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'''Max Blecher''' was born on September 8, 1909 in the town of Botoşani located in northeastern Romania, in the Bucovina region. His father was a well-to-do Jewish merchant and the owner of a pottery shop. He did his primary and secondary schooling at the Gimnaziul Roman-Vodă (Roman-Vodă Gymnasium) in Roman, a town located in Moldavia, a neighboring region. After receiving his baccalaureat Max Blecher left for Paris to study medicine. Shortly thereafter, in 1928, he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis (Pott's disease) and forced to abandon his studies. He stayed at various sanatoriums, Berck-sur-Mer in France, Leysin in Switzerland and Tekirghiol in Romania. Despite his illness he wrote, and published his first piece in 1930, a short story called "Herrant" in Tudor Arghezi's literary magazine ''Bilete de papagal''. He contributed to André Breton's literary review ''Le Surréalisme au service de la révolution'' and carried on an intense correspondence with the foremost writers and philosophers of his day such as André Breton, André Gide, Martin Heidegger, Illarie Voronca, Geo Bogza, Mihail Sebastian, and Saşa Pană. In 1934 he published ''Corp transparent'', a volume of poetry. |
'''Max Blecher''' was born on September 8, 1909 in the town of Botoşani located in northeastern Romania, in the Bucovina region. His father was a well-to-do Jewish merchant and the owner of a pottery shop. He did his primary and secondary schooling at the Gimnaziul Roman-Vodă (Roman-Vodă Gymnasium) in Roman, a town located in Moldavia, a neighboring region. After receiving his baccalaureat Max Blecher left for Paris to study medicine. Shortly thereafter, in 1928, he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis (Pott's disease) and forced to abandon his studies. He stayed at various sanatoriums, Berck-sur-Mer in France, Leysin in Switzerland and Tekirghiol in Romania. Despite his illness he wrote, and published his first piece in 1930, a short story called "Herrant" in Tudor Arghezi's literary magazine ''Bilete de papagal''. He contributed to André Breton's literary review ''Le Surréalisme au service de la révolution'' and carried on an intense correspondence with the foremost writers and philosophers of his day such as André Breton, André Gide, Martin Heidegger, Illarie Voronca, Geo Bogza, Mihail Sebastian, and Saşa Pană. In 1934 he published ''Corp transparent'', a volume of poetry. |
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In 1935 his parents moved him to a house on the outskirts of Roman and there he continued to write until his death in 1938. During his lifetime he published two other major works, ''Întâmplări în irealitatea imediată'' (Adventures in Immediate Unreality) and ''Inimi cicatrizate'' (Scarred Hearts), as well as a number of articles and translations. ''Vizuina luminată: Jurnal de sanatoriu'' (Lighted Burrow: Sanatorium Journal) was published posthumously in part in 1947 and in full in 1971 by Saşa Pană. |
In 1935 his parents moved him to a house on the outskirts of Roman and there he continued to write until his death in 1938. During his lifetime he published two other major works, ''Întâmplări în irealitatea imediată'' (Adventures in Immediate Unreality) and ''Inimi cicatrizate'' (Scarred Hearts), as well as a number of articles and translations. ''Vizuina luminată: Jurnal de sanatoriu'' (The Lighted Burrow: Sanatorium Journal) was published posthumously in part in 1947 and in full in 1971 by Saşa Pană. |
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==Major Works== |
==Major Works== |
Revision as of 20:59, 13 August 2008
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Max Blecher | |
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Occupation | Poet,Novelist |
Nationality | Romanian |
Period | 1930-1938 |
Genre | poetry,fiction,novel,diary,memoir,correspondence |
Literary movement | Surrealism, Avant-Garde, Modernism |
Notable works | Adventures in Immediate Unreality, Scarred Hearts |
