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Nicolae Steinhardt | |
|---|---|
 Nicolae Steinhardt during his time at Rohia Monastery, 1980s | |
| Born | Nicu-Aurelian Steinhardt (1912-07-29)July 29, 1912 |
| Died | March 30, 1989(1989-03-30) (aged 76) Baia Mare, Romania |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Occupations | |
Nicolae Steinhardt (Romanian pronunciation:[nikoˈla.eˈʃtajnhart]; bornNicu-Aurelian Steinhardt; July 29, 1912 – March 30, 1989) was aRomanian writer,Orthodox monk and lawyer. His main book,Jurnalul Fericirii, is regarded as a major text of 20th-century Romanian literature and a prime example of Eastern European anti-Communist literature.
He was born inPantelimoncommune, nearBucharest, from aJewish father and aRomanian mother. His father was an engineer, architect and decoratedWorld War I participant (following theBattle of Mărăști). Due to his lineage from his father's side, he was subjected toantisemitic discrimination during the successivefascist governments ofWorld War II Romania.
Between 1919 and 1929, he attendedSpiru Haret High School [ro] in Bucharest, where, despite his background, he was instructed in religion by a Christian priest. His talent for writing was first noticed when he joined theSburătorul literary circle.
In 1934, he earned his diploma from the Law and Literature School of theUniversity of Bucharest. Under thepseudonymAntisthius (taken fromLa BruyèresCaractères), he published his first volume, theparodic novelÎn genul lui Cioran, Noica, Eliade... ("In the Manner ofCioran,Noica,Eliade..."). In 1936, he earned hisPhD in constitutional law, and between 1937 and 1938, he travelled toSwitzerland,Austria,France, and theUK.
In 1939, Steinhardt worked as an editor forRevista Fundațiilor Regale (a government-sponsoredliterary magazine), losing his job between 1940 and 1944, due to antisemitic policies, first under theIron Guard regime (theNational Legionary State), and then the government led by GeneralIon Antonescu. Despite this, he would forgive Antonescu, and even praise him for allegedly having saved several hundred thousand Jews (which he[who?] claimed had occurred after a face-to-face debate withAdolf Hitler atBerchtesgaden).[citation needed]
In 1944, afterRomania switched sides and joined the Allies, Steinhardt was reinstated at theRevista Fundațiilor Regale, and held his job until 1948, whenKingMichael I was forced toabdicate by theCommunist Party of Romania.
From 1948 until 1959, he experienced a new period of persecution, this time from theRomanian Communist regime, during which non-communistintellectuals were deemed "enemies of the people". In 1959, during theshow trial of the fascist collaborator (and Steinhardt's former school colleague)Constantin Noica, he refused to take part as a witness against Noica. As a consequence, he was accused of "crimes of conspiracy against social order", he was included in the "group of mystical-Iron Guardist intellectuals", and sentenced to thirteen years offorced labor, inGulag-like prisons. He would serve eight years of his 13-year jail term atJilava,Gherla,Aiud, and other prisons.
While in prison, Steinhardt converted toOrthodox Christianity. He wasbaptized on March 15, 1960, by fellow convictMina Dobzeu, a well knownBessarabianhermit.Emanuel Vidrașcu, a formerchief of staff and adjutant of Antonescu, served as Steinhardt'sgodfather. Witnesses to the baptism included the politicianAlexandru Paleologu, twoRoman Catholic priests, twoGreek-Catholic priests and aProtestant priest. He would later state that his baptism had an "ecumenical character".[1] This episode in his life would serve as the basis for his best-known and most celebrated work,Jurnalul Fericirii ("The Happiness Diary").
After his release from prison in 1964 (due to the general amnesty of political prisoners) he began a successful career in translation and publishing. His first celebrated literary works,Între viață și cărți ("Between Life and Books"), andIncertitudini literare ("Literary Uncertainties") were published in 1976 and 1980, respectively.
A new chapter in Steinhardt's life began in 1980, after being accepted to enterRohia Monastery. He worked as the monastery's librarian, while at the same time dedicating himself to writing. During this time, his fame as a counsellor andfather-confessor had grown, attracting dozens of visitors to Rohia every week.
He died on March 29, 1989 at theBaia Mare County Hospital. His funeral, under surveillance by theSecuritate, was attended by many of his close friends and admirers.
In 2017, Steinhardt was posthumously elected a member of theRomanian Academy.[2]
The first manuscript ofJurnalul Fericirii ("The Happiness Diary") was confiscated by the Securitate in 1972, and restituted in 1975, after an intervention by the Association of Writers (Asociatia Scriitorilor Bucuresti). Meanwhile, Steinhardt had finished writing a second version of the book, which was, in turn, confiscated in 1984 by the State Security Services (Securitate). In the end, Steinhardt had written and edited several different versions, one of which had reached the expat writers and dissidentsMonica Lovinescu andVirgil Ierunca inParis. Lovinescu would later broadcast the book in a series of episodes throughRadio Free Europe.
Due to political reasons, most of his work has been published post-mortem in its uncensored version (after theRomanian Revolution).
