Panait Cerna

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Panayot Stanchov
Panait Stanciov

Photograph of Cerna
Born August or September 1881
Cerna
Died March 26, 1913 (aged 31)
Leipzig
Pen name Panait Cerna
Occupation poet, philosopher, literary critic, translator, journalist
Nationality Romanian
Writing period 1897–1913
Genres lyric poetry, epic poetry, essay
Literary movement Classicism, Neoclassicism, Symbolism, Junimea, Sămănătorul
Influences
Influenced

Panait Cerna (Bulgarian: Панайот Черна, Panayot Cherna, born Panayot Stanchov or Panait Staciov; August 26 or September 25, 1881[1]–March 26, 1913) was a Romanian poet, philosopher, literary critic and translator. A native speaker of Bulgarian, Cerna nonetheless wrote in Romanian, and developed a traditionalist style which was connected with Classicism and Neoclassicism. Praised by the conservative literary society Junimea, he was promoted by its leader Titu Maiorescu, as well as by Maiorescu's disciples Mihail Dragomirescu and Simion Mehedinţi. Cerna became the group's main representative during its decline, affiliating with both competing Junimist magazines, Convorbiri Literare and Convorbiri Critice. He also contributed pieces to the traditionalist magazine Sămănătorul, and was briefly affiliated with other literary journals.

A graduate of the University of Bucharest, he completed his studies in the German Empire. There, he attended the University of Berlin and the University of Leipzig, befriending the self-exiled Romanian dramatist Ion Luca Caragiale and the literary critic Paul Zarifopol. Cerna died in Leipzig at the age of thirty-one, after a long combat with tuberculosis.

Contents

[edit] Name

Cerna's early name, rendered in Bulgarian as Панайот Станчов, was commonly transliterated into Romanian as Panait Stanciov, Stancov, Stanciof or Stancioff. The poet's preferred name alluded to Cerna, his birthplace in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja.[2]

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Panait Cerna's father was an ethnic Bulgarian schoolteacher, also named Panayot Stachov (Panait Stanciov).[3] He had settled in Cerna, marrying Maria Taşcu; the daughter of local peasants[4] she was of Aromanian origin.[5] Shortly before Maria gave birth to their son, Romanian administration began taking over in previously Ottoman-ruled Northern Dobruja. Stanchov, who was a Bulgarian nationalist, refused to accept this change and left for the Principality of Bulgaria, leaving his family behind.[6] In Cerna's own account, his childhood and youth were marked by acute poverty and social isolation: "[I was] told to tutor and learn in cold, unfriendly rooms. For a long time, we lived in a house on the outskirts, which was avoided by other men, since a rumor had spread that ghosts hunted its rooms. Can you imagine living in the middle of winter, without a fire on, with doors that barely close, with windows that are glued with paper? A person made of iron would still feel cold down to the bone."[5]

Panait Cerna never met his father.[7][5] Although his links to Bulgarian culture were weakened by the latter's departure, the future poet, who was baptized in the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church, became fluent in Bulgarian.[8] According to literary critic George Călinescu, he always had some difficulties conversing in Romanian, but could write it with ease.[9]

After completing primary school in his native village, he graduated from a high school in the Danube port of Brăila, then enrolled at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy in Bucharest.[10][5] He was also attending lectures at the Faculty of Chemistry and Physics.[5] Cerna debuted as a poet in 1897, at the age of sixteen, when his Trecutul ("The Past"), an adaptation of a piece by Nikolaus Lenau, was published in George Coşbuc's Foaia Interesantă magazine.[11][5] His first original poem, Orientale ("Orientals"), saw print two years later in the magazine Carmen.[5]

[edit] Junimea years

Soon after reaching the capital, he became involved in political debates and the literary environment: these early activities are recorded in a 1904 series of articles in the student paper Tipuri şi Ticuri, where a P. Stanciov is the object of satire.[12] By that time, he was discovered by Junimea, and began collaborating with Convorbiri Literare, a magazine led by Simion Mehedinţi.[13]

Despite ongoing financial difficulties,[5] Cerna graduated from university in 1906.[14][11][5] His thesis was passed with a Magna cum laude qualifier.[5] He was by then seriously ill with tuberculosis, and sought a change in climate.[15] Cerna spent much of this period traveling through the Old Kingdom, and several times visited regions of the Southern Carpathians, in particular the area of Rucăr, the Bucegi Mountains, and the Jiu Valley.[16] As Călinescu notes, he had bought himself a horse from a Rucăr local, on credit and without delivering the sum promised on time.[17]

