What do you think?
Rate this book
Gorila
„Intr-un anume sens, politica se facea si in alte romane ale lui Rebreanu. Ardelean, deci om al constiintei publice acute, acesta nu putea ramane indiferent la mersul global al lucrurilor. Padurea Spanzuratilor sau Rascoala o dovedesc cu varf si inde sat. Doar ca ele nu sunt, propriu vorbind, romane politice. Le lipseste faconda. E o prejudecata destul de naiva aceea ca politicul e legat de fapte. Prea putin. Mai degraba de speculatie, de discurs, de retorica, de stil. Materia prima e, oricum, limbajul. Ca si in cazul marii literaturi. Intuitia aceasta, formidabila, Rebreanu a avut-o scriind Gorila. De altfel, romanul a placut in chip superlativ unui estet radical ca Ion Negoitescu. E clar de ce.“ - Cosmin Ciotlos
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
5 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Liviu Rebreanu
72 books322 followersLiviu Rebreanu was a Romanian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and journalist.
Born in Târlişua (currently Bistriţa-Năsăud County), Transylvania, then part of Austria-Hungary, he was the second of thirteen children born to Vasile Rebreanu, a schoolteacher, and Ludovica Diuganu, descendants of peasants. His father had been a classmate of George Coşbuc's and was an amateur folklorist. Liviu Rebreanu went to primary school in Maieru (where he was taught by his father), and then in Năsăud and Bistriţa, to military school at Sopron and then to the military academy in Budapest. He worked as an officer in Gyula but resigned in 1908, and in 1909 illegally crossed the Transylvanian Alps into Romania, and lived in Bucharest.
He joined several literary circles, and worked as a journalist for Ordinea, then for Falanga literară şi artistică. At the request of the Austro-Hungarian government, he was arrested and extradited in 1910. Rebreanu was incarcerated in Gyula, being freed in August; he returned to Bucharest. In 1911-1912 he was secretary for the National Theater in Craiova, where he worked under the direction of short story writer Emil Gârleanu. He got married to actress Fanny Rădulescu.
His first published in 1912 with a volume of novellas gathered under the title Frământări ("Troublings"). During World War I Rebreanu was a reporter for Adevărul, and he continued publishing short stories: Golanii ("The Hooligans") and Mărturisire (Confession) in 1916 and Răfuială ("Resentfullness") in 1919. After the war, he became an important collaborator at the literary society Sburătorul led by the literary critic Eugen Lovinescu.
In 1920 Rebreanu published his novel Ion, the first modern Romanian novel, in which he depicted the struggles over land ownership in rural Transylvania. For Ion, Rebreanu received a Romanian Academy award - he became a full member of the institution in 1939. Between 1928 and 1930 he was chairman of the National Theatre of Bucharest, and from 1940 to 1944 he was President of the Romanian Writers' Society.
In 1944, aged 59, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Rebreanu shot himself in the mouth, in his country house in Valea Mare, Argeş County
Born in Târlişua (currently Bistriţa-Năsăud County), Transylvania, then part of Austria-Hungary, he was the second of thirteen children born to Vasile Rebreanu, a schoolteacher, and Ludovica Diuganu, descendants of peasants. His father had been a classmate of George Coşbuc's and was an amateur folklorist. Liviu Rebreanu went to primary school in Maieru (where he was taught by his father), and then in Năsăud and Bistriţa, to military school at Sopron and then to the military academy in Budapest. He worked as an officer in Gyula but resigned in 1908, and in 1909 illegally crossed the Transylvanian Alps into Romania, and lived in Bucharest.
He joined several literary circles, and worked as a journalist for Ordinea, then for Falanga literară şi artistică. At the request of the Austro-Hungarian government, he was arrested and extradited in 1910. Rebreanu was incarcerated in Gyula, being freed in August; he returned to Bucharest. In 1911-1912 he was secretary for the National Theater in Craiova, where he worked under the direction of short story writer Emil Gârleanu. He got married to actress Fanny Rădulescu.
