19 Facts About Paul Goma

Paul Goma was born to a Romanian family in Mana village, Orhei County, then in the Kingdom of Romania, now part of Moldova.

In March 1944, the Paul Goma family took refuge in Sibiu, Transylvania.

Later on, Paul Goma would describe his family's refugee saga in the novels Arta refugii, Soldatul cainelui, and Garda inversa.

Paul Goma graduated from Fagaras' Radu Negru High School in 1953.

Paul Goma was arrested on the charge of attempting to organize a strike at the University of Bucharest and he was sentenced to two years in prison.

Paul Goma served his sentence at the prisons in Jilava and Gherla, and then was put under house arrest in Latesti until 1963.

Several months later, Paul Goma attempted to publish a novel, Ostinato, but it was not allowed by the censors after one of them claimed to recognize one character as Elena Ceausescu.

Nevertheless, he published the novel in translation in West Germany in 1971, as a result of which, Paul Goma was excluded from the Communist Party.

In 1977, Paul Goma wrote a public letter expressing solidarity with the Charter 77, but, finding few friends willing to sign it, he wrote another letter, addressed directly to Ceausescu, in which he asked him to sign it, as the two of them were the only Romanians not afraid of the Securitate.

Paul Goma was arrested and excluded from the Writers' Union of Romania.

Paul Goma was released on 6 May 1977, four days before the anniversary of 100 years of Romanian independence, celebrations which Ceausescu didn't want to be overshadowed by Paul Goma's arrest.

Paul Goma, who had received two death threats since his arrival in France, called the police.

Paul Goma lived in Paris as a stateless political refugee, his Romanian citizenship having been revoked after 1978 by the communist government.

On March 18,2020, Paul Goma was hospitalized at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris after being infected with COVID-19 and died on March 24,2020.

Paul Goma rejects these criticisms and claims that he has filed libel lawsuits against his accusers.

Paul Goma asserted that his wife was Jewish and stated that similar arguments were used against him by the Securitate in the 1980s.

On January 30,2007, Paul Goma was awarded the "Citizen of Honor" distinction by the Municipal Council of Timisoara.

In February 2007, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania and the Israeli Embassy protested against the distinction, arguing that Paul Goma was the author of multiple antisemitic articles.

Nine days later he was dismissed by the Commission's president, Vladimir Tismaneanu, who explained the exclusion based on Paul Goma's questioning the moral and scientific credibility of the president of the Commission, and disclosing of their private correspondence.