1. Marin Preda is considered by some to be the most important novelist in post-World War II Romanian literature.
22 Facts About Marin Preda
1. 2.
However, he has garnered an ambivalent perception in post-socialist Romania: Marin Preda's final novel, Cel mai iubit dintre pamanteni, published just a couple of months before his death, is a daring critique of the beginnings of communism in Romania; in contrast, Marin Preda was well-regarded by party leaders and received high distinctions in socialist Romania, and did not position himself as an open opponent of the regime.
3.
At the time of his death, Marin Preda was a member of the Great National Assembly.
4.
Marin Preda was born in Teleorman County in a village called Silistea Gumesti, the son of Tudor Calarasu, a ploughman, and Joita Marin Preda.
5.
Marin Preda legally bore his mother's name, as his parents were not legally married due to the fact that Joita was a war widow, and a second marriage would annul her pension.
6.
Marin Preda finished 7th grade with an overall average of 9.78.
7.
Marin Preda's final graduating exam was taken at the Central School in Ciolanesti.
8.
In 1937, avoiding the Teacher Training School in Alexandria, where the fees were too high, Marin Preda instead sought to attend school in Campulung-Muscel, but was rejected at the medical examination due to myopia.
9.
Marin Preda soon integrated into daily life at a pedagogical institute.
10.
In 1940, following the Second Vienna Award, which transferred parts of Transylvania to Hungary, Marin Preda began to attend school in Bucharest.
11.
Marin Preda kept contact with Transylvanian refugees and met with soldiers settled in Bucharest.
12.
In 1941, through Geo Dumitrescu, Marin Preda was hired as a proofreader for the newspaper Timpul.
13.
Marin Preda took part in several meetings of the Sburatorul literary circle, led by Eugen Lovinescu, where his short story "Calul" produced a vivid impression, arousing the delight of Dinu Nicodin, who purchased the manuscript for a large sum of money.
14.
The volume hinted at Marin Preda's defining use of autobiographical, "fly on the wall" narratives: in the eponymous short story, critics immediately recognized the author's father, who would appear with a changed name in Morometii.
15.
Marin Preda became fascinated by William Faulkner, with whom his prose has certain affinities.
16.
Marin Preda became a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy in 1974, and was promoted to titular post-mortem member in 1990.
17.
In 1980, Marin Preda published his last novel, Cel mai iubit dintre pamanteni, regarded as a violent critique of communism.
18.
Marin Preda then married Eta Vexler, who later immigrated to France in the early 1970s, ending their marriage.
19.
In 1971, Marin Preda was awarded the Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic, 2rd class "for special merits in the work of building socialism, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Romanian Communist Party establishment".
20.
On 16 May 1980, Marin Preda died suddenly at the Writers' Mansion of Mogosoaia Palace.
21.
Marin Preda's family maintains that his sudden death was related to the publication of the novel Cel mai iubit dintre pamanteni and occurred in suspicious circumstances.
22.
Marin Preda was buried in the Writers' Alley in Bellu Cemetery.