reviste. Ziare: Publicații verzi", in ''Cuvântul Argeșului'', Issues 18–20/1936, p. 7 Fascist activists Mihail Polihroniade, Alexandru Constant, and
Ioan Victor Vojen Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Aromanian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved f ...
were also featured, with pieces which attacked
liberal democracy Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...
, supporting "organicism" and antisemitism. Another publication of the Guard, ''Cuvântul Argeșului'', noted in May 1936: "Professor Rădulescu's family will be absolved in heaven of all its earthly sins, for it has surrendered itself to sacrifice, entirely and for its entirety." The review published some 5,000 copies per issue, with more pages and higher quality print as time passed. Although she advertised it as an independent publication for "honest reviews", and maintained that she was not personally antisemitic,
Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian History of religion, historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. One of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and in ...
, "Fapte și idei. ''Revista Mea''", in '' Vremea'', February 3, 1935, p. 5
''Revista Mea'' promoted the far-right ideology from its first issue. In that print's editorial, Rădulescu alleged that a Jewish conspiracy at Editura Adevărul was preventing her from publishing, because of her father's politics. In that context, she also claimed that Jewish booksellers had refused to advertise ''Mărgele de măceș'' with its brief retelling of
Romanian folklore 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 Romania ...
, since it contained references to ''
Uriaș (plural ) is the common Romanian language, Romanian-language designation of Giant (mythology), giants, who are prominent figures in Romanian folklore. There are several varieties of , who share most of their traits but have different names fro ...
i'' antagonists called ''Jidovi'' ("Jews"); she also reported that fragments of ''Sunt studentă!'', detailing antisemitic chants as heard directly from the Guardists, had been unexplainably removed from the printed edition. In her retorts, she demanded the creation of a "nationalist Romanian literature" to counter the influence of "
Jewish nationalism * Zionism, seeking territorial concentration of all Jews in the Land of Israel * Jewish Territorialism, seeking territorial concentration in any land possible * Jewish Autonomism, seeking an ethnic-cultural autonomy for the Jews of Eastern Europe ...
" (which she otherwise rated as a "quite explainable and respectable" phenomenon). Fellow writer
Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian History of religion, historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. One of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and in ...
partly credited her claims, noting that Jewish bookstores had boycotted a nationalist book by Teodoreanu, as well as a controversial essay by the Jewish intellectual
Mihail Sebastian Mihail Sebastian (; born Iosif Mendel Hechter; October 18, 1907 – May 29, 1945) was a Romanian playwright, essayist, journalist and novelist. Life Sebastian was born to a Jewish family in Brăila, the son of Mendel and Clara Hechter (née We ...
. He warned: "Once politics get into literature, those who will end up suffering the consequences are the Jews and the writers." Himself sympathetic toward the Guard, Crevedia published his own account of the affair in the 1936 novel ''Buruieni de dragoste'' ("Love Weeds"), with himself as the protagonist Trestieru and Marta as Sanda Marinescu; Fluor is disguised as the agronomist Grâu Marinescu. This work cemented earlier allegations against Dan Rădulescu (including that he had penned his daughters' work), but added that he was ideologically unreliable. Appearing as Professor Barbu Marinescu, he is a democratic-minded, "bookish"
Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
, obsessed with sociology and
Fordism Fordism is an industrial engineering and manufacturing system that serves as the basis of modern social and labor-economic systems that support industrialized, standardized mass production and mass consumption. The concept is named after Henry ...
. In love with Sanda, whom he believes to be his ideal "intellectual woman",Iosif Bâtiu, "Cărți. N. Crevedia: ''Buruieni de dragoste''. Roman Editura Cugetarea", in ''Progres și Cultură'', Issues 2–3/1937, pp. 63–64 Trestieru is disappointed by her plagiarism and her overall mediocrity. Praised by nationalists as an attack on the "spiritual emptiness" of the Guard's "detractors", or as a "lifelike expression of today's Romanian bourgeoisie", ''Buruieni de dragoste'' was panned by reviewer Romulus Demetrescu. A former schoolteacher whose students had included Fluor Rădulescu,Romulus Demetrescu, "Cărți", in ''Pagini Literare'', Issues 3–4/1936, pp. 202–203 he described Crevedia's book as a
megalomania Megalomania is an obsession with power, wealth, fame, and a passion for grand schemes. Megalomania or megalomaniac may also refer to: Psychology * Grandiose delusions * Narcissistic personality disorder * Omnipotence (psychoanalysis), a stage ...
c's lampoon, "doing away with all discretion and delicacy". Lovinescu sees Crevedia's book as accomplished, but "embarrassing". Also in 1936, Fluor himself became a published novelist, with a
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 its characters. The mode of narration examin ...
of his adolescence, called ''Descătușare'' ("Unchaining")—the first part of an incomplete cycle. Also that year, all three Rădulescus, including Marta, who had married into a Moga family and used the new name of "Marta D. Rădulescu-Moga", celebrated the right-wing daily ''
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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 No ...
'' for its offensive against the " Jewish communism" at ''Adevărul''. In June 1937, the Guard's main daily, ''
Buna Vestire ''Buna Vestire'' (English: "The Annunciation") was a far-right Romanian newspaper affiliated with, and later published by, the Iron Guard. It was published daily from 1937 to 1938, and again under the National Legionary State in 1940–1941. It ...
'', reported that ''Revista Mea'' had not appeared for a long time, adding: "Marta Rădulescu needs to make up her mind, and ''Revista Mea'' needs to reappear. Our comrades await it." That same month, another Cluj magazine, called ''România Eroică'', hosted fragments of Marta's
historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...
, ''Frații de cruce'' ("Blood Brothers" or "Brothers of the Cross"). Her final work was another novel, ''Streina'' ("The Foreigner"), which came out in 1940. This too was the first part of a planned cycle, called ''Ferentarii'', that she did not complete. Their father, meanwhile, reasserted his faith in the Guard by contributing, during the December 1937 election, to a collective homage in ''Buna Vestire''. According to historian Dragoș Sdrobiș, the first stages of World War II should have been a time of political prominence for the family, with the Iron Guard having set up its totalitarian government, 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 ...
. However, they were not, and "historical silence fell" over all three Rădulescus. In October 1944, shortly after the anti-Nazi coup and the Communist Party's legalization, the latter's official organ, ''
Scînteia ''Scînteia'' ( Romanian for "The Spark") was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history. The title is a homage to the Russian language paper '' Iskra''. It was known as ''Scânteia'' until ...
'', demanded that Rădulescu be "purged" out of the Writers' Society—along with scores of other Guardist or more generically nationalist affiliates. Surviving the establishment of a Romanian communist regime, Marta died on September 5, 1959, aged 47; her father outlived her by ten years, dying on November 14, 1969, when Fluor was still alive."Mica publicitate. Decese", in ''
România Liberă Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, 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 the east, and the Black Sea t ...
'', November 14, 1972, p. 4


