Mourning in Literature. Writer Vladimir Beșleagă Has Passed Away

A well-known writer and former MP, Vladimir Besleaga, passed away at the age of 93 today. Officials of the Ministry of Culture have confirmed the information for MOLDPRES.  

“With a heavy heart, we announce that Vladimir Beșleagă has left us...” wrote the Minister of Culture, Sergiu Prodan, on his Facebook page.

A final tribute to the great writer was paid by Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, who called Vladimir Beșleagă the “patriarch of our literature.” 

“Safe flight, maestro. With sadness, I learned of the death of writer Vladimir Besleaga - the patriarch of our literature, a man who, both in his career and in life, showed courage, generosity and simplicity. We thank you for the lessons given, for being a model and source of inspiration. Sincere condolences to the family and all who knew and admired him,” Igor Grosu wrote.

    



Vladimir Besleaga was a significant figure in the Romanian culture and literature, contributing greatly to the promotion of the national values and the Romanian language in Bessarabia. His passing represents a huge loss for the literary community and the society as a whole.

The writer was born in 1931 in Mălăiești, Grigoriopol district. In 1955, he graduated from the Moldova State University and completed his doctoral internship at the same institution. He began his career as a publicist, working for the magazines “Chipăruș,” “Cultura Moldovei,” and “Tinerimea Moldovei.” He was deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine “Nistru” (1970-1982), secretary of the Writers' Union of Moldova (1971-1976) and director of the Republican Museum of Literature “Dimitrie Cantemir” (1988).

In 1956, he made his editorial debut with the children's prose volume “Zbântuilă,” followed by the books “My Holiday” (1959), “At Leah's Well” (1963), and “Do You Want to Fly to the Moon?” (1964).

The writer authored memoirs, journals, etc. The manuscripts of several of his novels are kept in the collections of the “Mihail Kogălniceanu” Romanian Literature Museum. He is also known as an essayist and translator.

Vladimir Besleaga was awarded the State Prize of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (RSSM) (1978). He was titled People's Writer (1991). He was awarded the Order of the Republic (1996, an honor he refused). In the 1990s, Vladimir Besleaga was involved in the National Revival Movement and was a lawmaker in the first Parliament of independent Moldova.