Biography Urmuz

1 biography

1.1 childhood
1.2 pahuci brotherhood
1.3 dobrujan career , military life
1.4 debut
1.5 suicide

biography
childhood

mitică eldest son of middle class nuclear family: father, described ciprian short , mean (om scund și ciufut), worked physician. in spare time, ionescu-buzeu sr. classical scholar, folklorist , active freemason. wife, writer s mother, eliza née pașcani, sister of doctor, chemist , university of paris professor cristien pascani. urmuz had numerous other siblings ( multitude , according ciprian), of whom daughters. 1 of urmuz s sisters, eliza (married vorvoreanu) later main source of information on author s childhood , adolescence.

the future urmuz born in northern muntenian town of curtea de argeș, and, @ age five, spent 1 year in paris parents. family settled in romania s capital, bucharest, father hygiene teacher @ matei basarab national college, later city health inspector, , rented houses in antim monastery quarter. young mitică described sister unpretentious , introverted, fascinated scientific discovery and, in childhood years, passionate reader of jules verne s science fiction books. @ later stage, possibly familiarized , influenced german idealism , philosophical views of 19th-century poet mihai eminescu. more evident influence on future writer ion luca caragiale, main figure in 20th-century romanian comediography.

ionescu-buzău s family had artistic interests, , urmuz grew fascination classical music , fine art, learning play piano , taking amateur oil painting. got along best mother, pianist. devout daughter of orthodox priest, unable instill in young son same respect church.

urmuz s arrival literary history took place in atmosphere of bucharest gymnasia. @ junction became mate of ciprian, later described encounter momentous: don t believe in destiny. [...] yet find such odd incident bench mate, failing grade year through high school graduation, [...] tiny man of rare originality, had massive on how life turn up. ciprian describes follows own initiation in artistic matters : recalls conversations ciriviș debated perfection of ancient greek sculpture, , mentions young urmuz, unlike himself, regarded theater minor art . instead, urmuz preferred attend concerts @ romanian atheneum, and, ciprian writes, had advanced understanding of absolute music @ age thirteen. reportedly, young man in attendance @ lectures given titu maiorescu, philosopher , aesthete had influenced both eminescu , caragiale.

pahuci brotherhood

gheorghe lazăr national college

some years later, while enrolled @ gheorghe lazăr national college, urmuz turned interest toward mocking severity of teachers , challenging dominance of artistic traditionalism. 1 such episode attested ciprian: amused creation of vivat dacia ( long live dacia ) association of nationalist students, urmuz subverted meetings, and, deadpan snark, suggested membership fees should paid in duck heads. according ciprian, these events lost shock value, leading him , urmuz take streets , began activity pranksters. initial experiment pressure law-abiding , credulous passers-by presenting identity papers inspection, , apparent success earned urmuz unexpected following in school (his fans heckled vivat dacia accepting poultry heads means of payment, before society dissolved ceremony). colleague, future traditionalist poet vasile voiculescu, recalled young urmuz genially knavish , humor being cerebral, harder detect , appreciate .

the core group of urmuzian disciples, organized secret society, comprised ciprian (nicknamed macferlan urmuz), alexandru bălălău bujoreanu , costică pentagon grigorescu, known pahuci. allegedly, obscure word originated hebrew yawns . activity centered on daring pranks: urmuz , other 3 young men once made impromptu visit isolated căldărușani monastery, in ilfov county, deposed , disgraced metropolitan ghenadie living in banishment. passing off newspaper editors, demanded (and received) honored guest treatment, tested monks patience, , later introduced well-disposed ghenadie. ciprian recalls urmuz s philosophical musings or deadpan surreal humor direct inspiration other pranks , experiments. describes how ciriviș acted out sadness plight of screechy sledge (declaring heart @ 1 things in existence ), duped onlookers believing squeaks came woman somehow trapped under vehicle. reportedly, urmuz approached seniors training @ seminaries or other traditionalist institutions, earned attention claiming share nationalist agenda, , began reciting them nonsense lyrics such evolving draft of mock-fable chroniclers .

