Sergiu Grossu (14 November 1920 in Cubolta – 25 July 2009 in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n writer and theologian.

Biography

Sergiu Grossu was born to Ion and Maria Grossu on 14 November 1920 in Cubolta. In 1927, his family moved to

Bălți Bălți () is a city in Moldova. It is the second-largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city holds the status of municipiu. Sometimes called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cu ...

, where he was a classmate of Eugen Coșeriu. He published in

Viața Basarabiei ''Viaţa Basarabiei'' (Romanian for "Bessarabia's Life", ) is a Romanian-language periodical from Chişinău, Moldova. Originally a literary and political magazine, published at a time when the Bessarabia region was part of Romania, it was foun ...

. He graduated from the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...

with degrees in theology, philosophy and modern philology. Following the

Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina Between 28 June and 3 July 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, following an ultimatum made to Romania on 26 June 1940 that threatened the use of force. Those regions, with a total area of and a population of 3,776 ...

, he became a refugee in Bucharest. In the wake of the

Soviet occupation of Romania The Soviet occupation of Romania refers to the period from 1944 to August 1958, during which the Soviet Union maintained a significant military presence in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania. The fate of the territories held by Romania after 1 ...

, he joined '' Oastea Domnului'' (the ''Lord's Army''), a spiritual renewal movement of lay volunteers as well as clerics, associated with the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the East ...

. The organization was outlawed during the communist rule; his pseudonym was Simion Cubolta. In April 1957, he married Nicoleta Valeria Bruteanu (1919–96), a graduate of

Bucharest Conservatory The National University of Music Bucharest (, UNMB) is a university-level school of music located in Bucharest, Romania. Established as a school of music in 1863 and reorganized as an academy in 1931, it has functioned as a public university since ...

, relative of

Iuliu Maniu Iuliu Maniu (; 8 January 1873 – 5 February 1953) was a Romanian lawyer and politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the Union of Transylvania wi ...

and former political detainee. The Romanian movie ''Binecuvântată fii, închisoare'' (''Bless you, prison'') and the book ''Prisoner Rejoice'' recount the story of Nicoleta Valeria Bruteanu's grueling years of detention by the Romanian Communist Regime. On 7 March 1959 Grossu was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison for his activity in ''Oastea Domnului''. He was pardoned in 1962. The communist dictatorship then denied him all but manual employment. Sergiu Grossu and his wife migrated to France in 1969. There they founded the "Catacombes" publishing house, the association "La Chaine" and served as editors of the monthly magazine '' Catacombes'' (1971–92). He hosted the radio show "Lumea creștină" on

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

, and lectured in Paris, Bordeaux, Versailles, Besançon, Dieppe, Tours, Blois, Poitiers, Nantes, Brest, Toulouse, Lyon &c. On 18 January 1996, after 27 years in exile, Sergiu Grossu returned for good to Bucharest, bringing with him the mortal remains of his wife. In Bucharest, he founded Fundația Foștilor Deținuți Politici "Nicoleta Valeria Grossu", the publishing house "Duh și Adevăr", and the association "Centrul de cultură creștină Nicoleta Valeria Grossu." In

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

Sergiu Grossu founded Centrul internațional de cultură pentru copii și tineret "Sergiu Grossu" and sponsored the creation of the Muzeul Memoriei Neamului, led by his former classmate Vadim Pirogan..

Honours

* Premiul concursului de creație literar-creștin "Sergiu Grossu" * Centrul internațional de cultură pentru copii și tineret "Sergiu Grossu"

Works

* . * ''Lanțul'', poems, 1971 * ''O rază de soare'', poems, 1971 * ''Pietre de aducere aminte'', poems, 1971 * La Chaine – 1971 Paris * Un rayon de soleil – 1971 Paris * ziarul "Catacombes"- 1971, editat timp de 20 de ani * ''Catacombes 1973'' (Almanach de l'Église de Silence), 1973, Éditions Catacombes * ''Câmpurile de muncă în URSS'', 1975 * ''Derrière le rideau de bambou'' (de Mao Tsé-toung à Fidel Castro), 1975, Éditions Catacombes, Paris * ''La Technique du regard'' în ''Promesses'' - ''Revue de réflexions bibliques'', N°15, Jul–Sep 1975 * ''The Church in today's catacombs'', Arlington House, USA, 1976 * . * ''Infernul chinez'', 1976 * ''Au fond de l'abîme'' (''Le règne de la haine''), 1976, Éditions Apostolat des Éditions, Paris * ''Les Enfants du Goulag'' (Chronique de l'enfance opprimé en URSS), 1979, France-Empire, Paris. * * . * . * Inscripții pe un vas de lut – 1994, ed. Roza vânturilor * În șfichiul ironiei – 1996, ed. Hrisova, Bucuresti * În așteptarea unui pământ nou – 1998, ed. Duh și Adevăr * ''Îmi bate inima la Bug'', ed. Museum, Chișinău, 2000 * Apocalipsiada * . * ''Plaidoyer pour L'Église du Silence'', Ed. Resiac, 2003 * ''Calendarul persecuției religioase în țările comuniste'', 2003

References

Bibliography

* Sergiu Grossu, ''Calvarul României creștine'', "

Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' () is a Romanian literary magazine published in Romania. It is among the most important journals of the nineteenth-century Romania. History and profile ''Convorbiri Literare'' was founded by Titu Maiorescu in 1867. The ma ...

" - ABC DAVA, 1992.

External links

* Sergiu Grosu
La Technique du regard
* Sergiu Grosu

Sergiu Grossu

*

Literatura și Arta ''Literatura şi Arta'' (Romanian for "Literature and Art") is a weekly newspaper from Chişinău, Moldova. History The first edition was printed in 1977. The first editor in chief was Victor Teleucă Victor Teleucă (19 January 1933 – ...

Un apostol al Neamului Românesc
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossu, Sergiu 1920 births 2009 deaths People from Briceni District Eastern Orthodox Christians from Romania Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty people University of Bucharest alumni Romanian theologians Romanian writers Moldovan writers Moldovan male writers Romanian textbook writers Romanian dissidents Romanian emigrants to France 20th-century Romanian essayists 20th-century Romanian journalists