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Briefly returning to Romania only in 1925,<ref name="sasu"/> his first book of poetry was ''Maghernița veche și alte versuri din anii tineri'' ("The Old Shanty and Other Verse of Youth"), put out by [[Cartea Românească]] of Bucharest in 1926. During the early 1920s, Feraru was a contributor to ''Omul Liber'', a social-literary bimonthly edited by [[Ion Pas]],<ref>Desa ''et al.'' (1987), p. 679</ref> ''Curierul'', ''Pessach'', ''Pagini Libere'', and ''Tânărul Evreu''.<ref name="sasu"/> In 1922, ''[[Adevărul Literar și Artistic]]'' published his recollection of "Ola Canta" work with Anghel, alongside his copy of an Angel manuscript.<ref>[[Sextil Pușcariu]], "Revista periodicelor: 1922", ''Dacoromanica'', Vol. III, 1923, p. 1026</ref> He was later featured in ''Cugetul Liber'', put out in Bucharest by Pas and [[Eugen Relgis]], his texts also published in the [[Union of Romanian Jews]] organ, ''Curierul Israelit''.<ref>Desa ''et al.'' (2003), pp. 260–261, 277–278</ref> Feraru's work was sampled in literary newspapers such as ''Victoria'', ''Ateneul Literar'', ''Junimea Moldovei'', and ''Cafeneaua Politică și Literară''.<ref>Desa ''et al.'' (1987), pp. 165, 227; (2003), pp. 65, 200–201, 550, 1017</ref> His second and last book of Romanian verse came out in 1937 as ''Arabescuri'' ("Arabesques"), issued as a supplement by Pas' social democratic review ''[[Șantier]]''.<ref>Călinescu, p. 1029</ref>
Briefly returning to Romania only in 1925,<ref name="sasu"/> his first book of poetry was ''Maghernița veche și alte versuri din anii tineri'' ("The Old Shanty and Other Verse of Youth"), put out by [[Cartea Românească]] of Bucharest in 1926. During the early 1920s, Feraru was a contributor to ''Omul Liber'', a social-literary bimonthly edited by [[Ion Pas]],<ref>Desa ''et al.'' (1987), p. 679</ref> ''Curierul'', ''Pessach'', ''Pagini Libere'', and ''Tânărul Evreu''.<ref name="sasu"/> In 1922, ''[[Adevărul Literar și Artistic]]'' published his recollection of "Ola Canta" work with Anghel, alongside his copy of an Angel manuscript.<ref>[[Sextil Pușcariu]], "Revista periodicelor: 1922", ''Dacoromanica'', Vol. III, 1923, p. 1026</ref> He was later featured in ''Cugetul Liber'', put out in Bucharest by Pas and [[Eugen Relgis]], his texts also published in the [[Union of Romanian Jews]] organ, ''Curierul Israelit''.<ref>Desa ''et al.'' (2003), pp. 260–261, 277–278</ref> Feraru's work was sampled in literary newspapers such as ''Victoria'', ''Ateneul Literar'', ''Junimea Moldovei'', and ''Cafeneaua Politică și Literară''.<ref>Desa ''et al.'' (1987), pp. 165, 227; (2003), pp. 65, 200–201, 550, 1017</ref> His second and last book of Romanian verse came out in 1937 as ''Arabescuri'' ("Arabesques"), issued as a supplement by Pas' social democratic review ''[[Șantier]]''.<ref>Călinescu, p. 1029</ref>


Back in America, Feraru wrote two English-language critical studies of Romanian literature: ''The Development of the Rumanian Novel'' (1926) and ''The Development of the Rumanian Poetry'' (1929).<ref name="sasu"/> His research received sympathetic coverage from historian and [[Prime Minister of Romania|Prime Minister]] [[Nicolae Iorga]]: "[Feraru's studies] are not just an enjoyable read, but also sometimes contribute innovative pieces of information and assessment, which are worthy of one's attention."<ref>"Comptes-rendus", in ''Revue Historique du Sud-Est Européen'', Nr. 4–6/1930, p. 113</ref> Feraru submitted articles and reviews for ''The International Encyclopedia'' (1930) about [[Gala Galaction]], [[Mateiu Caragiale]], [[Ioan Alexandru Brătescu-Voinești]], [[Lucian Blaga]], and his friend Baltazar. He translated selections from [[Mihai Eminescu]], [[Tudor Arghezi]], [[Panait Cerna]], [[Anton Pann]], [[Vasile Cârlova]] and [[Dimitrie Bolintineanu]] into English.<ref name="sasu"/> Through his will, Feraru left Columbia University, which paid his pension, his library of some ten thousand Romanian-language books. He died in New York City.<ref name="sasu"/>
Back in America, Feraru wrote two English-language critical studies of Romanian literature: ''The Development of the Rumanian Novel'' (1926) and ''The Development of the Rumanian Poetry'' (1929).<ref name="sasu"/> His research received sympathetic coverage from historian and [[Prime Minister of Romania|Prime Minister]] [[Nicolae Iorga]]: "[Feraru's studies] are not just an enjoyable read, but also sometimes contribute innovative pieces of information and assessment, which are worthy of one's attention."<ref>"Comptes-rendus", in ''Revue Historique du Sud-Est Européen'', Nr. 4–6/1930, p. 113</ref> Feraru submitted articles and reviews for ''The International Encyclopedia'' (1930) about [[Gala Galaction]], [[Mateiu Caragiale]], [[Ioan Alexandru Brătescu-Voinești]], [[Lucian Blaga]], and his friend Baltazar. He translated selections from [[Mihai Eminescu]], [[Tudor Arghezi]], [[Panait Cerna]], [[Anton Pann]], [[Vasile Cârlova]] and [[Dimitrie Bolintineanu]] into English.<ref name="sasu"/> Retiring in June 1954,<ref>"Nothing Can Stop Us Now, Says Moses of Civic Center", in ''[[The Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]'', June 10, 1954, p. 13</ref> through his will Feraru left Columbia University, which paid his pension, his library of some ten thousand Romanian-language books. He died in New York City.<ref name="sasu"/>


