Mihail Sadoveanu (occasionally referred to as Mihai Sadoveanu; 5 November 1880 – 19 October 1961) was a Romanian novelist, short story writer, journalist and political figure, who twice served as acting head of state for the Socialist Republic of Romania (1947–1948 and 1958). One of the most prolific Romanian-language writers, he is remembered mostly for his historical and adventure novels, as well as for his nature writing. An author whose career spanned five decades, Sadoveanu was an early associate of the traditionalist magazine Sămănătorul, before becoming known as a Realist writer and an adherent to the Poporanist current represented by Viața Românească journal. His books, critically acclaimed for their vision of age-old solitude and natural abundance, are generally set in the historical region of Moldavia, building on themes from Romania's medieval and early modern history. Among them are Neamul Șoimăreștilor ("The Șoimărești Family"), Frații Jderi ("The Jderi Brothers") and Zodia Cancerului ("Under the Sign of the Crab"). With Venea o moară pe Siret... ("A Mill Was Floating down the Siret..."), Baltagul ("The Hatchet") and some other works of fiction, Sadoveanu extends his fresco to contemporary history and adapts his style to the psychological novel, Naturalism and Social realism.
A traditionalist figure whose perspective on life was a combination of nationalism and Humanism, Sadoveanu moved between right- and left-wing political forces throughout the interwar period, while serving terms in Parliament. Rallying with People's Party, the National Agrarian Party, and the National Liberal Party-Brătianu, he was editor of the leftist newspapers Adevărul and Dimineața, and was the target of a violent far right press campaign. After World War II, Sadoveanu became a political associate of the Romanian Communist Party. He wrote in favor of the Soviet Union and Stalinism, joined the Society for Friendship with the Soviet Union and adopted Socialist realism. Many of his texts and speeches, including the political novel Mitrea Cocor and the famous slogan Lumina vine de la Răsărit ("The Light Arises in the East"), are also viewed as propaganda in favor of communization.
A founding member of the Romanian Writers' Society and later President of the Romanian Writers' Union, Sadoveanu was also a member of the Romanian Academy since 1921 and a recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize for 1961. He was also Grand Master of the Romanian Freemasonry during the 1930s. The father of Profira and Paul-Mihu Sadoveanu, who also pursued careers as writers, he was the brother-in-law of literary critic Izabela Sadoveanu-Evan.
Biography
Early years Sadoveanu was born in Pașcani, in western Moldavia. His father's family hailed from the southwestern part of the Old Kingdom, in Oltenia.Călinescu, p. 615; Crohmălniceanu, p. 192; Vianu, Vol. III, p. 233 Their place of origin, Sadova, provided their chosen surname (lit. "from Sadova"),Călinescu, p. 615 which was adopted by the family only in 1891. "Mihail Sadoveanu", biographical note in Cronologia della letteratura rumena moderna (1780-1914) database, at the University of Florence's Department of Neo-Latin Languages and Literatures; retrieved 7 April 2008 Cornel Ungureanu, "Mihail Sadoveanu - secțiuni dintr-o geografie literară" , in Convorbiri Literare, February 2006 Mihail's father was the lawyer Alexandru Sadoveanu (d. 1921), whom literary critic George Călinescu described as "a bearded and well-to-do man"; according to the writer's own notes, Alexandru was unhappy in marriage, and his progressive isolation from public life impacted on the entire family.Crohmălniceanu, p. 193 Mihail's mother, Profira née Ursachi (or Ursaki; d. 1895), hailed from a line of Moldavian shepherds,Călinescu, p. 615; Crohmălniceanu, pp. 192-193, 213-214; Vianu, Vol. III, pp. 233-235 all of whom, as the writer recalled, had been illiterate.Vianu, Vol. III, p. 233 Literary historian Tudor Vianu believes this contrast of regional and social identities played a part in shaping the author, opening him up to a "Romanian universality", but notes that, throughout his career, Sadoveanu was especially connected with his Moldavian roots.Vianu, Vol. III, p. 235 Mihail had a brother, also named Alexandru, whose wife was the Swiss-educated literary critic Izabela Morțun (later known as Sadoveanu-Evan, she was the cousin of socialist activist Vasile Morțun).Călinescu, p. 667 Another one of his brothers, Vasile Sadoveanu, was an agricultural engineer. Mihail Constantineanu, Sadoveanu în ultimul an de viață - Neverosimila vacanță, at the Memoria Library; retrieved 6 April 2008
Beginning in 1887, Sadoveanu attended primary school in Pașcani. His favorite teacher, a Mr. Busuioc, later served as inspiration for one of his best-known short stories, Domnu Trandafir ("Master Trandafir").Călinescu, p. 615; Crohmălniceanu, pp. 193, 214 While away from school, young Sadoveanu used much of his spare time exploring his native region on foot, hunting, fishing, or just contemplating nature.Crohmălniceanu, pp. 193, 213-214; Vianu, Vol. III, pp. 237-238 He was also spending his vacations in his mother's native Verșeni.Crohmălniceanu, pp. 193, 194 During his journeys, Sadoveanu visited peasants, and his impression of the way in which they were relating to authority is credited by critics with having shaped his perspective on society.Crohmălniceanu, pp. 193, 194; Vianu, Vol. III, p. 238 Shortly after this episode, the young Sadoveanu left to complete his secondary studies in Fălticeni and at the National High School in Iași.Călinescu, p. 615; Crohmălniceanu, pp. 193-194 Mihail Sadoveanu. Cronologie , at the Museum of Romanian Literature; retrieved 6 April 2008 Alex Mitru, "Patriarhul cuvîntului românesc se întoarce în amintiri, la Casa din deal" , in Evenimentul, 5 November 2004 While in Fălticeni, he was in the same class as future authors Eugen Lovinescu and I. Dragoslav, but, having lost interest in schoolwork, he failed to get his remove, before eventually graduating top of his class.
