|
Leon Feraru (born Leon Enselberg,〔Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', Vol. I, p. 580. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. ISBN 973-697-758-7〕〔Ghena Pricop, "Personalități ale Comunității Evreiești din Brăila", in Hristian ''et al.'', p. 238〕 also credited as L. Schmidt;〔Călinescu, p. 1040〕 1887 – 1961 or 1962) was a Romanian and American poet, literary historian and translator. Cultivating proletarian literature while frequenting the Symbolist movement, he displayed both his origins in the Romanian Jewish underclass and his appreciation for the wider Romanian culture. He popularized the latter with his work in America, having left in 1913 to escape antisemitic pressures. A translator, publicist, and public lecturer, he was involved with the Romanian press of New York City, and eventually as a Romance studies academic at Columbia and Long Island. Feraru's poetry, collected in two volumes, mixes Romanian patriotism, traditionalist references, and modern industrial aesthetics. ==Biography== Born in Brăila into a modest Jewish family, his father was an ironworker (''fierar''), the origin of his pseudonym.〔 He completed his basic education in his native city, graduating from the Schwartzman Brothers school and then the Bălcescu Lycée.〔Ghena Pricop, "Integrarea Comunității Evreiești în viața culturală a Brăilei", in Hristian ''et al.'', p. 226. See also Gabriel Dimisianu, ("Perpessicius şi Brăila" ), in ''România Literară'', Nr. 21/2011〕 This was followed by a literature and law degree from the University of Montpellier, and a published debut in Saniel Grossman's Jewish review, ''Lumea Israelită''.〔〔S. Podoleanu, ''60 scriitori români de origină evreească'', Vol. I, p. 107. Bucharest: Slova, A. Feller, (). 〕 Barbu Nemțeanu's ''Pagini Libere'' also hosted his work in August 1908.〔"Cărți și Reviste", in ''Democrația'', Nr. 7/1908, p. 15〕 In 1910–1912, his poetry was featured in two of the major Bucharest literary journals, ''Flacăra'' and ''Convorbiri Critice'', as well as in Symbolist Al. T. Stamatiad's ''Grădina Hesperidelor''.〔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〕 Alongside Stamatiad, Enselberg-Feraru was also an affiliate of the ''Vieața Nouă'' circle, and a regular at its coffeehouse salon, ''La Gustav''.〔Mihail Cruceanu, ''De vorbă cu trecutul...'', pp. 42–44. Editura Minerva, Bucharest, 1973. 〕 Other reviews that ran his work included ''Viața Românească'', ''Noua Revistă Română'', ''Viața Literară și Artistică'', ''Ecoul'', and ''Conservatorul Brăilei''.〔〔 Pen names he used in these publications were Ola Canta (shared with Dimitrie Anghel), H. Libanon and L. Feru.〔 Feraru was friends with Jean Bart, Camil Baltazar and especially Anghel, with whom he collaborated on several poems (''Halucinații'', ''Orologiul'' and ''Vezuviul'').〔 They are thought to be mostly, or entirely, Anghel's work.〔Victor Eftimiu, ''Portrete și amintiri'', p. 515. Bucharest: Editura pentru literatură, 1965; Lovinescu, p. 203; Vladimir Streinu, "Colaborarea Iosif–Anghel", in ''Revista Fundațiilor Regale'', Nr. 1/1946, p. 150〕 Feraru is also credited with having helped change Anghel's earlier antisemitic stance, making him into a noted defender of Jewish emancipation.〔Victor Durnea, "Primii pași ai Societății Scriitorilor Români (II). Problema 'actului de naționalitate'", in ''Transilvania'', Nr. 12/2005, p. 29〕 By late 1912, Feraru was a leading contributor to Nicolae Xenopol's ''Țara Nouă''.〔 Delaflămânzi, "Revista revistelor", in ''Universul Literar'', Nr. 12/1912, p. 4〕 Following the antisemitic 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.〔 Anghel, who died a year later, addressed his departing friend a public proof of support, the ''Scrisoare către un emigrant'' ("Letter to an Emigrant").〔 In his adopted country, Feraru became a constant promoter of Romanian culture, as confirmed by his correspondence and noted in the accounts of his contemporaries.