Vasile Voiculescu
Encyclopedia
Vasile Voiculescu was a Romania
n poet, short-story writer, playwright, and physician.
, Buzău County
, Romania
, to a family of wealthy peasants. He attended primary school in Pleşcoi, a village near his home, for a year, after which he was sent to a boarding school
in Buzău
. He attended high school in Buzău, then in Bucharest
— the Gheorghe Lazăr High School, where he befriended George Ciprian
, an aspiring actor at that time, and the young writer Urmuz
.
Upon graduating high school in 1902, he read Philosophy
for a year at the University of Bucharest
before starting his medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine
. He became a doctor of medicine
in 1910.
forces occupying Bucharest (see Romanian Campaign (World War I)
) destroyed all copies. In 1918, he published the volume Din ţara zimbrului ("From Wisent's Land").
Between the two world wars, he lived in Bucharest and held a series of public conferences on medicine, broadcast on radio and aimed primarily at peasant audiences. He wrote poetry of religious persuasion, themed around the birth of Christ
, Magi
, and Crucifixion
. His literary style gradually became Expressionistic
.
Voiculescu published several short stories, such as Capul de zimbru ("Wisent Head"); novels, such as Zahei orbul ("Zahei the Blind"), and plays: Duhul pământului ("Earth's Ghost"), Demiurgul ("The Demiurge
"), Gimnastică sentimentală ("Sentimental Gymnastics"), Pribeaga ("The Wanderer").
, Romanian communist authorities
attacked and persecuted Voiculescu for his religious and democratic
ideals, and did not allow him to publish. He was imprisoned in 1958, at the age of 74, and he spent the following four years in prison; he became ill during detention, dying of cancer
a few months after his release.
His final work, Shakespeare
's Last Imagined Sonnets in the Imaginary Translation of..., comprises 90 sonnet
s, written between 1954 and 1958. An intricate portrayal of love in all its glory, it was published after his death.
In 1990, he was posthumously elected member of the Romanian Academy
. His house in Pârscov became the Vasile Voiculescu memorial house. Also, the county library in Buzău bears his name.
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, short-story writer, playwright, and physician.
Early life and education
Voiculescu was born in PârscovPârscov, Buzau
Pârscov is a commune in Buzău County, Romania. It is composed of twelve villages: Bădila, Curcăneşti, Lunca Frumoasă, Oleşeşti, Pârjoleşti, Pârscov, Robeşti, Runcu, Târcov, Tocileni, Trestieni and Valea Purcarului....
, Buzău County
Buzau County
Buzău is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 496,214 and the population density was 81/km².*Romanians – 97%*Roma – under 3% declared, and others....
, Romania
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...
, to a family of wealthy peasants. He attended primary school in Pleşcoi, a village near his home, for a year, after which he was sent to a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Buzău
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
. He attended high school in Buzău, then 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....
— the Gheorghe Lazăr High School, where he befriended George Ciprian
George Ciprian
George Ciprian was a Romanian actor and playwright. His writings make him a precursor of the Theatre of the Absurd.-Biography:...
, an aspiring actor at that time, and the young writer Urmuz
Urmuz
Urmuz was a Romanian writer, lawyer and civil servant, who became a cult hero in Romania's avant-garde scene. His scattered work, consisting of absurdist short prose and poetry, opened a new genre in Romanian letters and humor, and captured the imagination of modernists for several generations...
.
Upon graduating high school in 1902, he read Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
for a year 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:...
before starting his medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. He became a doctor of medicine
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
in 1910.
Prominence
March 1912 marked Voiculescu's debut as a poet with Dor ("Longing"), a poem first published in Convorbiri Literare. He managed to publish a volume of poems in 1916, but the German EmpireGerman Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
forces occupying Bucharest (see Romanian Campaign (World War I)
Romanian Campaign (World War I)
The Romanian Campaign was part of the Balkan theatre of World War I, with Romania and Russia allied against the armies of the Central Powers. Fighting took place from August 1916 to December 1917, across most of present-day Romania, including Transylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian...
) destroyed all copies. In 1918, he published the volume Din ţara zimbrului ("From Wisent's Land").
Between the two world wars, he lived in Bucharest and held a series of public conferences on medicine, broadcast on radio and aimed primarily at peasant audiences. He wrote poetry of religious persuasion, themed around the birth of Christ
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Magi
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
, and Crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. His literary style gradually became Expressionistic
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
.
Voiculescu published several short stories, such as Capul de zimbru ("Wisent Head"); novels, such as Zahei orbul ("Zahei the Blind"), and plays: Duhul pământului ("Earth's Ghost"), Demiurgul ("The Demiurge
Demiurge
The demiurge is a concept from the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy for an artisan-like figure responsible for the fashioning and maintenance of the physical universe. The term was subsequently adopted by the Gnostics...
"), Gimnastică sentimentală ("Sentimental Gymnastics"), Pribeaga ("The Wanderer").
Imprisonment and release
After World War IIWorld 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...
, Romanian communist authorities
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
attacked and persecuted Voiculescu for his religious and democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
ideals, and did not allow him to publish. He was imprisoned in 1958, at the age of 74, and he spent the following four years in prison; he became ill during detention, dying of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
a few months after his release.
His final work, Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Last Imagined Sonnets in the Imaginary Translation of..., comprises 90 sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
s, written between 1954 and 1958. An intricate portrayal of love in all its glory, it was published after his death.
In 1990, he was posthumously elected member of 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....
. His house in Pârscov became the Vasile Voiculescu memorial house. Also, the county library in Buzău bears his name.