His first published in 1912 with a volume of novellas gathered under the title Frământări ("Troublings"). During World War I Rebreanu was a reporter for Adevărul, and he continued publishing short stories: Golanii ("The Hooligans") and Mărturisire (Confession) in 1916 and Răfuială ("Resentfullness") in 1919. After the war, he became an important collaborator at the literary society Sburătorul led by the literary critic Eugen Lovinescu.
In 1920 Rebreanu published his novel Ion, the first modern Romanian novel, in which he depicted the struggles over land ownership in rural Transylvania. For Ion, Rebreanu received a Romanian Academy award - he became a full member of the institution in 1939. Between 1928 and 1930 he was chairman of the National Theatre of Bucharest, and from 1940 to 1944 he was President of the Romanian Writers' Society.
In 1944, aged 59, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Rebreanu shot himself in the mouth, in his country house in Valea Mare, Argeş County
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 30, 2020
Am luat-o in mana stiind doar stilul lui Rebreanu de cand am lecturat Ion. Am fost curios si putin sceptic in privinta numelui acestei carti. Chiar nu stiam la ce sa ma astept. Dupa primele 100 de pagini, am ramas placut surprins sa gasesc temele abordate, si anume politica romaneasca din perioada interbelica. Insa, pe parcurs, am inceput sa dispretuiesc cat mai mult personajul principal, autorul peseme ca a avut o placere sadica sa ne faca pe noi, cititorii lui, sa prindem necaz pe el. Din acel moment, am citit manat de ciuda, sa vad unde mai duc intrigile, cateodata plin de dispret, cateodata plin de mila. O recomand sceptic. Daca nu ai niste principii morale sanatoase, risti sa te poticnesti si sa te bulverseze intrigile si rautatea politica.
July 18, 2022
Deși necunoscută mie, în comparație cu alte romane ale lui Liviu Rebreanu, "Gorila" mi s-a părut cel mai bine scris, depășit doar de "Ion". Primele o sută de pagini nu au reușit să mă prindă, considerând cartea mai degrabă plictisitoare decât interesantă până la acel moment. Treptat, însă, m-a prins și nu am mai putut să o las până nu am terminat-o.
October 10, 2025
Cartea asta mi-a căzut în mână printr-o întâmplare: trecând prin Bistrița, pe lângă Muzeul „Liviu Rebreanu”, am cumpărat câteva titluri de care nu auzisem, drept suvenir. O întâmplare de care m-am bucurat ulterior, deoarece Gorila s-a dovedit a fi o surpriză nesperată.
Romanul se deschide în forță cu un citat din Așa grăit-a Zarathustra - probabil ales pentru valoarea lui lirică, nu pentru contextul übermenschian în care îl folosește Nietzsche. Sau poate e o cheie a lecturii care mie mi-a scăpat.
Ce mi-a plăcut îndeosebi a fost că am simțit că am derivat și o valoare istorică din această carte, nu doar literară. Rebreanu reușește să redea evocativ spiritul vremii: manierismele, felul de exprimare al personajelor și dinamica dintre ele par desprinse dintr-un tablou. Parcă am început să am și eu amintiri dintr-o viață anterioară de deputat interbelic, ieșind la cafenea la taifas pe Victoriei - suficient cât să-mi satisfacă un interes antropologic neavizat.
Sfârșitul mi s-a părut un pic prea romantico-fatalist; probabil l-aș fi gustat mai mult la vremea lui.
4.5 * - (metafora cu gorila - super tare)
Romanul se deschide în forță cu un citat din Așa grăit-a Zarathustra - probabil ales pentru valoarea lui lirică, nu pentru contextul übermenschian în care îl folosește Nietzsche. Sau poate e o cheie a lecturii care mie mi-a scăpat.