==Poetry==
==Poetry==

Revision as of 14:43, 13 July 2015

Leon Feraru (born Leon Enselberg,[1] also credited as L. Schmidt;[2] 1887 – 1961) was a Romanian and American poet, literary historian and translator.

Biography

Born in Brăila into a modest Jewish family, his father was an ironworker (fierar), the origin of his pseudonym.[1] He attended primary and high school in his native city, graduating from the Bălcescu Lycée.[3] This was followed by a literature and law degree from the University of Montpellier, and a published debut in Saniel Gossman's Jewish review, Lumea Israelită.[1][4] Barbu Nemțeanu's Pagini Libere also hosted his work in August 1908.[5] In 1910–1912, his poetry was featured in two of the major Bucharest literary journals, Flacăra and Convorbiri Critice, as well as in Al. T. Stamatiad's Grădina Hesperidelor.[6]

Alongside Stamatiad, Enselberg-Feraru was also an affiliate of the Vieața Nouă circle, and a regular at its coffeehouse salon, La Gustav.[7] Other reviews that ran his work included Viața Românească, Noua Revistă Română, Viața Literară și Artistică, Ecoul, and Conservatorul Brăilei.[1][4] Pen names he used in these publications were Ola Canta (shared with Dimitrie Anghel), H. Libanon and L. Feru.[1] Feraru was friends with Jean Bart, Camil Baltazar and especially Anghel, with whom he collaborated on several poems (Halucinații, Orologiul and Vezuviul).[1] They are thought to be mostly, or entirely, Anghel's work.[8]

By late 1912, Feraru was a leading contributor to Nicolae Xenopol's Țara Nouă.[9] Following the anti-Semitic outcry that came about as a result of the staging of Ronetti Roman's play Manasse and similar episodes, he emigrated to the United States in early 1913. In his adopted country, he became a constant promoter of Romanian culture, as confirmed by his correspondence and noted in the accounts of his contemporaries.[1]

Initially working as an unskilled laborer,[1] he was in New York City in 1919, working on the Romanian American community press. In January 1920, he and Dion Moldovan were editorial secretaries at Steaua Noastră. Our Star, Phillip Axelrad's self-proclaimed "Oldest Best and Most Popular Roumanian Weekly Newspaper in America".[10] In March, Feraru and Moldovan issued their own România Nouă, which only put out one issue.[11] Feraru eventually became a teaching assistant at the University of Toronto. He then was a professor of Romance languages and literature at Columbia University (1917–1927) and at Long Island University (1927–1947), where he chaired the foreign languages department for a time. He contributed to The Romanic Review and Rumanian Literary News (which he edited).[1]

Briefly returning to Romania only in 1925,[1] his first book of poetry was Maghernița veche și alte versuri din anii tineri ("The Old Shanty and Other Verse of Youth"), put out by Cartea Românească of Bucharest in 1926. During the early 1920s, Feraru was a contributor to Omul Liber, a social-literary bimonthly edited by Ion Pas,[12] Curierul, Pessach, Pagini Libere, and Tânărul Evreu.[1] In 1922, Adevărul Literar și Artistic published his recollection of "Ola Canta" work with Anghel, alongside his copy of an Angel manuscript.[13] He was later featured in Cugetul Liber, put out in Bucharest by Pas and Eugen Relgis, his texts also published in the Union of Romanian Jews organ, Curierul Israelit.[14] Feraru's work was sampled in literary newspapers such as Victoria, Ateneul Literar, Junimea Moldovei, and Cafeneaua Politică și Literară.[15] His second and last book of Romanian verse came out in 1937 as Arabescuri ("Arabesques"), issued as a supplement by Pas' social democratic review Șantier.[16]

