Nichita Stănescu

Nichita Stănescu (; born Nichita Hristea Stănescu; 31 March 1933 – 13 December 1983) was a Romanian poet and essayist.

Biography

Stănescu's father was Nicolae Hristea Stănescu (1908–1982). His mother, Tatiana Cereaciuchin, was Russian (originally from Voronezh, she had fled Russia and married in 1931). Nichita Stănescu graduated from the Ion Luca Caragiale High School in Ploiești, then went on to study Romanian language and literature at the University of Bucharest, graduating in 1957. He made his literary debut in the Tribuna literary magazine.

Stănescu married Magdalena Petrescu in 1952, but the couple separated a year later. In 1962 he married Doina Ciurea. In 1982 he married Todorița "Dora" Tărâță.

For much of his career, Stănescu was a contributor to and editor of Gazeta Literară, România Literară, and Luceafărul.

His editorial debut was the poetry book Sensul iubirii ("The Aim of Love"), which appeared under the Luceafărul selection, in 1960. He also was the recipient of numerous awards for his verse, the most important being the Herder Prize in 1975 and a nomination for the Nobel Prize in 1980. The last volume of poetry published in his lifetime was Noduri și semne ("Knots and Signs"), published in 1982. A heavy drinker, he died of cardiopulmonary arrest. He is buried in Bucharest's Bellu Cemetery.

Awards

• The Romanian Writers' Union Award (1964, 1969, 1972, 1975)
• Herder Prize (1975)
• Romanian Academy's “Mihai Eminescu” Award (1975)
• Golden Wreath laureate of the Struga Poetry Evenings (1982)
• Elected post-mortem member of the Romanian Academy

Legacy

There is a national poetry festival and an award named Stănescu in his honor.

There are high schools named after him in Ploiești and in Sector 3 of Bucharest. Streets in Blejoi, Cluj-Napoca, Dej, Mogoșoaia, Pipera (Voluntari), Ploiești, and Vama Veche are named in his honor.

Volumes

• 1960 – Sensul iubirii ("The Meaning of Love")
• 1964 – ' ("A Vision of Feelings")
• 1965 – ' ("The Right to Time")
• 1966 – ' ("11 Elegies")
• 1967 –
• ' ("Vertical Red"),
• ',
• ' ("The Egg and the Sphere")
• 1968 – '
• 1969 –
• ' ("The Unwords"),
• ' ("A Land Called Romania")
• 1970 – ' ("In Sweet Classical Style")
• 1972 –
• ' ("The Re-reading Book")
• ' ("Five Friends in Belgrade")
• ' ("The Greatness of Cold")
• 1978 – '
• 1979 – ' ("Imperfect Works")
• 1980 – Carte de citire, carte de iubire ("Book for Reading, Book for Loving")
• 1982 – ' ("Crying Bones")
• 1982 – ' ("Knots and Marks")
• 1982 – Respirări ("Breaths")