14 Facts About Gala Galaction

Gala Galaction was born in the village of Didesti, Teleorman County, the son of a wealthy peasant and a priest's daughter.

Gala Galaction's father had traveled throughout the Balkans on business, and had settled in Didesti as an estate lessee.

Gala Galaction's growing interest in Orthodoxy led him to abandon literature for the following ten years.

In 1922, Galaction was anointed to the priesthood, and in 1926 he became Professor of Theology and New Testament Studies at the Chisinau University's School of Theology.

Gala Galaction was dean of the School between 1928 and 1930.

Together with priest Vasile Radu, Galaction worked on a new translation of the Bible into modern Romanian.

Gala Galaction contributed regularly to the literary magazine Viata Romaneasca and to the newspaper Adevarul.

Gala Galaction contributed to the political-literary journal Samanatorul, but was on exceptionally bad terms with the latter's founder, Nicolae Iorga.

In 1936, Galaction was denounced for "communist activities" and alleged links with the Communist International, which he dismissed as slander.

In 1944, after the overthrow of Antonescu during the August 23 coup, which saw Romania switch sides from the Axis and to the Allies, Galaction expressed his enthusiasm:.

Gala Galaction was bedridden for the final years of his life due to a stroke; this probably accounted for the scarcity in criticism aimed at him during the Zhdanovist campaign in Romania.

Gala Galaction was close to Vasile's daughter, the novelist and actress Lucia Demetrius, who expressed her gratitude for the moral support he gave her family after Vasile Demetrius died.

Gala Galaction's contributions were later collected in the volume Sionismul la Prieteni, published in 1919.

In late 1947, Galaction welcomed the more decisive steps taken towards the creation of Israel.