Back in America, Feraru wrote two English-language critical studies of Romanian literature: The Development of the Rumanian Novel (1926) and The Development of the Rumanian Poetry (1929).[1] His research received sympathetic coverage from historian and Prime Minister Nicolae Iorga: "[Feraru's studies] are not just an enjoyable read, but also sometimes contribute innovative pieces of information and assessment, which are worthy of one's attention."[17] Feraru submitted articles and reviews for The International Encyclopedia (1930) about Gala Galaction, Mateiu Caragiale, Ioan Alexandru Brătescu-Voinești, Lucian Blaga, and his friend Baltazar. He translated selections from Mihai Eminescu, Tudor Arghezi, Panait Cerna, Anton Pann, Vasile Cârlova and Dimitrie Bolintineanu into English.[1] Retiring in June 1954,[18] through his will Feraru left Columbia University, which paid his pension, his library of some ten thousand Romanian-language books. He died in New York City.[1]

Poetry

According to literary historian and critic George Călinescu, Feraru's poetic works fall into two separate categories: "moving" regrets for his native Romania, and samples of proletarian literature, including an ode to the sound of hammers in industrial Brăila ("his most valid" poetry).[19] Another such ode to the needle, published in Convorbiri Literare, was lauded by its editor Mihail Dragomirescu: "Leon Feraru, a formal virtuoso, [...] presents here the sort of talent that he will rarely rise up to in later years."[20]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Aurel Sasu (ed.), Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române, Vol. I, p. 580. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. ISBN 973-697-758-7
  2. ^ Călinescu, p. 1040
  3. ^ Template:Ro icon Gabriel Dimisianu, "Perpessicius şi Brăila", in România Literară, Nr. 21/2011
  4. ^ a b S. Podoleanu, 60 scriitori români de origină evreească, Vol. I, p. 107. Bucharest: Slova, A. Feller, [1935]. OCLC 40106291
  5. ^ "Cărți și Reviste", in Democrația, Nr. 7/1908, p. 15
  6. ^ George Baiculescu, Georgeta Răduică, Neonila Onofrei, Publicațiile periodice românești (ziare, gazete, reviste). Vol. II: Catalog alfabetic 1907–1918. Supliment 1790–1906, pp. 139, 245, 307. Bucharest: Editura Academiei, 1969
  7. ^ Mihail Cruceanu, De vorbă cu trecutul..., pp. 42–44. Editura Minerva, Bucharest, 1973. OCLC 82865987
  8. ^ Victor Eftimiu, Portrete și amintiri, p. 515. Bucharest: Editura pentru literatură, 1965; Vladimir Streinu, "Colaborarea Iosif–Anghel", in Revista Fundațiilor Regale, Nr. 1/1946, p. 150
  9. ^ Template:Ro icon Delaflămânzi, "Revista revistelor", in Universul Literar, Nr. 12/1912, p. 4
  10. ^ Desa et al. (1987), p. 899
  11. ^ Desa et al. (1987), p. 823
  12. ^ Desa et al. (1987), p. 679
  13. ^ Sextil Pușcariu, "Revista periodicelor: 1922", Dacoromanica, Vol. III, 1923, p. 1026
  14. ^ Desa et al. (2003), pp. 260–261, 277–278
  15. ^ Desa et al. (1987), pp. 165, 227; (2003), pp. 65, 200–201, 550, 1017
  16. ^ Călinescu, p. 1029
  17. ^ "Comptes-rendus", in Revue Historique du Sud-Est Européen, Nr. 4–6/1930, p. 113
  18. ^ "Nothing Can Stop Us Now, Says Moses of Civic Center", in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 10, 1954, p. 13
  19. ^ Călinescu, p. 937
  20. ^ Mihail Dragomirescu, Istoria literaturii române în secolul XX, după o nouă metodă. Sămănătorism, poporanism, criticism, p. 151. Bucharest: Editura Institutului de Literatură, 1934

References

  • George Călinescu, Istoria literaturii române de la origini pînă în prezent. Bucharest: Editura Minerva, 1986.
  • Ileana-Stanca Desa, Dulciu Morărescu, Ioana Patriche, Adriana Raliade, Iliana Sulică, Publicațiile periodice românești (ziare, gazete, reviste). Vol. III: Catalog alfabetic 1919–1924. Bucharest: Editura Academiei, 1987.
  • Ileana-Stanca Desa, Dulciu Morărescu, Ioana Patriche, Cornelia Luminița Radu, Adriana Raliade, Iliana Sulică, Publicațiile periodice românești (ziare, gazete, reviste). Vol. IV: Catalog alfabetic 1925-1930. Bucharest: Editura Academiei, 2003. ISBN 973-27-0980-4
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