〔 He married a fellow Romanian immigrant, who had lost her fluency in Romanian; he insisted that she relearn the language, and also taught it to their child.〔Sadoveanu, p. 115〕 Initially working as an unskilled laborer,〔 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), contributing to ''The Romanic Review'' and ''Rumanian Literary News'' (which he edited).〔 In October–November 1917, at New York's American Jewish Congress, he and Joseph Barondess were rapporteurs on the condition of Romanian Jews.〔"Letters from Abroad. New York: Greater Executive Committee of Jewish Congress Called for October 14", in ''The Canadian Jewish Chronicle'', October 12, 1917〕 By 1919, he was working on the city's 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".〔Desa ''et al.'' (1987), p. 899〕 In March, Feraru and Moldovan issued their own ''România Nouă'', which only put out one issue.〔Desa ''et al.'' (1987), p. 823〕 In 1925,〔 Feraru made a return visit to Romania, tending to his family's grave and feeding his urge to converse in Romanian,〔Sadoveanu, p. 114〕 but also setting up a Society of the Friends of the United States.〔Jewish Telegraphic Agency, "Jew Appointed Honorary Roumanian Consul in New York", in ''Jewish Daily Bulletin'', February 25, 1926, p. 3〕 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,〔Desa ''et al.'' (1987), p. 679〕 ''Curierul'', ''Pessach'', ''Pagini Libere'', and ''Tânărul Evreu''.〔 In 1922, ''Adevărul Literar și Artistic'' published his recollection of "Ola Canta" work with Anghel, alongside his copy of an Anghel manuscript.〔Sextil Pușcariu, "Revista periodicelor: 1922", in ''Dacoromanica'', Vol. III, 1923, p. 1026〕 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''.〔Desa ''et al.'' (2003), pp. 260–261, 277–278〕 Feraru's work was sampled in literary newspapers such as ''Victoria'', ''Ateneul Literar'', ''Junimea Moldovei'', and ''Cafeneaua Politică și Literară''.〔Desa ''et al.'' (1987), pp. 165, 227; (2003), pp. 65, 200–201, 550, 1017〕 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''.〔Călinescu, p. 1029〕 Back in America by February 1926, Feraru received became Honorary Consul of Romania in New York, by appointment of King Ferdinand I.〔 He was employed by Long Island University (1927–1947) as professor and, for a while, as head of the foreign languages department. He wrote two English-language critical studies of Romanian literature: ''The Development of the Rumanian Novel'' (1926) and ''The Development of the Rumanian Poetry'' (1929).〔 His research received sympathetic coverage from historian and Prime Minister Nicolae Iorga: "(studies ) are not just an enjoyable read, but also sometimes contribute innovative pieces of information and assessment, such as are worthy of one's attention."〔"Comptes-rendus", in ''Revue Historique du Sud-Est Européen'', Nr. 4–6/1930, p. 113〕 Feraru also translated selections from Mihai Eminescu, Tudor Arghezi, Panait Cerna, Anton Pann, Vasile Cârlova and Dimitrie Bolintineanu into English.〔 In May 1929, he gave public readings of these at Sunnyside.〔"Caleidoscopul vieții intelectuale. România participă la serbările poeziei în Statele-Unite", in ''Adevărul'', June 20, 1929, p. 2〕 Later, he submitted articles and reviews for ''The International Encyclopedia'' (1930) about Gala Galaction, Mateiu Caragiale, Ioan Alexandru Brătescu-Voinești, Lucian Blaga, and his friend Baltazar.〔 Retiring in June 1954,〔"Nothing Can Stop Us Now, Says Moses of Civic Center", in ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'', June 10, 1954, p. 13〕 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 in 1961〔 or, according to other sources, 1962.〔 In 2012, relatives of his, the Schreibers, were still residing in Brăila.〔Camelia Hristian, "Interviuri", in Hristian ''et al.'', p. 313〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Leon Feraru」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|