I. Dragoslav

Ion V. Ivaciuc Ion Sumanariu Ivanciuc
Born	(1875-06-14)June 14, 1875 Fălticeni,Romania
Died	May 5, 1928(1928-05-05)(aged 52) Fălticeni
Pen name	I. Dragoslav, Ion Dragoslav
Occupation	short story writer, poet, journalist
Period	1890-1954
Genre	children's literature,fantasy,mythopoeia,lyric poetry,memoir,novella,sketch story
Literary movement	Sămănătorul,Covorbiri Critice,Sburătorul

I. DragoslavorIon Dragoslav(Romanian pronunciation:[iˈondraɡoslav]),pen namesofIon V. IvaciucorIon Sumanariu Ivanciuc([iˈonsumaˈnarjuivanˈt͡ʃʲuk];June 14, 1875 – May 5, 1928), was a Romanian writer. His presence on thelocal literary scenemeant successive affiliations with various competing venues: having debuted with the traditionalist andnationalistmagazineSămănătorul,he later connected theeclecticallyconservativeConvorbiri Criticegroup ofMihail Dragomirescuwith theRomanian Symbolist movementleadersAlexandru MacedonskiandIon Minulescu,before moving close to themodernisttrend ofEugen Lovinescuand hisSburătorul.

Noted for his contributions tofantasy,children's literatureandmemoir,Dragoslav defied inclusion in the genres illustrated by his public commitments. His work, often described aspicturesquebut mediocre, is primarily indebted toIon Creangă,through him, tofolkloric tradition.

Biography

A native ofFălticenito a peasant family,Ivaciuc-Dragoslav completed his secondary studies in the city, where he was in the same class as future writers Lovinescu andMihail Sadoveanu.Largely anautodidact,he made his debut in writing in 1903, when his contribution was hosted by the leading traditionalist venue,Sămănătorul.He is known to have been studying Letters and Law at theUniversity of Bucharestduring 1904.During those years, he published his first volumes, thelyric poetrycollectionPe drumul pribegiei( "On the Path of Wanderers" ), followed by theshort storyvolumesFacerea lumiii( "The Origin of the World" ) andLa han la Trei ulcele( "At the Three Pitcher Inn" ).

I. Dragoslav's works made an impression on two rival literary men, Mihail Dragomirescu and Alexandru Macedonski.As he himself recalled in a 1920 article, he found an early mentor in Macedonski, who guided his early literary career and provided him with advice upon their first meeting inBucharest.Also before 1910, Dragoslav began contributing toCovorbiri Criticemagazine and attending its club, which Dragomirescu was hosting at his Bucharest home.Previously a follower of the conservative literary societyJunimea,Dragomirescu had been directing his efforts toward assembling together some of his former colleagues, alongside writers from traditionalist andNeo-romanticgroups likeFăt Frumos(Emil Gârleanu,Anastasie Mândru,Corneliu MoldovanuandD. Nanuamong them), and more eclectic ones—Panait Cerna,Gheorghe Vâlsan,as well as Dragoslav himself.In addition to these authors, people who frequented Dragomirescu's circle before its 1910 disestablishment included Symbolist figures (Minulescu,Dimitrie Anghel,Al. T. Stamatiad) or writers of various other orientations (Cincinat Pavelescu,Liviu Rebreanu), joined by visual artistsIosif Iser,Costin PetrescuandGeorge Talaz.The eclectic circle became a post-Junimistvenue and a center of opposition toSămănătorul,but, according to literary historianZ. Ornea,failed to impose the "new literary school" imagined by Dragomirescu.

Dragoslav was still living mostly in Fălticeni, where, according to literary historianGeorge Călinescu,he lived the life of abohemianand treasured thedrinking culture,profiting from the fact that a relative of his was a tavern owner.He was a regular presence at the pubLa Plosca Verde( "At the Green Wineskin" ) inIași.Călinescu also notes that, although he boasted a rustic lifestyle, Dragoslav's townhouse was "far from a miserable mud hut", and that Dragoslav raised ducks, geese and pigs.Dragoslav made frequent trips outside Fălticeni "with a giant satchel of manuscripts", seeking out fellow writers and addressing them, coarsely, asmăi frate-miu( "brother o' mine" ).

Dragoslav pursued a diverse activity in the literary press, and also published his work in, among others,Făt Frumos,Flacăra,Luceafărul,Ramuri,Universuldaily andViața Literară.In 1909, having publishedFata popei( "The Priest's Daughter" ) andPovestea copilăriei( "The Story of Childhood" ),he joined theRomanian Writers' Society,a professional association founded by Anghel, Gârleanu and Pavelescu in 1908.In 1910, he put out the collectionsNovele( "Novellas" ) andPovestiri alese( "Selected Stories" ), followed in 1911 byPovestea trăznetului( "The Story of Thunder" ).

