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Gellu Naum

Born

in Bucureşti, Romania

August 01, 1915

Died

September 29, 2001

Website

http://www.gellunaum.ro

Genre

Poetry, Literature & Fiction

Influences

André Breton, Geo Bogza

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Gelu Naum was a prominent Romanian poet, dramatist, novelist, children's writer, and translator. He is remembered as the founder of the Romanian Surrealist group. The artist Lyggia Naum, his wife, was the inspiration and main character in his 1985 novel Zenobia.

Born in Bucharest, he was the son of the poet Andrei Naum (who had been drafted in World War I and died during the Battle of Mărăşeşti) and his wife Maria Naum née Rosa Gluck. In 1933, he began studying philosophy at the University of Bucharest. In 1938, he left for France, where he continued his studies at the University of Paris. He took his PhD diploma with a thesis on the scholastic philosopher Pierre Abelard.

In 1936 (the year when he published his first book), Naum met Victor Br Gelu Naum was a prominent Romanian poet, dramatist, novelist, children's writer, and translator. He is remembered as the founder of the Romanian Surrealist group. The artist Lyggia Naum, his wife, was the inspiration and main character in his 1985 novel Zenobia.

Born in Bucharest, he was the son of the poet Andrei Naum (who had been drafted in World War I and died during the Battle of Mărăşeşti) and his wife Maria Naum née Rosa Gluck. In 1933, he began studying philosophy at the University of Bucharest. In 1938, he left for France, where he continued his studies at the University of Paris. He took his PhD diploma with a thesis on the scholastic philosopher Pierre Abelard.

In 1936 (the year when he published his first book), Naum met Victor Brauner, who became his close friend and who later introduced him to André Breton and his Surrealist circle in Paris.

In 1941, he helped create the Bucharest group of Surrealists (which also included Gherasim Luca, Paul Păun, Dolfi Trost, and Virgil Teodorescu). Naum was drafted into Romanian Army during World War II and served on the Eastern Front after the invasion of the Soviet Union (see Romania during World War II). Marked by his wartime experience, he was discharged in 1944, after he had fallen ill.

In December 1947, the Surrealist group succumbed to the vicissitudes of postwar Soviet occupation and successful Communist takeover of Romania's government. As Socialist realism had officially become Romania's cultural policy, he could only publish books for children (out of which the two books with Apolodor were reissued several times). Although he published several books in the line of Socialist realism, which he reneged on afterwards, he never stopped writing Surrealist poems, such as the 1958 poem composed of several parts Heraclitus (published in the 1968 volume Athanor) or the esoteric manuscript The Way of the Snake, written in 1948–1949 and published after his death, in 2002.

Between 1950 and 1953, he taught philosophy at the Agronomic Institute in Bucharest while working also as a translator. He translated works by Samuel Beckett, René Char, Denis Diderot, Alexandre Dumas, père, Julien Gracq, Victor Hugo, Franz Kafka, Gérard de Nerval, Jacques Prévert, Stendhal, and Jules Verne.

He resumed his literary career in 1968, in the wake of a relative cultural liberalization under Nicolae Ceauşescu's regime.

After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, he traveled abroad and gave public readings in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In 1995, the German Academic Exchange Service appointed him scholar at the University of Berlin. Naum spent much of his final years at his retreat in Comana. ...more

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Gellu Naum’s books

Average rating: 4.18 · 6,522 ratings · 466 reviews · 109 distinct works • Similar authors

	Zenobia 4.07 avg rating — 2,080 ratings — published 1985 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cartea cu Apolodor by Gellu Naum, Dan Stanciu (Illustrator) 4.35 avg rating — 1,314 ratings — published 1959 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A doua carte cu Apolodor 4.10 avg rating — 440 ratings — published 1964 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cărțile cu Apolodor 4.26 avg rating — 137 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Apolodor, un pinguin călător by Gellu Naum, N. Nobilescu (Illustrator) 4.45 avg rating — 102 ratings — published 1988	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cel mai mare Gulliver by Gellu Naum, Irina Dobrescu (Illustrator) 3.91 avg rating — 89 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	My Tired Father by Gellu Naum, James Brook (Translator) 4.11 avg rating — 55 ratings — published 1987 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Calea Șearpelui 4.73 avg rating — 45 ratings — published 2002	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poezii (Opere, #1) 4.65 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poheme 4.35 avg rating — 40 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Gellu Naum…

Series by Gellu Naum

Apolodor (2 books)
by

Gellu Naum

4.29 avg rating — 1,754 ratings

Opere (3 books)
by

Gellu Naum,

Simona Popescu (Editor),

Ion Cocora (Editor)

4.66 avg rating — 74 ratings

Quotes by Gellu Naum (?)

“Am sa viermuiesc singur, am sa umblu razna prin lume, ca un sicriu, purtînd în mine imaginea ei aproape lesinata pe care o iubesc neînchipuit de mult, am sa-i vorbesc, în gînd, prin paduri si prin gari, am sa-i fac patul în mine, s-o culc, în fiecare seara, s-o învelesc în cîrpe, voi stiti foarte bine cîte cârpe poarta în sine fiecare dintre noi, si ea n-o sa-mi raspunda niciodata pentru ca n-o sa ma auda cînd o sa-i spun nani-nani, pentru ca acolo, în mine, în cîrpele din ea, are sa-l înveleasca pe iubitul ei care o va purta învelita în cîrpele din el si o va legana si îi va spune nani-nani si asa mai departe;”
― Gellu Naum, Zenobia

30 likes

“Câte nu se întâmpla în noi si le uitam acolo ca într-un ghiozdan si fiecare crede ca numai el stie lucrul acela pe care îl stiu foarte bine si altii.”
― Gellu Naum, Zenobia

25 likes

“întelegeti ca traim într-o pasare imensa care ne poarta în ea”
― Gellu Naum, Zenobia

14 likes

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Gellu Naum’s Followers (120)

Gellu Naum

Combine EditionsGellu Naum’s books

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Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Gellu Naum’s books