Lucian Blaga
Encyclopedia
Lucian Blaga was a Romania
n philosopher, poet, and playwright.
, Romania
, his father being an Orthodox priest. Although he did not speak any words until he was four, and he later described his early childhood, in an autobiographical work "The Chronicle and the Song of Ages", as "under the sign of the incredible absence of word". In the poem "Self-Portrait" he describes himself : "Lucian Blaga is silent like a swan."
His elementary education was in Sebeş
(1902–1906), after which he attended the "Andrei Şaguna
" Highschool in Braşov
(1906–1914), under the supervision of a relative, Iosif Blaga, who happened to be the author of the first Romanian treatise on the theory of drama. At the outbreak of the First World War
, he began theological studies at Sibiu
, where he graduated in 1917. He published his first Philosophy article on the Bergson theory of subjective time. From 1917 to 1920, he attended courses at the University of Vienna
, where he studied philosophy and obtained his PhD
.
Upon returning to the re-unified Romania, he contributed to the Romanian press in Transylvania
, being the editor of the magazines Culture in Cluj
and The Banat in Lugoj.
In 1926, he became involved in Romanian diplomacy, occupying successive posts at Romania's legations in Warsaw
, Prague
, Lisbon
, Bern and Vienna
. His political protector was the famous poet Octavian Goga
, who occupied the chair of Prime Minister, Blaga being a relative of his wife. He was chosen a member of the Romanian Academy
in 1937. His acceptance speech was entitled Elogiul satului românesc (In Praise of the Romanian Village).
In 1939, he became professor of cultural philosophy at the University of Cluj
, temporarily located in Sibiu
in the years following the Second Vienna Award
. During his stay Sibiu
he edited, beginning in 1943, the magazine Saeculum, which was published annually.
He was dismissed from his university professor chair in 1948 because he refused to express his support to the new Communist Regime and he worked as librarian for the branch department (Cluj
) of the History Institute of the Romanian Academy. He was banned to publish new books and until 1960 he was allowed to publish only translations. He completed the translation of Faust, the masterpiece of Goethe, one of the German writers that influenced him most.
In 1956, he was nominated to the Nobel Prize for Literature on the proposal of Bazil Munteanu of France
and Rosa del Conte of Italy
, but it seems the idea was of Mircea Eliade. Still, the Romanian Communist government
sent two emissaries to Sweden
to protest the nomination, because Blaga was considered an idealist philosopher, and his poems were forbidden until 1962.
He died of cancer on May 6, 1961, and is buried in the countryside village cemetery of Lancrăm, Romania.
He was married to Cornelia (b. Brediceanu). They had a daughter, Dorli, her name being derivated from "dor", a noun coming from the Latin word "dolor". pain.
The University of Sibiu bears his name today.
His fourth, cosmologica (cosmology), remained in the project stage.
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 philosopher, poet, and playwright.
Biography
Lucian Blaga was a commanding personality of the Romanian culture of the interbellum period. He was a philosopher and writer higly acclaimed for his originality, a university professor and a diplomat. He was born on May 9, 1895 in Lancrăm, near Alba IuliaAlba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
, 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...
, his father being an Orthodox priest. Although he did not speak any words until he was four, and he later described his early childhood, in an autobiographical work "The Chronicle and the Song of Ages", as "under the sign of the incredible absence of word". In the poem "Self-Portrait" he describes himself : "Lucian Blaga is silent like a swan."
His elementary education was in Sebeş
Sebes
Sebeș is a city in Alba County, central Romania, southern Transylvania.-Geography:The city lies on the Mureș River valley and it straddles the Sebeș river...
(1902–1906), after which he attended the "Andrei Şaguna
Andrei Saguna
Andrei Şaguna was a Metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania, and one of the Romanian community political leaders in the Habsburg Monarchy, especially active during the 1848 Revolution...
" Highschool in Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
(1906–1914), under the supervision of a relative, Iosif Blaga, who happened to be the author of the first Romanian treatise on the theory of drama. At the outbreak of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he began theological studies at Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
, where he graduated in 1917. He published his first Philosophy article on the Bergson theory of subjective time. From 1917 to 1920, he attended courses at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, where he studied philosophy and obtained his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
.
Upon returning to the re-unified Romania, he contributed to the Romanian press in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, being the editor of the magazines Culture in Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
and The Banat in Lugoj.
In 1926, he became involved in Romanian diplomacy, occupying successive posts at Romania's legations in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Bern and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. His political protector was the famous poet Octavian Goga
Octavian Goga
Octavian Goga was a Romanian politician, poet, playwright, journalist, and translator.-Life:Born in Răşinari, nearby Sibiu, he was an active member in the Romanian nationalistic movement in Transylvania and of its leading group, the Romanian National Party in Austria-Hungary. Before World War I,...
, who occupied the chair of Prime Minister, Blaga being a relative of his wife. He was chosen a 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....
in 1937. His acceptance speech was entitled Elogiul satului românesc (In Praise of the Romanian Village).