outside school, young man still introverted, and, sandqvist notes, extremely shy, girls. ciprian recalls ciriviș s engrossing pick-up lines: acted familiar young woman caught eye, assuring had met once before, and, having stirred curiosity, falsely recounting how both used kill flesh-flies sport.

the pahuci welcomed graduation 1 final act of defiance against school principal, whom visited in office, began hopping in circles. though group did not survive once members took different career paths, had regular reunions @ spiru godelea tavern, earned notoriety rude , unconventional behavior. urmuz enrolled @ bucharest medical school, allegedly after pressures stern father. according ciprian, training did not agree friend, complain of being unable make himself understood cadavers. sign young man not bear witness dissection. entered university of bucharest faculty of law, alma mater, while taking lectures in composition , counterpoint @ music , declamation conservatory. additionally, completed first service term in romanian infantry.

urmuz became head of family in 1907. year, father , 2 younger brothers died, , sister eliza married. continued take initiative in daring acts of épater le bourgeois. ciprian recalls 2 of them renting carriage urmuz order around, making right @ every junction, , going around in circles around palace of justice. urmuz proceeded pester street vendors, stopping on buy random assortment of useless items: pretzels, pile of charcoal, , old hen impaled on walking cane.

dobrujan career , military life

having passed law examination in 1904, urmuz first appointed judge in rural locality of cocu (răchițele), in argeș county. probable @ around stage (ca. 1908), committing paper first fragments in collection bizarre pages, of reportedly written during family reunion in cocu. according eliza vorvoreanu, doing entertain mother , sisters, urmuz amused local potentates, 1 of whom offered daughter s hand in marriage (urmuz refused). @ time, mitică discovered passion modern art: admirer of primitivist sculptor constantin brâncuși, fascinated 1907 work wisdom of earth.

eventually, urmuz made justice of peace in remote dobruja region: while, in casimcea village. later, dispatched closer bucharest, @ ghergani, dâmbovița county. these assignments interrupted in 1913, when urmuz called under arms, in second balkan war against bulgaria.

ciprian mentions having lost touch friend long time , before receiving letter in latter complained provincial apathy , lack of musical entertainment; attached draft of algazy & grummer story, ciprian supposed read seminary brethren , informing them progresses registered in young literature . ciprian tells of having discovered writer in urmuz, , popularizing , other stories in own circle of intellectuals. mentions that, in budding acting career, basing of performances @ blanduzia garden on urmuz s letters.

these developments coincided outbreak of world war i. between 1914 , summer 1916, when romania still neutral territory, ciprian s efforts of circulating bizarre pages may have reached peak. urmuz s texts spread around in handwritten copies, becoming familiar bucharest s bohemian society, urmuz himself still anonymous figure. both ciprian , fellow actor grigore mărculescu said have given public readings bizarre pages @ casa capșa restaurant. according literary historian paul cernat, if rumors ciprian s performances of urmuz s texts true, constitute 1 of first samples of avant-garde shows in romanian theatrical tradition.

around 1916, urmuz had obtained relocation, judge in muntenian town of alexandria. there met poet , schoolteacher mihail cruceanu, on assignment. cruceanu later recalled, urmuz captivated artistic revolt carried out in italy futurist group, , in particular poetry of futurist leader filippo tommaso marinetti. according literary historian tom sandqvist, urmuz may have first read italian initiatives in local newspaper democrația, had covered them in 1909. result of or encounter, decided include, subtitle 1 of manuscripts, words: schițe și nuvele... aproape futuriste ( sketches , novellas... futuristic ).

having reached rank of lieutenant, demetrescu-buzău again called under arms when romania joined entente powers. in 1 account, saw action against central powers in moldavia, following army s northward retreat. however, partly contradicted correspondence moldavia, shows new office quartermaster, , records frustration @ not having been allowed fight in trenches. according account, bedridden malaria, , therefore unable perform military duty.