His love for the rural world, together with what Călinescu describes as a "social preoccupation", made him an outspoken opponent of the way in which the authorities handled the peasant uprising of 1907.[18] That year, as Mihail Dragomirescu parted with Mehedinţi to establish Convorbiri Critice, which advertised a Junimist agenda while standing against Convorbiri Literare, Cerna became one of his main collaborators.[19] The group of Convorbiri Critice writers also included D. Nanu, Corneliu Moldovanu, Emil Gârleanu, Ion Dragoslav and Gheorghe Vâlsan.[20] Cerna also affiliated with Sămănătorul, and his poems were sporadically published by other mainstream publications (including Floare Albastră and Revista Modernă).[5]

In 1908, he decided to continue his studies in the German Empire.[21] The decision was influenced and encouraged by Junimea and its leader Titu Maiorescu,[22] who, as Minister of Education granted him a scholarship.[5] Călinescu describes this as a sign of late Junimist elitism, a view which implied that all literary men should be academics.[23] This, he argues, was one of the few areas in which Junimea still differed from Sămănătorul, which was more open to less elitist environments.[24]

Cerna visited the University of Heidelberg, but, following the advice of Maiorescu, decided in favor of the University of Berlin, where he studied Philosophy, English and German language literature (1908-1910).[25] Around 1909, he first came into contact with the Caragiales, and, according to the dramatist's own testimony, tutored his son, the future poet Luca Caragiale, providing his "scientific education".[26] Ion Luca Caragiale described Cerna as "a distinguished scientist and a great lover of music".[27] The two writers met a second time in Leipzig, in 1910, when Cerna declared himself captivated by Caragiale, whom he described as "one of the richest intelligent minds to have ever been produced by our nation."[28] Two years later, Cerna enthusiastically welcomed the literary debut of Caragiale's other son, Mateiu.[29] He was also acquainted with Zarifopol, with whom he discussed literary issues.

[edit] Studies abroad and death

From late 1910 to early 1912, Cerna was at the University of Leipzig, where he attended courses held by the philosophers and psychologists Wilhelm Wundt, Eduard Spranger and Hans Volkelt.[30] Wundt left an enduring impression on his Romanian student. In a letter home, Cerna described his modest appearance, which he claimed recalled that of "decrepit" Orthodox members of the Romanian Jewish community, adding: "But I do love this decrepit exterior beyond measure..."[31] Volkelt guided his research in the scientific field, and coordinated his PhD thesis of 1913, Die Gedankenlyrik (German for "Contemplative Poetry").[32] According to Călinescu, Cerna's work stated the primacy of "natural ideas" over reasoning, and concluded that "ideas have the purpose of signaling the problematic tensions of the soul."[33] Zarifopol wrote that Cerna was upset over having himself parted with writing poetry, and came to be preoccupied by Maiorescu's German-language dictum: In der Poesie ist der Gedanke ein verfluchtes Ding ("An idea is a damned thing when it comes to poetry").[34] Panait Cerna's first volume of collected poetry was published at home in 1910, and, two years later, resulted in the author being made a co-recipient of the Romanian Academy's Vasile Adamachi Award.[5]

Panait Cerna died in Leipzig, shortly after receiving his diploma.[35][5][34] Zarifopol was present when Cerna succumbed, and recorded that Maiorescu's views on poetry where preoccupied his friend even on his his deathbed.[34] The poet was buried in the German city, and later exhumed for burial in Bucharest's Bellu Cemetery.[5]

[edit] Literary contribution

Cerna was a traditionalist poet, listed by Călinescu among the contributors to Romanian literature whose work "steers toward Classicism", as do those of Dragomirescu, Mehedinţi, Henri Sanielevici, D. Nanu, Ion Trivale, Cincinat Pavelescu, Corneliu Moldovanu, Mihail Codreanu, Alexandru Davila and George Murnu.[36] In this account, Cerna is one in a group of "conceptual" poets, all of whom were connected with Dragomirescu.[37] For part of his life, Cerna was also formally affiliated with the Symbolist movement, whose aesthetic ideals he merged with his lyrical style, and sought to recover part of the Romantic legacy.[11] He was thus known as the translator of works by Romantic poets, as well as for adopting a Messianic and Humanist perspective on life (notably present in his poems Floare şi genune, "Flower and Chasm"; Zile de durere, "Days of Sorrow"; and Plânsetul lui Adam, "Adam's Sobbing").[11]