In 1939, he became professor of cultural philosophy at the University of Cluj
Babes-Bolyai University
The Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca is an university in Romania. With almost 50,000 students, the university offers 105 specialisations, of which there are 105 in Romanian, 67 in Hungarian, 17 in German, and 5 in English...
, temporarily located in Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
in the years following the Second Vienna Award
Second Vienna Award
The Second Vienna Award was the second of two Vienna Awards arbitrated by the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Rendered on August 30, 1940, it re-assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary.-Prelude and historical background :After the World War I, the multi-ethnic...
. During his stay Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
he edited, beginning in 1943, the magazine Saeculum, which was published annually.
He was dismissed from his university professor chair in 1948 because he refused to express his support to the new Communist Regime and he worked as librarian for the branch department (Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
) of the History Institute of the Romanian Academy. He was banned to publish new books and until 1960 he was allowed to publish only translations. He completed the translation of Faust, the masterpiece of Goethe, one of the German writers that influenced him most.
In 1956, he was nominated to the Nobel Prize for Literature on the proposal of Bazil Munteanu of 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...
and Rosa del Conte of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, but it seems the idea was of Mircea Eliade. Still, the Romanian Communist government
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...
sent two emissaries to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to protest the nomination, because Blaga was considered an idealist philosopher, and his poems were forbidden until 1962.
He died of cancer on May 6, 1961, and is buried in the countryside village cemetery of Lancrăm, Romania.
He was married to Cornelia (b. Brediceanu). They had a daughter, Dorli, her name being derivated from "dor", a noun coming from the Latin word "dolor". pain.
The University of Sibiu bears his name today.
Poetry
- 1919 - Poems of Light ( Poemele luminii );
- 1921 - The Prophet's Footsteps ( Paşii profetului );
- 1924 - In the Great Passage ( În marea trecere );
- 1929 - In Praise of Sleep ( Laudă somnului );
- 1933 - At the Watershed ( La cumpăna apelor ) ;
- 1938 - At the Courtyard of Yearning ( La curţile dorului ) ;
- 1943 - Unsuspected Steps ( Nebănuitele trepte );
- 1982 - 3 Posthumous Poems;
Drama
- 1921 - Zamolxis, A Pagan Mystery
- 1923 - Whirling Waters
- 1925 - Daria, The Deed, Resurrection
- 1927 - Manole the Craftsman ( Mesterul ManoleMesterul ManoleIn Romanian mythology, Meșterul Manole was the chief architect of the Curtea de Argeș Monastery in Wallachia...
) - 1930 - The Children's Crusade
- 1934 - Avram IancuAvram IancuAvram Iancu was a Transylvanian Romanian lawyer who played an important role in the local chapter of the Austrian Empire Revolutions of 1848–1849. He was especially active in the Ţara Moţilor region and the Apuseni Mountains...
- 1944 - Noah's Ark
- 1964 - Anton PannAnton PannAnton Pann , was an Ottoman-born Wallachian composer, musicologist, and Romanian-language poet, also noted for his activities as a printer, translator, and schoolteacher...
- published posthumously.
Philosophy
His philosophical work is grouped in three trilogies:- a cunoaşterii (knowledge) (1943)
- a culturii (culture) (1944)
- a valorilor (values) (1946).
His fourth, cosmologica (cosmology), remained in the project stage.
Philosophical works
- 1924 - "The Philosophy of Style"
- 1925 - "The Original Phenomenon" and "The Facets of a Century"
- 1931 - "The Dogmatic Aeon"
- 1933 - "Luciferian Knowledge"
- 1934 - "Transcendental Censorship"
- 1936 - "Horizon and Style" and "The Mioritic Space"
- 1937 - "The Genesis of Metaphor and the Meaning of Culture"
- 1939 - "Art and Value"
- 1940 - "The Divine Differentials"
- 1942 - "Religion and Spirit" and "Science and Creation"
- 1943 - The Trilogy of Knowledge (The Dogmatic Aeon, Luciferian Knowledge, Transcendent Censorship: in 1983 On Philosophical Cognition and Experiment and the Mathematical Spirit added by his daughter)
- 1944 - The Trilogy of Culture (Horizon and Style, The Mioritic Space, The Genesis of Metaphor and the Meaning of Culture)
- 1946 - The Trilogy of Values (Science and Creation, Magical Thinking and Religion, Art and Value)
- 1959 - Historical Existence
- 1966 - Romanian Thought in Transylvania in the 18th Century
- 1968 - Horizons and Stages
- 1969 - Experiment and the Mathematical Spirit
- 1972 - Sources (essays, lectures, articles)
- 1974 - On Philosophical Cognition
- 1977 - Philosophical Essays
- 1983 - The Cosmological Trilogy (The Divine Differentials, Anthropological Aspects, Historical Existence)
Other Works
- 1919 - Stones for My Temple, aphorisms
- 1945 - Discoblus, aphorisms
- 1965 - The Chronicle and Song of Ages, memoirs
- 1977 - The Élan of the Island, aphorisms
- 1990 - Charon's Ferry, novel