Onirism
Encyclopedia
Onirism was a surrealist
Romanian literary school most popular during the 1960s, in the wake of popular uprisings in Eastern Europe
. One of the techniques it employed was automatic writing
.
The onirist school formed in Bucharest
in 1964 around a nucleus composed of Dumitru Ţepeneag
and Leonid Dimov
(writers who were members of the Luceafărul literary circle – named for the literary magazine Luceafărul, edited at the time by Eugen Barbu). There Ţepeneag, Barbu and Dimov met Virgil Mazilescu, Vintilă Ivănceanu and Iulian Neacşu.
After Eugen Barbu was replaced as a leader of the circle by the ex-avant-garde writer Miron Radu Paraschivescu, Paraschivescu published a poetry-and-prose supplement to the magazine Ramuri called Povestea vorbei; his goal was a new avant-garde magazine uniting old and new oniric poets and writers. In 1966 Vintilă Ivănceanu, Dumitru Ţepeneag, Leonid Dimov and Virgil Mazilescu would all publish in Povestea vorbei before the magazine was summarily banned by the Stalinist
government. Beginning in 1968, the center of the oniric movement moved toward Luceafărul; there (in addition to the above-mentioned poets and writers), Emil Brumaru
, Florin Gabrea, Sorin Titel, Daniel Turcea and others would publish.
Although it was rooted in world oniric literature (especially German Romanticism
– considered by some critics to be a current related to surrealism
– and new French fiction), the group was quickly banned by Romanian censorship
and Ţepeneag was forced into exile in Paris
.
Many onirist writings remaining in Romania have recently been collected into a book by Corin Braga, a conservator of the aesthetics
of onirism. Onirism extends into Romanian postmodernism
in the works of Mircea Cărtărescu
.
, onirism refers to a mental state in which visual hallucination
s occur while fully awake. It is a symptom
of some parasomnia
s (such as REM sleep behavior disorder and breakdown syndromes
), but is more often associated with drug abuse
.
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
Romanian literary school most popular during the 1960s, in the wake of popular uprisings in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. One of the techniques it employed was automatic writing
Automatic writing
Automatic writing or psychography is writing which the writer states to be produced from a subconscious and/or spiritual source without conscious awareness of the content.-History:...
.
The onirist school formed in 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....
in 1964 around a nucleus composed of Dumitru Ţepeneag
Dumitru Tepeneag
Dumitru Ţepeneag is a contemporary Romanian novelist, essayist, short story writer and translator, who currently resides in France...
and Leonid Dimov
Leonid Dimov
Leonid Dimov was a Romanian postmodernist poet and translator....
(writers who were members of the Luceafărul literary circle – named for the literary magazine Luceafărul, edited at the time by Eugen Barbu). There Ţepeneag, Barbu and Dimov met Virgil Mazilescu, Vintilă Ivănceanu and Iulian Neacşu.
After Eugen Barbu was replaced as a leader of the circle by the ex-avant-garde writer Miron Radu Paraschivescu, Paraschivescu published a poetry-and-prose supplement to the magazine Ramuri called Povestea vorbei; his goal was a new avant-garde magazine uniting old and new oniric poets and writers. In 1966 Vintilă Ivănceanu, Dumitru Ţepeneag, Leonid Dimov and Virgil Mazilescu would all publish in Povestea vorbei before the magazine was summarily banned by the Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
government. Beginning in 1968, the center of the oniric movement moved toward Luceafărul; there (in addition to the above-mentioned poets and writers), Emil Brumaru
Emil Brumaru
Emil Brumaru is a contemporary Romanian writer and poet.- Works :* Versuri , 1970* Detectivul Arthur , 1970...
, Florin Gabrea, Sorin Titel, Daniel Turcea and others would publish.
Although it was rooted in world oniric literature (especially German Romanticism
German Romanticism
For the general context, see Romanticism.In the philosophy, art, and culture of German-speaking countries, German Romanticism was the dominant movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. German Romanticism developed relatively late compared to its English counterpart, coinciding in its...
– considered by some critics to be a current related to surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
– and new French fiction), the group was quickly banned by Romanian censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and Ţepeneag was forced into exile in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Many onirist writings remaining in Romania have recently been collected into a book by Corin Braga, a conservator of the aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
of onirism. Onirism extends into Romanian postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
in the works of Mircea Cărtărescu
Mircea Cartarescu
Mircea Cărtărescu is a Romanian poet, novelist and essayist.Born in Bucharest, he graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Letters, Department of Romanian Language And Literature, in 1980. Between 1980 and 1989 he worked as a Romanian language teacher, then he worked at the Writers'...
.
In medicine
In psychiatryPsychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, onirism refers to a mental state in which visual hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
s occur while fully awake. It is a symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
of some parasomnia
Parasomnia
For the 2008 horror film, see Parasomnia Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders that involve abnormal and unnatural movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, between sleep stages, or during arousal from sleep...
s (such as REM sleep behavior disorder and breakdown syndromes
Burnout (psychology)
Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest. Research indicates general practitioners have the highest proportion of burnout cases; according to a recent Dutch study in Psychological Reports, no less than 40% of these experienced high levels of...
), but is more often associated with drug abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
.
Further reading
- Dimov, Leonid & Ţepeneag, Dumitru (1997). Momentul oniric. Bucharest: Cartea Românească
- Bârna, Nicolae (1998). Ţepeneag. Introducere într-o lume de hârtie. Bucharest: Albatros
- Buciu, Marian Victor (1998). Ţepeneag între onirism, textualism, postmodernism. Craiova: Aius
- Pavel, Laura (2007). Dumitru Ţepeneag şi canonul literaturii alternative. Cluj: Casa Cǎrţii de Ştiinţǎ
- Dimov, Leonid & Ţepeneag, Dumitru (2007). Onirismul estetic. Bucharest: Curtea Veche