Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu
Encyclopedia
Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu (September 15, 1916 – June 22, 1992, Paris
, France
) was a Romanian writer, best known for his 1949 novel, The 25th Hour.
Commune, Neamţ County
, in Moldavia
. His father was an Orthodox
priest in Petricani
. A top student, he attended high school in Chişinău
from 1928 to June 1936, after which he studied philosophy and theology at the University of Bucharest
and at the Heidelberg University.
Between 1942 and 1943, during the regime of General Ion Antonescu
, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
as an embassy secretary. He went into voluntary exile when Soviet
troops entered Romania in 1944. Arrested at the end of World War II
by American troops, he eventually settled in France in 1948. A year later, he published the novel Ora 25 (in French: La vingt-cinquième heure; in English: The Twenty-Fifth Hour), written during his captivity.
Gheorghiu was ordained a priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Paris on May 23, 1963. In 1966, Patriarch Justinian
awarded him the cross of the Romanian Patriarchate for his liturgical and literary activities.
He is buried in Passy Cemetery
, in Paris.
. Once imprisoned, the two heroes begin an odyssey of torture and despair. In the end, Traian dies in a concentration camp, while Johann is forced by the Americans to choose between either enlisting in the army, just as World War III
is about to start, or to be interned in a camp (as well as his family) as a citizen from an enemy country.
In 1967, Carlo Ponti
produced a film based on Gheorghiu's book. The movie was directed by Henri Verneuil
, with Anthony Quinn
as Johann, Virna Lisi
as Suzanna, and Serge Reggiani
as Traian.
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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) was a Romanian writer, best known for his 1949 novel, The 25th Hour.
Life
Virgil Gheorghiu was born in Valea Albă, a village in RăzboieniRazboieni, Neamt
Războieni is a commune in Neamţ County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Borşeni, Războieni, Războienii de Jos, Valea Albă and Valea Mare....
Commune, Neamţ County
Neamt County
Neamț is a county of Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia, with the county seat at Piatra Neamț. It has three communes, Bicaz-Chei, Bicazu Ardelean and Dămuc in Transylvania.-Demographics:...
, in Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
. His father was an Orthodox
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
priest in Petricani
Petricani
Petricani is a commune in Neamţ County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Boiştea, Petricani, Târpeşti and Ţolici....
. A top student, he attended high school in Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
from 1928 to June 1936, after which he studied philosophy and theology 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:...
and at the Heidelberg University.
Between 1942 and 1943, during the regime of General Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania is one of the fifteen ministries of the Government of Romania.The current Foreign Minister is Teodor Baconschi who is an independent politician lead under the Government of Emil Boc, the current reappointed Prime Minister of Romania.- List of Ministers of...
as an embassy secretary. He went into voluntary exile when Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
troops entered Romania in 1944. Arrested at the end of 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...
by American troops, he eventually settled in France in 1948. A year later, he published the novel Ora 25 (in French: La vingt-cinquième heure; in English: The Twenty-Fifth Hour), written during his captivity.
Gheorghiu was ordained a priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Paris on May 23, 1963. In 1966, Patriarch Justinian
Justinian Marina
Justinian Marina was a Romanian Orthodox prelate...
awarded him the cross of the Romanian Patriarchate for his liturgical and literary activities.
He is buried in Passy Cemetery
Passy Cemetery
The Passy Cemetery is a famous cemetery located at 2, rue du Commandant Schlœsing in Passy, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France.-History:...
, in Paris.
The 25th Hour
Gheorghiu's best-known book depicts the plight of a naive young farmhand, Johann Moritz, under German, Soviet and American occupation of Central Europe. Johann is sent to a labor camp by a police captain who covets his wife, Suzanna. At first, he is tagged as a Jew. Later, he is "rescued" by a Nazi officer who determines he is a perfect Aryan specimen, and forces him into service in the SS as a model for German propaganda. Imprisoned after the war, he is severely beaten by his Russian captors, then put on trial by Allied forces because of his work for the Nazis. Traian, son of the priest Koruga, is a famous novelist and minor diplomat whose first internment comes when he is picked up as an enemy alien by the YugoslavsYugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
. Once imprisoned, the two heroes begin an odyssey of torture and despair. In the end, Traian dies in a concentration camp, while Johann is forced by the Americans to choose between either enlisting in the army, just as World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
is about to start, or to be interned in a camp (as well as his family) as a citizen from an enemy country.
