Mihail Sadoveanu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Born: | November 5, 1880 Paşcani, Romania |
|---|---|
| Died: | October 19, 1961 |
| Occupation: | writer, politician |
Mihail Sadoveanu (November 5, 1880—October 19, 1961) was a Romanian novelist and political figure; one of the most prolific Romanian language writers, he is remembered mostly for his historical novels.
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[edit] Life
Sadoveanu was born in Paşcani (west-central Moldavia). After attending school in Paşcani, Fălticeni and Iaşi, he left for Bucharest in 1904, where he intended to study law. He started writing for the journal Viaţa nouă in 1898, and his articles were featured alongside those of Gala Galaction, Nicolae D. Cocea, and Tudor Arghezi (he signed his contributions with his real name, or sometimes as M. S. Cobuz); Sadoveanu also contributed works to Sămănătorul.
1904 was his effective debut year, as he published four books, including Povestiri ("Stories"), which was awarded a prize by the Romanian Academy. Nicolae Iorga (as cited by literary critic George Călinescu) called 1904 "Sadoveanu's year", and it was the beginning of a prolific literary career covering more than a half century.
During his life Sadoveanu published over a hundred books, novels and short novels. Sadoveanu also worked on a number of literary journals, including Însemnări literare, on which he collaborated with his friend, the remarkable poet and writer George Topîrceanu. In 1910, he became head of the National Theater of Iaşi.
After the Soviet-backed advent of the Communist system in Romania, Sadoveanu supported the new authorities, and turned from his own version of realism to officially-endorsed socialist realism. In 1947-1948, he was, alongside Ştefan Voitec, Constantin Ion Parhon, Gheorghe Stere, and Ion Niculi, a member of the Presidium of the People's Republic.
His literary stature but also his communist allegiance[citation needed] earned him the Lenin Peace Prize, which he received shortly before his death. He was also elected a full member of the Romanian Academy. One of his novels, Mitrea Cocor, was written in support of the collectivization of agriculture.
He is buried at the Bellu cemetery, in Bucharest.
[edit] Works
Some of his most significant works include:
- Hanul Ancuţei ("Ancuţa's Inn")
- Fraţii Jderi ("The Jder Brothers")
- Creanga de aur ("The Golden Twig")
- Baltagul ("The Hatchet")
- Viaţa lui Ştefan cel Mare ("The Life of Ştefan cel Mare")
Much of the content of his writings is drawn from the history, folklore and culture of his native Moldavia.
[edit] References
- George Călinescu, Istoria literaturii române de la origini pînă în prezent, 1941.
- Garabet Ibrăileanu, Studii literare, 1930.
[edit] External links
- Mihail Sadoveanu (in Romanian)
- Mihail Sadoveanu (in Italian)
- IMDB record
