Moldovan writer commemorated at 100th birthday anniversary

Chisinau, 29 May /MOLDPRES/ - More events dedicated to the 100th birthday anniversary of departed poet George Meniuc took place at a festival, George Meniuc and Autumns of Orpheus, at the headquarters of the Moldovan Writers’ Union today.  

The cultural actions were organized by the host institution and the Mihail Kogalniceanu National Literature Museum, in partnership with the Education, Culture and Research Ministry.  

The events started with the inauguration of an exhibition of books, photos and manuscripts, Orpheus’ Autumn, followed by a session of essays. According to the director of the M. Kogalniceanu National Literature Museum, Vasile Malanetchi, the exhibition comprises over 80 books signed by the author, 60 photos, 40 manuscripts, including the printing machine and the spectacles of the departed writer.

In his speech, the head of the Moldovan Writers’ Union, Arcadie Suceveanu, has said that George Meniuc was one of the few writers of his generation who was maintaining in the present literary contest. “George Meniuc passed the reading test successfully, especially through poetry books. A proof is also his last volume of poems, which has been recently published. Presently, a street in Chisinau and a lyceum bear the name of George Meniuc,” Suceveanu said.    

The poet, prose writer, essay writer and translator George Meniuc was born in Chisinau on 20 May 1918. Meniuc finished the Mihai Eminescu lyceum from Chisinau in 1937, after which he continued the education at the Bucharest University, Faculty of Letters and Philosophy (1937-1940), where his professors were Tudor Vianu, Petre P. Negulescu, Dimitrie Gusti, Mircea Florian, etc.      

George Meniuc started his work in 1939, with a group of poems titled, Interior Cosmic (Cosmic Interior). In 1940, following the graduation of the faculty, Meniuc returned to Chisinau. After the war, he worked as chief scientific researcher at the Institute of History, Language and Literature (1945-1957), head of section at the newspaper Țăranul  sovietic (The Soviet Peasant) (1947), secretary in charge of the Octombrie (October) magazine (1951-1957), editor-in-chief of the magazine Nistru (1957-1959), deputy head of the Leadership Committee of the Moldovan Writers’ Union (1962-1964). Meniuc edited more volumes of poetry, prose, essays and journalism. He translated from the Russian classical literature. Meniuc’s works were translated in the Russian, Armenian, French and Spanish languages.       

In 1972, George Meniuc was awarded the State Prize of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1972 and in 1982 he got the honorary title of people’s writer of Moldova. George Meniuc died on 8 February 1987.  

(Reporter N. Roibu, editor M. Jantovan)