Legacy

Rădulescu's works were again being panned by authors of the communist period: in 1954, pedagogue Alexandru Sen argued that ''Clasa VII A'' plunged readers into a "strange world, peopled by maniacs," unwittingly showing "the decomposition of that bourgeois society which schools of that day were so duly serving." In a 1965 piece, critic Mircea Tomuș referred to her as "rightfully forgotten", only using her work for comparison with a "bourgeois curtain-raiser" by Sidonia Drăgușanu. In 1997, a publication called ''Revista Mea'' was being put out by the Romanian Jewish community of
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
, its editors unaware (until a reader informed them) that this title had an antisemitic pedigree.
Alexandru Mirodan Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu. Origin Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men", ...
, "Poșta dicționarului", in ''Minimum'', Vol. XI, Issue 129, December 1997, p. 47


Notes


References

*Roland Clark, ''Sfîntă tinerețe legionară. Activismul fascist în România interbelică''. Iași:
Polirom Polirom or Editura Polirom ("Polirom" Publishing House) is a Romanian publishing house with a tradition of publishing classics of international literature and also various titles in the fields of social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and ...
, 2015. *
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 ...
, ''Istoria literaturii române contemporane''. Chișinău: Editura Litera, 1998. * Z. Ornea, ''Anii treizeci. Extrema dreaptă românească''. Bucharest: Editura Fundației Culturale Române, 1995. * Alexandru Robot, "Cu Marta Rădulescu despre ea și despre alții", in '' Rampa'', July 24, 1933, pp. 1, 3. *Valentin Săndulescu, "'Sămânța aruncată de diavol': Presa legionară și construirea imaginii inamicilor politici (1927–1937)", in ''Studia Universitatis Petru Maior. Series Historia'', Vol. 7, 2007, pp. 153–174. {{DEFAULTSORT:Radulescu, Marta 1912 births 1959 deaths 20th-century Romanian women writers Romanian women novelists Romanian children's writers Romanian women children's writers Writers of young adult literature Women writers of young adult literature Romanian fantasy writers 20th-century Romanian short story writers Romanian women short story writers Romanian newspaper reporters and correspondents Romanian humorists Women humorists 20th-century Romanian poets Romanian women poets Romanian travel writers Women travel writers Romanian historical novelists Women historical novelists 20th-century Romanian translators Translators from Norwegian Translators to Romanian 20th-century Romanian sportswomen Romanian mountain climbers Romanian female climbers Hikers Romanian opinion journalists Romanian photojournalists Women photojournalists Romanian women journalists Romanian women photographers 20th-century Romanian photographers Romanian activist journalists Romanian magazine editors Romanian women magazine editors Romanian magazine founders Members of the Iron Guard 20th-century Romanian women politicians Women fascists Fascist writers People from Pitești Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Romanian satirists Women satirists