Ce mi-a plăcut îndeosebi a fost că am simțit că am derivat și o valoare istorică din această carte, nu doar literară. Rebreanu reușește să redea evocativ spiritul vremii: manierismele, felul de exprimare al personajelor și dinamica dintre ele par desprinse dintr-un tablou. Parcă am început să am și eu amintiri dintr-o viață anterioară de deputat interbelic, ieșind la cafenea la taifas pe Victoriei - suficient cât să-mi satisfacă un interes antropologic neavizat.
Sfârșitul mi s-a părut un pic prea romantico-fatalist; probabil l-aș fi gustat mai mult la vremea lui.
4.5 * - (metafora cu gorila - super tare)
November 10, 2024
🧑🏻💼👩❤️👨👒👗🎖️🃏🪁🀄🖼️🌫️🌁🏞️🌃🗾🎐🪻🌷🌹🌸💮🏕️🎡🏡🚪🛏️🛋️🪞🪟🧮🧸🕰️🔮📒📔📗📘📕📖✉️📑🧧🔖🧋☕🍹🧁🍰🥯🧇🍮🎂
November 28, 2022
Publié en deux volumes, en 1938, ce roman aborde la crise politique complexe qui sévit alors en Roumanie, marquée par la montée de l'extrême droite et les sombres perspectives qui s'en dégagent.
Le journaliste Toma Prahonțu (nom du fantassin de choc de l'armée roumaine d'après une note de la page 38) est un carriériste et aussi un aventurier qui aime multiplier les conquêtes amoureuses. Il rappelle de très près le personnage de « Ion », le paysan. Ses dilemmes sont, dans un autre contexte historique et géographique, semblables à ceux de Apostol Bologna de « La forêt des pendus ».
Les ambitions du héros échouent tragiquement. La situation politique est chaotique : le système parlementaire est défaillant en Roumanie, tandis que le mouvement légionnaire émergeant s'appuie sur un populisme mystique et vindicatif.
La construction de caractères bien définis, le respect de la chronologie des événements et l'unicité du point de vue narratif font de ce livre un roman de facture classique où les modèles réels du monde politique tels que Scarlat Calimachi, Pamfil Șeicaru ou Nichifor Crainic connaîtront un lent et sinueux processus de transfiguration épique. La bête immonde symbolise cet affrontement féroce entre deux mondes politiques. D'ailleurs le roman débute in media res avec cette remarque qui deviendra le leitmotiv du roman : « -Ah non ! Cette fois vous nous avez soûlés avec votre politique ! » et se termine de manière ambiguë et sombre avec un procès : une autre guerre n'est pas loin !
Le journaliste Toma Prahonțu (nom du fantassin de choc de l'armée roumaine d'après une note de la page 38) est un carriériste et aussi un aventurier qui aime multiplier les conquêtes amoureuses. Il rappelle de très près le personnage de « Ion », le paysan. Ses dilemmes sont, dans un autre contexte historique et géographique, semblables à ceux de Apostol Bologna de « La forêt des pendus ».
Les ambitions du héros échouent tragiquement. La situation politique est chaotique : le système parlementaire est défaillant en Roumanie, tandis que le mouvement légionnaire émergeant s'appuie sur un populisme mystique et vindicatif.
La construction de caractères bien définis, le respect de la chronologie des événements et l'unicité du point de vue narratif font de ce livre un roman de facture classique où les modèles réels du monde politique tels que Scarlat Calimachi, Pamfil Șeicaru ou Nichifor Crainic connaîtront un lent et sinueux processus de transfiguration épique. La bête immonde symbolise cet affrontement féroce entre deux mondes politiques. D'ailleurs le roman débute in media res avec cette remarque qui deviendra le leitmotiv du roman : « -Ah non ! Cette fois vous nous avez soûlés avec votre politique ! » et se termine de manière ambiguë et sombre avec un procès : une autre guerre n'est pas loin !
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews