Eugen Jebeleanu
Encyclopedia
Eugen Jebeleanu Romania
n poet, was born in Câmpina
, where he attended elementary school. After graduating from high school in Braşov
at age 11 in 1922, he published his first poems five years later in the literary review Viaţa literară. His first book of poetry, Schituri cu soare ("Skete
s with Sun"), appeared in 1929, the year he moved to Bucharest
to study law at the University of Bucharest
. He published another volume of poems, Inimi sub săbii ("Hearts under Swords") in 1934, but Jebeleanu's principal literary activity in the 1930s was as a journalist closely allied with the left-wing press.
After World War II
, he solidly supported the new Communist
leadership and ardently promoted socialist realism
. Most of his postwar poetry deals with the struggle against fascism, the Romanian revolutionary tradition going back to 1848, and championing the new regime's ideology. Despite his political engagement, his poetry rose above the level of a verse pamphleteer. His postwar volumes of poetry include Ceea ce nu se uită ("What Cannot Be Forgotten", 1945); Scutul păcii ("The Shield of Peace", 1949); Poeme de pace şi de luptă ("Poems of Peace and War", 1950); În satul lui Sahia ("In Sahia
's Village", 1952); Bălcescu (1952), a long poem written in honour of the historian and revolutionary Nicolae Bălcescu
; and Cîntecele pădurii tinere ("Songs of the Young Forest", 1953).
Jebeleanu first achieved international recognition with his collection of humanitarian poems about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
: Surîsul Hiroşimei ("The Smile of Hiroshima", 1958). After an "oratorio" celebrating the liberation at the end of the war, Oratoriul eliberării ("The Oratorio of Liberation", 1959), and a volume of selected verse, Poezii şi poeme ("Poems", 1961), he published one of his most highly regarded collections of poems, Lidice, Cîntece împotriva morţii ("Lidice, Songs against Death", 1963). In the same spirit of universal humanism as Surîsul Hiroşimei, his new collection was inspired by a postwar visit to the site of the Czech
village of Lidice
, which together with its inhabitants was totally destroyed by the Nazis during World War II as an act of revenge.
Jebeleanu's other publications include Din veacul XX ("From the Twentieth Century", 1956), a collection of journalistic texts; Poeme, 1944-1964 ("Poems, 1944-1964", 1964); Elegie pentru floarea secerată ("Elegy for the Cut Flower", 1966), one of his important collections of lyrics and a break from his previous engaged poetry; Hanibal ("Hannibal", 1972), a volume of poems; and Deasupra zilei ("Above the Day", 1981), a book of "jottings" on various subjects. In the 1970s, the Romanian Academy
(of which he was a corresponding member) nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature
.
Although initially a supporter of the regime, he expressed alarm after the July Theses
were issued in 1971, and, considered one of the leaders of the liberal wing of the Writers' Union of Romania
, was dropped from the Romanian Communist Party's central committee at its 13th Congress in 1984.
Jebeleanu translated poetry from six languages, including Hungarian
(Petőfi
), Turkish
, French
(Hugo
) and German
(Rilke
). Three poems of his appeared in English in a 1969 anthology, and five more in 1985. In 2007, his last collection of poems, Armă secretă ("Secret Weapon", 1980), appeared in English, the first full volume of his work to do so. His son Tudor is a graphic artist. He and his wife Florica (née Cordescu), a painter who died in 1965, also had a daughter, Florica.
One of his hobbies was recreational fishing
.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n poet, was born in Câmpina
Câmpina
Câmpina is a city in Prahova county, Romania, north of the county seat Ploieşti, located on the main route between Wallachia and Transylvania. In 2003, the city celebrated 500 years since its founding.-History:...
, where he attended elementary school. After graduating from high school in Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
at age 11 in 1922, he published his first poems five years later in the literary review Viaţa literară. His first book of poetry, Schituri cu soare ("Skete
Skete
A Skete is a monastic style community that allows relative isolation for monks, but alsoallows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection...
s with Sun"), appeared in 1929, the year he moved to Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
to study law at the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
. He published another volume of poems, Inimi sub săbii ("Hearts under Swords") in 1934, but Jebeleanu's principal literary activity in the 1930s was as a journalist closely allied with the left-wing press.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he solidly supported the new Communist
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
leadership and ardently promoted socialist realism
Socialist realism in Romania
After World War II, socialist realism on the Soviet model was imposed on the USSR's new satellites, including Romania. This was accompanied by a series of organisational and repressive moves, for instance the incarceration of numerous poets...
. Most of his postwar poetry deals with the struggle against fascism, the Romanian revolutionary tradition going back to 1848, and championing the new regime's ideology. Despite his political engagement, his poetry rose above the level of a verse pamphleteer. His postwar volumes of poetry include Ceea ce nu se uită ("What Cannot Be Forgotten", 1945); Scutul păcii ("The Shield of Peace", 1949); Poeme de pace şi de luptă ("Poems of Peace and War", 1950); În satul lui Sahia ("In Sahia
Alexandru Sahia
Alexandru Sahia was a Romanian communist journalist and short story author.-Early life:...
's Village", 1952); Bălcescu (1952), a long poem written in honour of the historian and revolutionary Nicolae Bălcescu
Nicolae Balcescu
Nicolae Bălcescu was a Romanian Wallachian soldier, historian, journalist, and leader of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution.-Early life:...
; and Cîntecele pădurii tinere ("Songs of the Young Forest", 1953).
Jebeleanu first achieved international recognition with his collection of humanitarian poems about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
: Surîsul Hiroşimei ("The Smile of Hiroshima", 1958). After an "oratorio" celebrating the liberation at the end of the war, Oratoriul eliberării ("The Oratorio of Liberation", 1959), and a volume of selected verse, Poezii şi poeme ("Poems", 1961), he published one of his most highly regarded collections of poems, Lidice, Cîntece împotriva morţii ("Lidice, Songs against Death", 1963). In the same spirit of universal humanism as Surîsul Hiroşimei, his new collection was inspired by a postwar visit to the site of the Czech
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
village of Lidice
Lidice
Lidice is a village in the Czech Republic just northwest of Prague. It is built on the site of a previous village of the same name which, as part of the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was on orders from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, completely destroyed by German forces in reprisal...
, which together with its inhabitants was totally destroyed by the Nazis during World War II as an act of revenge.
Jebeleanu's other publications include Din veacul XX ("From the Twentieth Century", 1956), a collection of journalistic texts; Poeme, 1944-1964 ("Poems, 1944-1964", 1964); Elegie pentru floarea secerată ("Elegy for the Cut Flower", 1966), one of his important collections of lyrics and a break from his previous engaged poetry; Hanibal ("Hannibal", 1972), a volume of poems; and Deasupra zilei ("Above the Day", 1981), a book of "jottings" on various subjects. In the 1970s, the Romanian Academy
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 acting members who are elected for life....
(of which he was a corresponding member) nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
.
Although initially a supporter of the regime, he expressed alarm after the July Theses
July Theses
The July Theses is a name commonly given to a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu on July 6, 1971, before the Executive Committee of the Romanian Communist Party...
were issued in 1971, and, considered one of the leaders of the liberal wing of the Writers' Union of Romania
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 Chişinău, Republic of Moldova...
, was dropped from the Romanian Communist Party's central committee at its 13th Congress in 1984.
Jebeleanu translated poetry from six languages, including Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
(Petőfi
Sándor Petofi
Sándor Petőfi , was a Hungarian poet and liberal revolutionary. He is considered as Hungary's national poet and he was one of the key figures of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848...
), Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
) and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
(Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
). Three poems of his appeared in English in a 1969 anthology, and five more in 1985. In 2007, his last collection of poems, Armă secretă ("Secret Weapon", 1980), appeared in English, the first full volume of his work to do so. His son Tudor is a graphic artist. He and his wife Florica (née Cordescu), a painter who died in 1965, also had a daughter, Florica.
One of his hobbies was recreational fishing
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
.