Octav Sargețiu (born Dumitru V. Popa; October 23, 1908–November 21, 1994) 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, a ...

n poet. Born in Vlad Țepeș,

Călărași County Călărași () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Călărași. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 285,050 and a population density of 56.02/km2. * Romanians – 95% ...

, his parents Vișan Popa and Maria (''née'' Cristea) were peasants. He attended the normal school for teachers in Călărași from 1921 to 1927, and from 1927 to 1938 was director of the primary school in Mîrzaci, Orhei County, in

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of ...

. Remaining in the province until the 1940 Soviet occupation, he edited ''Cuvânt moldovenesc'' magazine at Chișinău. He then moved to

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

, where he edited ''Albina'' magazine, ''Căminul cultural'' and ''Școala țăranului'' from 1940 to 1947; he also edited ''

Viața Basarabiei ''Viaţa Basarabiei'' (Romanian for "Bessarabia's Life", ) is a Romanian-language periodical from Chişinău, Moldova. Originally a literary and political magazine, published at a time when the Bessarabia region was part of Romania, it was founde ...

'' there from 1940 to 1944. From 1948 to 1952, he headed the Al. I. Cuza popular athenaeum; from 1953 to 1956, he directed the Ștefan Gheorghiu cultural center. His first published work appeared in ''Brazda'' magazine in Călărași in 1927 under the pen name Dumitru Octav Sargețiu, which became his official name in 1945. The poem "Sărmana plebe" appeared in ''Tribuna'' in the same town in 1929, for the first time under the name Octav Sargețiu. He also wrote for ''

Revista Fundațiilor Regale ''Revista Fundațiilor Regale'' ("The Review of Royal Foundations") was a monthly literary, art and culture magazine published in Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southe ...

'', ''

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 Petr ...

'', ''

Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' (Romanian: ''Literary Talks'') 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 Ti ...

'', ''Curentul literar'', ''Vremea'', '' Familia'', ''Epigrama'', ''Însemnări ieșene'', ''Fapta'', ''Claviaturi'', '' Luceafărul'', ''Steaua'' and '' România Literară''. His first book, the 1942 poetry collection ''Cântece în singurătate'', won the Romanian Writers' Society prize; in 1945, it was followed by a second, ''Satul meu, povestea mea''.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. II, p. 520. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sargetiu, Octav 1908 births 1994 deaths People from Călărași County Romanian poets Romanian magazine editors Romanian schoolteachers