Literary historian Tudor Vianu notes the influence exercised on Cerna and other traditionalists by Mihai Eminescu, Romania's major mid-19th century Classicist and Junimist poet,[38] while, according to Zarifopol, the poet considered himself an "improved follower" of Eminescu.[39] The poet was a late admirer of Lord Byron, a main figure of English Romanticism, and translated from his Childe Harold.[40] Zarifopol also stressed that Cerna sought to reconcile poetry and philosophy, and that he particularly treasured the Classicist poets Friedrich Schiller, Louise-Victorine Ackermann and Jean-Marie Guyau, as well as the Parnassian Sully Prudhomme.[34] The same commentator recounted their disagreement when it came to Caragiale, whom Cerna enjoyed only for his power of "observation", but whom he argued lacked "concepts".[39] For Zarifopol, this statement, made with "a fanatical and dogmatic pathos", evidenced a moment of "academic foolishness" in Cerna's career.[39]

Călinescu, who criticizes the poet for his difficulties with the language, describes him as "not accomplished".[41] Elaborating on this, he states: "[Cerna is] declamatory, banal and dry in his use of metaphors, although he displays a touch of the sublime here and there."[42]

One of the most characteristic subjects in Cernea's lyric poems was unrequited love, which, Călinescu argues, evoked his actual experience with women, and "the regret of not having lived through the great mystery of love."[43] These pieces, the critic notes, point to the influence of Classicist authors such as Eminescu, Dante Aligheri, and Giacomo Leopardi (the latter poet had also been quoted in Cerna's Die Gedankenlyrik).[44] One of the pieces, written from the perspective of a man who has once failed to gain the object of his affection, features the lyrics:

Cărarea mea subţire se umple de lumină,
Încât mă-mpac cu viaţa-mi şi uit că-mi eşti străină.
Ce vrea şi unde merge un fulger? Cui ce-i pasă!...
Destul că face noaptea, o clipă, mai frumoasă.[45]

My thin path is being flooded in light,
So that I reconcile with my life and forget you are a stranger.
What does a bolt want, and where does it go? Who should even care!...
It is enough that, for a moment, it makes the night more beautiful.

For George Călinescu, Cerna's "euphoric thirst for life" recalled the work of Parnassian and Symbolist author Alexandru Macedonski, but was tempered by "the mellow anemia of the phthisic."[46] One of his better-known pieces from the series of love poems read:

Noi ne-am cuprins de-o flacără curată,
Ce niciodată n-are să apuie -
Şi nu furăm norocul nimănuie,
Ci în iubire tânără, bogată,
Îmbrăţişăm pământul, lumea toată.[47]

We were brought together by a clear flame,
Which shall never damp down—
And we steal luck away from no one,
But in young, rich love,
We embrace the Earth, the whole world.

Cerna's protest over the violent repression of the 1907 revolt was lyricized in several contexts. In one such indignant piece, Cerna called on Peace not to arrive until the social issue would be solved.[48] In Zile de durere, he appeals to the Sun to wash out the blood of peasant victims:

Usucă iute câmpurile roşii,
Să nu priceapă-n groapa lor strămoşii
Al cui a fost - şi cine l-a vărsat.[49]

Be quick to dry the red fields,
So that the ancestors in their graves could not grasp
Whose it was—and who it was that shed it.

One of Cerna's poems was an epic piece inspired by the Book of Genesis, where Adam confronts God. Titled Plânsetul lui Adam ("Adam's Sobbing"), it builds on themes which recalled Byron's 1821 play Cain, and constituted an interrogation of divine laws.[40]

[edit] Legacy

Panait Cerna's lifetime success and literary fame made him the target of adulation among his fellow traditionalists. According to Călinescu, this group saw him as Romania's answer to Schiller and Percy Bysshe Shelley.[50] Junimea saw in him one of its most important members of the early 20th century, while several historians note that he was so only because, at that stage, the literary society was declining.[51] Mehedinţi's 1914 account of the Junimist promotion of the "original manifestations of Romanian culture" listed Cerna alongside Alexandru G. Florescu and other minor writers.[52] Literary historian Z. Ornea argues that this evidenced not just a decline in standards, but also Mehedinţi's "tastelessness".[53] Also according to Ornea, the association with Dragomirescu was also characteristic for the Junimist twilight, given that this circle had failed to impose "a new literary direction" and was tributary to the legacy of various traditionalist groups.[54] Zarifopol deplores Cerna's submission to traditionalist and Classicist goals, arguing that it eventually ruined Cerna as a poet and made him unhappy.[34]

The poet's adoption of a mainstream approach to poetry also pleased his public, and, Călinescu notes, schoolbooks of the day celebrated him as a Romanian classic while completely ignoring more controversial Symbolists such as Alexandru Macedonski and Dimitrie Anghel.[55] Demostene Botez, one of the authors to have been influenced by Cerna's style, dedicated him a poem which read:

Un gigant ai fost pe-o lume plină numai cu pitici,
Un luceafăr singuratic între-atâţia licurici.[56]

A giant you have been in a world filled only with dwarfs,
A lonely evening star among so many fire flies.