In 1967, Carlo Ponti
Carlo Ponti
Carlo Ponti was an Italian film producer with over 140 production credits, and the husband of Italian movie star Sophia Loren.-Career:...
produced a film based on Gheorghiu's book. The movie was directed by Henri Verneuil
Henri Verneuil
Henri Verneuil was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who enjoyed a successful career in France.-Biography:...
, with Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
as Johann, Virna Lisi
Virna Lisi
Virna Lisi is a Cannes and César award-winning Italian film actress. She was born in Ancona, Marche, as Virna Lisa Pieralisi.-Early career:...
as Suzanna, and Serge Reggiani
Serge Reggiani
Serge Reggiani was an Italian-born French singer and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight...
as Traian.
Books
- Ora 25, 1949. The twenty-fifth hour (translated from the Romanian by Rita Eldon), Alfred A Knopf, NY, 1950
- La seconde chance, 1952
- L'homme qui voyagea seul, 1954
- Le peuple des immortels, 1955
- Les sacrifiés du DanubeDanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, 1957 - Saint Jean bouche d'or, 1957
- Les mendiants de miracles, 1958
- La cravache, 1960
- Perahim, 1961
- La maison de Petrodava (translated from the Romanian by Livia Lamoure), Éditions Plon, 1961
- La vie de MahometMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
(translated from the Romanian by Livia Lamoure), Éditions Plon, 1963. Éditions du Rocher, 1999, ISBN 2268032752 - Les immortels d'AgapiaAgapia MonasteryThe Agapia Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located 9 km west of Târgu Neamţ, in Agapia Commune, Neamţ County. It was built between 1642 and 1647 by Romanian Voivode Vasile Lupu. The church, restored and modified several times during the centuries was painted by Nicolae Grigorescu,...
, 1964. Éditions GallimardÉditions GallimardÉditions Gallimard is one of the leading French publishers of books. The Guardian has described it as having "the best backlist in the world". In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1418 titles....
, 1998 ISBN 2070402878. The immortals of the mountain (translated from the French by Milton Stansbury), Regnery PublishingRegnery PublishingRegnery Publishing in Washington, D.C., is a publisher which specializes in conservative books characterized on their website as "contrary to those of 'mainstream' publishers in New York." Since 1993, Regnery Publishing has been a division of Eagle Publishing, which also owns the weekly magazine...
, Chicago, 1969 - La jeunesse du docteur Luther (translated from the Romanian by Livia Lamoure), Éditions Plon, 1965
- De la vingt-cinquième heure à l'heure éternelle, Éditions Plon, 1965. Éditions du Rocher, 1990, ISBN 2268010384
- Le meurtre de Kyralessa, 1966. The Death of Kyralessa (translated from the French by Marika Mihalyi), Regnery PublishingRegnery PublishingRegnery Publishing in Washington, D.C., is a publisher which specializes in conservative books characterized on their website as "contrary to those of 'mainstream' publishers in New York." Since 1993, Regnery Publishing has been a division of Eagle Publishing, which also owns the weekly magazine...
, Chicago, 1968, ISBN 0837179912 - La tunique de peau, Éditions Plon, 1967
- La condottiera, Rombaldi, Collection Le Club de la Femme, 1969
- Pourquoi m'a-t-on appelé Virgil?, Éditions Plon, 1968
- La vie du patriarche Athénagoras, Éditions Plon, 1969
- L'espionne, Éditions Plon, 1973. Éditions du Rocher, 1990, ISBN 2268009858
- Dieu ne reçoit que le dimanche, Éditions Plon, 1975
- Les inconnus de HeidelbergHeidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, Éditions Plon, 1977, ISBN 2259001955 - Le grand exterminateur, Éditions Plon, 1978, ISBN 2259003230
- Les amazones du Danube, Éditions Plon, 1978, ISBN 2259004024
- Dieu a Paris, Éditions Plon, 1980, ISBN 2259006132
- Mémoires: Le témoin de la vingt-cinquième heure, Éditions Plon, 1986, ISBN 2259014356
External links
- C. Virgil Gheorghiu; Romanian Author, 75, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, June 24, 1992. - Cogs & Machines, TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, November 6, 1950. - Bright Side of the Ax, TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, February 24, 1967. - Review: The Twenty-Fifth Hour, by Isabel Cary Lundberg, Manas, Vol III, no. 31, August 2, 1950