41 Facts About Constantin Beldie

Constantin Dumitru Beldie was a Romanian journalist, publicist, and civil servant, famous for his libertine lifestyle and his unapologetic, sarcastic, memoirs of life in the early 20th century.

Constantin Beldie became a pioneer of cultural journalism at Noua Revista Romana, before moving on to Ideea Europeana and ultimately Cuvantul, befriending philosopher-journalist Nae Ionescu.

Constantin Beldie was the lover of female journalist Cora Irineu, and was possibly responsible for her suicide in 1924.

Constantin Beldie was a second-generation Bucharester, with his paternal family stemming from the western province of Oltenia.

Young Constantin Beldie received a progressive education, which even included enrollment in pre-kindergarten.

Constantin Beldie was later given private lessons in French, German and English, in addition to attending school, and took classes in dance and bicycling.

However, Constantin Beldie grew up mainly on the streets, describing life in the half-rural Bucharest of his youth as "patriarchal, lazy, prosperous and good-to-all".

Constantin Beldie's summers were spent in the countryside, traveling with Ghita Beldie on the trade route between Valsan region and Bucharest.

Constantin Beldie observed Westernization and urbanization as a bohemian outsider, commenting sarcastically on the universal spread of petty corruption and lassitude.

Constantin Beldie went to the Saint Sava National College, followed by the Gheorghe Sincai Gymnasium.

Constantin Beldie's time in school was an annoyance, and he twice failed to get his remove, passing his finishing exams in private.

Constantin Beldie took a break from schooling, and worked various odd jobs, notably as a clerk in a medical laboratory, a choir singer for the Metropolitan Church, and a village teacher.

Constantin Beldie quickly learned the editing and typographical trades, as well as the administrative tasks involved in preparing a magazine.

Soon, Constantin Beldie became a close observer of the day's literary and scientific milieu, reviewing the correspondence exchanged between Noua Revista Romana and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.

Constantin Beldie personally intervened to have Aderca's poems published in Noua Revista Romana, but was much annoyed by Aderca's "contentious and categorical" nature.

Constantin Beldie worked on and off as a translator of French literature for Alcaly Publishers, whose Jewish Romanian owner, he recalled, was utterly illiterate.

Constantin Beldie met and befriended, or quarreled with, a host of Symbolists and post-Symbolists, leaving characterological notes on Adrian Maniu, N Davidescu, Emil Isac, and Mihail Sorbul.

Constantin Beldie claimed to have played a personal part in bringing Expressionism to Romania, but was perplexed by Cubism, and declared himself unconvinced by Marinetti's Futurism.

Ionescu, Constantin Beldie claims, was "not taken seriously" as an author, mainly because "he wouldn't take himself seriously".

Constantin Beldie was a long-haired dandy with "languid eyes", taking special care in his appearance, which included such fashionable items as a Panama or a bowler hat, celluloid collar, a frock coat, nacre buttons, and a walking cane.

Constantin Beldie was a teacher from 1913 to 1947 in the fields of Romanian language, professional education and project management.

Constantin Beldie was again drafted into the Land Forces for the World War I Romanian campaign.

In 1919, Constantin Beldie became editorial secretary at another of Radulescu-Motru's magazines, Ideea Europeana, which took over the old offices of Noua Revista Romana.

Constantin Beldie was not especially visible in this company of intellectuals, but contributed a rather popular satirical column, Aplauze si fluieraturi, and put to bed each printed issue.

Constantin Beldie began an affair with Irineu, leaving with her on official assignments to Transylvania.

In 1922, Irineu left alone for an extended trip in Banat area, while Constantin Beldie stated behind in Bucharest.

From around 1919, Constantin Beldie was working as a teacher at the Superior School for Arts and Crafts, in Bucharest.

Constantin Beldie arranged for her burial at Bellu cemetery, and put out a final version of her letters and essays.

Constantin Beldie himself became head of Imprimeria Nationala, before becoming assistant director and then director for the census, in which capacity he was well paid.

Constantin Beldie was embittered by Ionescu's politics, describing him as a "ham actor" on the far-right and religious scene, a figure of "turpitude, cynicism, amorality".

Constantin Beldie ended his career in the public service as head of Loteria de Stat.

Constantin Beldie only gave private readings, and was hailed by critic Vladimir Streinu, who attended such events, as Romania's answer to Saint-Simon.

Constantin Beldie was supported morally and financially by old literary friends, including Arghezi and literary critic Tudor Vianu, who greatly enjoyed reading fragments from the work.

Constantin Beldie visited the house of another literary promoter, Serban Cioculescu, his portrait picture prominently displayed in the lobby.

Constantin Beldie was survived by his son Alexandru, whom he had educated in accordance with Glossa spiritului carturaresc, encouraging him to take up mountaineering.

Constantin Beldie Jr became a distinguished dendrologist, forestry engineer, and environmentalist.

Constantin Beldie was married three times, but had no children.

Constantin Beldie looked forward to the promise of liberalization, believing that his bitter memoirs would eventually be given imprimatur by the communist authorities.

Constantin Beldie was worried that they would never be published in full, so he asked his literary friends, including Arghezi, Vianu, Cioculescu, and Perpessicius, to make sure no part of them went missing.

Constantin Beldie preserved the manuscripts and, in the 1970s, presented them to Zigu Ornea, director of Editura Minerva.

Alexandru Constantin Beldie died on June 4,2003, some 3 years after the original book saw print, in what his colleagues describe as undeserved anonymity.