In his essay Din registrul ideilor gingaşe ("From the Register of Gentle Ideas"), where he satirizes the Romanian public's reception of literature, Zarifopol looks into the problems faced by Cerna in satisfying his readers. Using one of Cerna's own accounts as the basis for this analysis, he notes that a group of his young "female admirers" where unpleasantly surprised to find out out that their idol was "short, pudgy, wide-necked and ruddy-faced."[57] He writes: "the girls [...] were thus in full agreement with the philosophical tradition which, since the old days, has set as a supreme ideal a mosaic of perfections that is naive and unlikely."[57]

Cerna's work was disliked by the modernists, in particular by theorist Eugen Lovinescu. Lovinescu considered many of the expressions Cerna used in his poetry to be "unacceptable", citing their supposed banality.[58] This assessment was itself contested by Călinescu, who argued that the lyrics in questions are "actually the acceptable ones", and that the awkward wordings "are entirely lost in lyrical fluency."[59]

The poet's house in Cerna is presently a museum, dedicated in part to his memory, and also housing a permanent exhibit dedicated to the traditional arts and crafts of Tulcea County.[60][5] It also features a bust of the poet.[60] The county library in Tulcea city is named after him,[61][5] as are a high school in Brăila[62] and streets in Bucharest, Brăila, Bistriţa, Hunedoara, Lugoj and Petroşani. The local authorities in Tulcea County organize an annual Panait Cerna National Poetry and Essay Contest.[5]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Călinescu, p.651. The second date is reported to have been once communicated by Cerna himself
  2. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  3. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  4. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r (Romanian) Mirela Stîngă, "Panait Cerna, poetul meleagurilor dobrogene", in Ziua de Constanţa, April 8, 2008
  6. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  7. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  8. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  9. ^ Călinescu, p.651, 652
  10. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  11. ^ a b c d (Italian) "Panait Cerna", biographical note in Cronologia della letteratura rumena moderna (1780-1914) database, at the University of Florence's Department of Neo-Latin Languages and Literatures; retrieved April 18, 2008
  12. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  13. ^ Ornea, p.78; Vianu, Vol.II, p.11
  14. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  15. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  16. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  17. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  18. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  19. ^ Ornea, p.136-137
  20. ^ Ornea, p.137
  21. ^ Călinescu, p.602, 651
  22. ^ Călinescu, p.602; Vianu, Vol.II, p.13
  23. ^ Călinescu, p.602
  24. ^ Călinescu, p.602
  25. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  26. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  27. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  28. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  29. ^ Călinescu, p.898
  30. ^ Călinescu, p.651, 652
  31. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  32. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  33. ^ Călinescu, p.651
  34. ^ a b c d e (Romanian) Paul Zarifopol, Artişti şi idei literare române: Poezie filozofică (wikisource)
  35. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  36. ^ Călinescu, p.641-660
  37. ^ Călinescu, p.652, 657
  38. ^ Vianu, Vol.II, p.213; Vol.III, p.322
  39. ^ a b c (Romanian) Paul Zarifopol, Artişti şi idei literare române: Geniul neprihănit (wikisource)
  40. ^ a b Émile Turdeanu, Études de littérature roumaine et d'écrits slaves et grecs des principautés roumaines, Brill Publishers, Leiden, New York & Köln, 1985, p.397. ISBN:9004070982
  41. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  42. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  43. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  44. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  45. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  46. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  47. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  48. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  49. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  50. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  51. ^ Ornea, p.78; Vianu, Vol.II, p.11
  52. ^ Ornea, p.78
  53. ^ Ornea, p.78
  54. ^ Ornea, p.137
  55. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  56. ^ Călinescu, p.652
  57. ^ a b (Romanian) Paul Zarifopol, Din registrul ideilor gingaşe: Neînţelegeri inocente între public şi artişti (wikisource)
  58. ^ Călinescu, p.805-806
  59. ^ Călinescu, p.805-806
  60. ^ a b (Romanian) Casa memorială Panait Cerna, at the Tulcea Institute for Environmental Studies and Museology; retrieved April 17, 2008
  61. ^ "Panait Cerna" County Library, official site; retrieved April 17, 2008
  62. ^ The Panait Cerna High School, School Map entry; hosted by the Romanian Ministry of Education, Research and Youth; retrieved April 17, 2008

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[edit] External links

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