For a while in 1912, Dragoslav was affiliated with the Symbolist andmodernistvenueInsula,edited byIon Minulescu.According to criticPaul Cernat,Dragoslav was by then "a dissidentSămănătorist",and, withConstantin Beldie,the only person from theInsulagroup not to have been a Symbolist.That same year, the writer was among those who welcomed Macedonski back from his extended trip to France (itself caused by literary scandals).He viewed the event as an opportunity for restoring Macedonski's prestige, and, in aRampaarticle, stated: "'Macedonski has arrived'; this word is on everyone's lips and sounds as if the man has risen from the dead."Together with Stamatiad and Mândru, Dragoslav was instrumental in bridging the gap between Macedonski'sLiteratorulandConvorbiri Literare,successfully urging Dragomirescu to give his colleague a positive review.

His volumes followed each other in quick succession:Flori și povești( "Flowers and Stories" ) in 1911;Volintirii( "The Volunteers" ) andÎmpăratul Rogojină( "Emperor Doormat" ) in 1912;Povești de sărbători( "Holiday Stories" ) in 1913;Povești de Crăciun( "Christmas Stories" ), in 1914.In 1915, he put out the selected stories volumesSărăcuțul( "Poor Little Fella" ).Several of these books saw print inOrăștie,a town then outside theKingdom of Romania,inAustro-Hungarian-ruledTransylvania.

At an early stage ofWorld War I,when Romania had not yet joined up with theEntente,Dragoslav affiliated withLibertatea,a gazette put out by the controversial agitator and Symbolist poetAlexandru Bogdan-Pitești,which campaigned in favor of theCentral Powersand was reportedly financed by theGerman Empire.However, as the Central Powers occupied the Romanian south and theRomanian frontdrew close to Fălticeni, Dragoslav reportedly spend much time at the local high school, reading to wounded soldiers.

During the earlyinterwar period,Dragoslav affiliated withEugen Lovinescu'sSburătorulmodernist club,and, in 1921, put out his definitive selection of novellas andsketch stories.By the 1920s, he had fallen severely ill with a disease of the liver, argued by Călinescu to have been the result ofbinge drinking.He was hospitalized forascites,and hisperitoneal cavitywas drained of over 6litersof bodily fluid.He was again hospitalized at theColțea Hospital,in the care of physician Ioan Nanu-Musceleanu,but died soon afterward in Fălticeni.

Critical reception and legacy

Critics have traditionally described Dragoslav's stories aspicturesqueworks evidencing some talent, but overall mediocre.His prose is thought to have been heavily influenced byIon Creangă,a celebrated late 19th century raconteur, who, like Dragoslav, borrowed inspiration from rural culture andRomanian folklore.The impact of other works on Dragoslav's work was reviewed with severity by Călinescu, who concluded that the object of his criticism was "far from being a writer."Including Dragoslav's work among an "eclectic" tendency, he rejected most of it as "garrulous" and "adulterous"versions from themes provided by other authors, and called thememoirPovestea copilărieia "disgracefulpastiche"of Creangă'sChildhood Memories.Lovinescu provides a similar verdict, noting that Dragoslav was an inauthentic peasant, who tried to adapt a "popular epic" to modern urban subjects, using the comedic work ofIon Luca Caragialeas a template. This results in "loose productions", in which the better parts are echoes from Creangă.

Dragoslav's works often employ other various narrative motifs found in earlier literature. WithLa han la Trei ulcele,the author illustrated the pretext of protagonists meeting in inns, a common theme in 19th- and 20th-centuryRomanian literature(also used by Caragiale,Nicolae N. Beldiceanu,Ioan Alexandru Brătescu-Voinești,Mihail Sadoveanu,Constantin Sandu-AldeaandIoan Slavici).Călinescu deemedFacerea lumii,Dragoslav's main work in thefantasygenre, a "sort of glibfairy tale."The story is structured on abiblicalmodel (theBook of Genesis), and introduced by the words: "In the beginning of beginnings there was darkness, there was no light, there was no time".As noted by Lovinescu, itsmythopoeiasamples residualBogomilistbeliefs, found among dwellers of themahala(rather than being "truly peasant" ), and is "evidently prolix", without "plasticity". However, theSburătorulcritic also sees such pieces as Dragoslav's "most accomplished": "aside from his ever-present naïveté, one may identify here a kind of literary styling."

Assessments of Dragoslav's literary work divided the literary circles he frequented. An especially supportive voice among literary promoters was that of Mihail Dragomirescu: he described Dragoslav as a new Creangă,and found some of his works to be masterpieces—an enthusiasm which Ornea attributes solely to the imperative need of finding new and distinctive works that would impose a dissident aesthetic guideline.Although himself affiliated withCovorbiri Critice,literary reviewerIon Trivalecommented: "What is the baggage of Dragoslav the short story writer? Sheer poverty, as far as the artistic sphere is concerned."Nevertheless, Călinescu saw one of Trivale's major mistakes as being his "excessive leniency" for both Dragoslav andcomediographerAlexandru Cazaban.

Dragoslav was identified by Călinescu as the main source of inspiration for Pitarcă, a secondary character inMihail Sorbul's novelMângâierile panterei( "The Panther's Caresses" ).His appearance is also recorded in a portrait drawn byIosif Iser.

References

• George Călinescu,Istoria literaturii române de la origini pînă în prezent,Editura Minerva,Bucharest, 1986
• Tudor Vianu,Scriitori români,Vol. II, Editura Minerva, Bucharest, 1971.OCLC7431692