Max Blecher was born on September 8, 1909 in the town of Botoşani located in northeastern Romania, in the Bucovina region. His father was a well-to-do Jewish merchant and the owner of a pottery shop. He did his primary and secondary schooling at the Gimnaziul Roman-Vodă (Roman-Vodă Gymnasium) in Roman, a town located in Moldavia, a neighboring region. After receiving his baccalaureat Max Blecher left for Paris to study medicine. Shortly thereafter, in 1928, he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis (Pott's disease) and forced to abandon his studies. He stayed at various sanatoriums, Berck-sur-Mer in France, Leysin in Switzerland and Tekirghiol in Romania. Despite his illness he wrote, and published his first piece in 1930, a short story called "Herrant" in Tudor Arghezi's literary magazine Bilete de papagal. He contributed to André Breton's literary review Le Surréalisme au service de la révolution and carried on an intense correspondence with the foremost writers and philosophers of his day such as André Breton, André Gide, Martin Heidegger, Illarie Voronca, Geo Bogza, Mihail Sebastian, and Saşa Pană. In 1934 he published Corp transparent, a volume of poetry. In 1935 his parents moved him to a house on the outskirts of Roman and there he continued to write until his death in 1938. During his lifetime he published two other major works, Întâmplări în irealitatea imediată (Adventures in Immediate Unreality) and Inimi cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts), as well as a number of articles and translations. Vizuina luminată: Jurnal de sanatoriu (The Lighted Burrow: Sanatorium Journal) was published posthumously in part in 1947 and in full in 1971 by Saşa Pană.
Major Works
1. Corp Transparent (Transparent Body)
2. Întâmplări în irealitate imediată (Adventures in Immediate Unreality)
3. Inimi cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts)
4. Vizuina luminată: Jurnal de sanatoriu (The Lighted Burrow: Sanatorium Journal)
Translations
Max Blecher's books have been translated into English, French, German, Czech and Hungarian. Andre Breton made one of the first translations of one of Blecher's poems into French. The German translation of Inimi cicatrizate, entitled Vernarbte Herzen was number one on Die Zeit's list of Notable Books.[1]
English Translations
1. Scarred Hearts, Julian Semilian (trans.) London, Old Street Publishing (2008) ISBN 978-1-90584-718-1
2. Adventures in Immediate Unreality, ISBN XXX-X-XXXXX-XXX-X
3. Adventures in the Immediate Unreality, Alina Savin (trans.) [2] [3]
4. Poem Pastoral trans. Victor Pambuccian [4]
Notable Translations in other Languages
1. Aus der unmittelbaren Unwirklichkeit, Ernest Wichner (Trans.), Frankfurt, Suhrkamp Verlag (2003) ISBN 978-3-518-22367-3
2. Aventures dans l'irréalité immédiate, Marrianne Sora Paris, M, Nadeu (1989) ISBN 978-2862310855
3. Vernarbte Herzen, Ernest Wichner (Trans.), Frankfurt, Suhrkamp Verlag (2006) ISBN 978-3-518-22399-4
Literary Criticism and Influence
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2008) |
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2008) |
He become a hero in Mihail Sebastian's famous Journal. Eugène Ionesco has compared him to Franz Kafka. Numerous books have been written about him in Romanian. He has also been compared to Bruno Schulz and Robert Walser.
- "…a unique writer… a remarkable stylist… he attracts and conquers with his sense of humor by which he intends to overcome the tragic side of his existence…" (Camil Baltazar).
- "Rise to expression by the Romanian art, from that Jewish blood, cursed and abused for so long, M. Blecher is, for us, the Jews from Romania, a distinction, an escutcheon, a pleading" (Felix Aderca).
- "Intamplari is a book without correspondence in the Romanian literature. I would link it with Nadja, a book about magic and raving which will survive its author, Andre Breton" (Sasa Pana).
- "Hailed by Ionesco as a master, Blecher’s writing combines the stark lucidity of Kafka’s prose with the literary sensibility of Proust and the atmosphere and setting of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain."
(Romanian Cultural Center London [5])