First literary attempts, marriage and family
In 1896, when he was aged sixteen, Sadoveanu gave thought to writing a monograph on Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great, "Calendar. Click istoric" , in Jurnalul Național, 19 October 2007 but his first literary attempts date from the following year.Vianu, Vol. III, p. 205. See also Crohmălniceanu, p. 194. It was in 1897 that a sketch story, titled Domnișoara M din Fălticeni ("Miss M from Fălticeni") and signed Mihai din Pașcani ("Mihai from Pașcani"), was successfully submitted for publishing to the Bucharest-based satirical magazine Dracu. He started writing for Ovid Densusianu's journal Vieața Nouă in 1898. His contributions, featured alongside those of Gala Galaction, N. D. Cocea, and Tudor Arghezi, include another sketch story and a lyric poem.Crohmălniceanu, p. 194 Sadoveanu was however dissatisfied with Densusianu's agenda, and critical of the entire Romanian Symbolist movement for which the review spoke. He ultimately began writing pieces for non-Symbolist magazines such as Opinia and Pagini Literare. In parallel, he founded and printed by hand a short-lived journal, known to researches as either Aurora or Lumea.
Sadoveanu left for Bucharest in 1900, intending to study law at the University's Faculty of Law, but withdrew soon after, deciding to dedicate himself to literature.Crohmălniceanu, p. 195 He began frequenting the bohemian society in the capital, but, following a sudden change in outlook, abandoned poetry and focused his work entirely on Realist prose. In 1901, Sadoveanu married Ecaterina Bâlu, with whom he settled in Fălticeni,Crohmălniceanu, pp. 195, 214 where he began work on his first novellas and decided to make his living as a professional writer. His first draft for a novel, Frații Potcoavă ("The Potcoavă Brothers"), came out in 1902, when fragments were published by Pagini Alese magazine under the pseudonym M. S. Cobuz. Ion Simuț, "Centenarul debutului sadovenian" , in România Literară, Nr. 41/2004 The following year, Sadoveanu was drafted into the Romanian Land Forces, stationed as a guard near Târgu Ocna, and inspired by the experience to write some of his first social criticism narratives.
After that time, he spent much of his home in the country, where he raised a large family.Călinescu, p. 615; Crohmălniceanu, p. 196 Initially, the Sadoveanus lived in a house previously owned by celebrated Moldavian raconteur Ion Creangă, before they commissioned a new building, famed for its surrounding Grădina Liniștii ("Garden of Quietude"). He was the father of eleven, among whom were three daughters: Despina, Teodora and Profira Sadoveanu, the latter of whom was a poet and a novelist. Antonio Patraș, "Cu Profira Sadoveanu, în dulcele stil clasic" , in Convorbiri Literare, December 2007 Of his sons, Dimitrie Sadoveanu became a painter, while Paul-Mihu, the youngest (born 1920), was author of the novel Ca floarea câmpului... ("Like the Flower of the Field...") which was published posthumously. 22 Septembrie 2010 , Radio România Cultural calendar page; retrieved 30 December 2010Călinescu, p. 967
Sămănătorul, Viața Românească and literary debut
After receiving an invitation from poet Ștefan Octavian Iosif in 1903,Vianu, Vol. III, p. 243. According to Crohmălniceanu (pp. 195-196), Sadoveanu was personally invited to contribute by fellow writer Zaharia Bârsan, but felt closest to Iosif. Sadoveanu contributed works to the traditionalist journal Sămănătorul, led at the time by historian and critic Nicolae Iorga. He was by then also a contributor to Voința Națională, a newspaper published by the National Liberal Party and managed by politician Vintilă Brătianu—beginning December of the same year, the paper serialized Șoimii ("The Hawks"), an extended variant of Frații Potcoavă, with an introduction by historian Vasile Pârvan. In 1904, he regained Bucharest, where he became a copyist for the Ministry of Education's Board of Schools, returning to Fălticeni two years later.Vianu, Vol. III, p. 244 After 1906, he rallied with the group formed around Viața Românească, which was also joined by his sister-in-law Izabela.
Sămănătorul and Viața Românească, having comparable influence over the literature of Romania, stood for a traditionalist and ruralist approach to art, even though the latter adopted a more left-wing perspective, known as Poporanism. The leading Poporanist ideologue, Garabet Ibrăileanu, became a personal friend of the young writer after inviting him on an excursion down the Râșca River.Crohmălniceanu, p. 197 With his subsequent pieces for Viața Românească, Sadoveanu became especially known as the raconteur of hunting trips,Călinescu, pp. 575-576 but also sparked controversy when a young woman writer, Constanța Marino-Moscu, accused him of having plagiarized her works in his Mariana Vidrașcu, a serialized novel which was discontinued and later largely forgotten. Bianca Burța-Cernat, " 'Cazul' Mariana Vidrașcu" , in Revista 22, Nr. 1067, August 2010