debut

urmuz again in bucharest, working grefier (registrar or court reporter) @ high court of cassation , justice; sources disagree on whether appointment dated 1918 or earlier. reportedly, paid employment special perks, may have made urmuz uncomfortable other life bohemian hero. photograph portrait taken in period, 1 of few survive, read additional clue urmuz had become melancholy , anxious. sandqvist sees him catastrophically lonely , insomniac customer of brothels, adding: appearances result of disgusting experiences during wars, returning home bucharest demetru demetrescu-buzău chose live extremely ascetic , isolated life long night walks. urmuz s feats , pranks nonetheless attracting more public attention, , himself allegedly read work bohemian public, in places such gabroveni inn; @ least of these free exercises in oral literature, , such entirely lost.

the year 1922 brought urmuz s debut in print. fascinated (then unnamed) bizarre pages, poet , journalist tudor arghezi included 2 of them in cuget românesc newspaper. arghezi reportedly made efforts persuade more serious fellow editors of cuget, , possibly intended undermine attempt of putting out newspaper of record. gazette had published manifesto arghezi, in had outlined goal of combating sterile literature , , intention of cultivating power in post-war literary culture. urmuz first avant-garde writer popularized arghezi, in list which, 1940, came include large section of younger romanian modernists.

arghezi later wrote relationship urmuz difficult, since grefier panicked establishment discover other career: feared cassation court better detect him urmuz under own name . memoirist refers demetrescu-buzău s perfectionism , unease, enhanced in week before publication: wake in middle of night , send urgent letter, asking me if comma after should moved before. found him wandering around house @ night, shy, restless, fainthearted or in hopeful trance, of substance may or may not found in prose, perhaps there s error, asking me publish it, , again destroy it; publish eulogistic note, , again curse him. bribed [the printers] change phrases , words had put place, previous editorial interventions sure better his. letters exchanged show grefier not enthusiastic seeing texts , pseudonym in print, arghezi replying: among few ll cooperating with, first choice .

by may 1922, urmuz had grown more confident in strength writer. sent arghezi copy of algazy & grummer story, which, joked, needed published nation s benefit . proposed headlining additional title bizarre pages. work never published cuget, because of change in priorities: around date, paper hosted traditionalist editorials culture critic nicolae iorga, incompatible arghezi s fronde.

suicide

on november 23, 1923, urmuz shot himself, event remains shrouded in mystery. death occurred in public location, described being close kiseleff road in northern bucharest. sources suggest may have been suffering incurable disease, argued have been fascinated guns , destructive potential. in 1914 instance, wrote down in papers homage revolvers, crediting them magical power on suicidal brain. reports show theorizing purposelessness , hollowness of life, addressing fears on subject family members during funeral of brother constantin (also in 1914). researcher geo Șerban wrote demetrescu-buzău s well-hidden disappointment, assessing that, during final year, writer continued act cheerful , relaxed, devastating tension building inside him. @ around time, urmuz took 1 real trip adult civilian, visiting budaki lagoon in bessarabia.

writing in 1927, arghezi publicized regret @ not having cultivated friendship: never saw him again , weighed down irreparable grief of never seeking him out. believe optimism have rekindled in cerebral chaos candid , pure things beginning die. several urmuz exegetes have traditionally seen suicide intrinsically linked urmuz s artistic attitude. scholar carmen blaga, dissolution of [his] faith in romania s intellectual class, along economic decline , existential void , prompted writer opt himself out. resonates claims first-generation followers of urmuz: geo bogza suggests mentor killed himself once deconstructive process, performed sharp intellect , reached natural conclusion; sașa pană claims urmuz tired of merely amusing cretins , profiteers held sway on bucharest s literary scene, and, determined turn literary persona stardust , took risk of destroying physical self. additionally, academic george călinescu argued there philosophical rationale in tune century : wanted die in original way, without cause .

kept @ city morgue, body assigned urmuz s brother-in-law , fellow clerk c. stoicescu, stated writer had been suffering neurosis. urmuz buried on november 26, in family plot @ bellu cemetery. on day, event publicized small obituary in dimineața daily, signed initial c (presumably, ciprian). both , other press notices failed mention grefier , published author 1 , same, , general public long unaware of such connection. story goes anonymous woman visited family shortly after burial, inquiring whether deceased had left letters.

in manuscript form, urmuz s definitive corpus of works covers 40 pages, 50 @ most. various other manuscripts survive, including diaries , hundreds of aphorisms, have long been unknown researchers.