Avram Steuerman-Rodion

Avram Steuerman-Rodion, born Adolf Steuerman or Steuermann and often referred to as just Rodion (November 30, 1872 – September 19, 1918), was a Romanian poet, anthologist, physician and socialist journalist. A member of Romania's Jewish community, he was a lifelong militant for Jewish emancipation and assimilation, noted for poems which attack the prevailing antisemitism of his day. For a while, he was active as a propagandist of ''Hovevei Zion'' ideas among local Jews.

During the early stages World War I, Rodion was a columnist at ''Seara'' daily, with articles which criticized Romania's prospects of joining the Entente Powers. Steuerman is himself described as a Germanophile, but, upon Romania's entry into the war in 1916, earned distinction on the local front. He committed suicide upon demobilization, following episodes of clinical depression.

Married into the family of Jewish intellectuals Moses and Elias Schwartzfeld, Steuerman-Rodion was thus related to poet-philosopher Benjamin Fondane, who was his literary pupil. Steuerman himself is often described as an obscure contributor to Romanian literature, but survives in cultural memory for having given a poetic voice to the ideals of Jewish integration.

Biography

Early life and career

A native of Iași city, the historical capital of Moldavia region, Steuerman was a graduate of the National High School.Podoleanu, p.303 He published his first poem in ''Drapelul'', a Moldavian weekly, and debuted as a polemicist in the satirical journal ''Perdaful''. A passionate writer and, according to his friend Blumenfeld-Scrutator, "the prototype of journalistic refinement", he moved on to establish his own newspaper. Addressed to the Moldavian Jews, it was called ''Răsăritul'' ("The East"), and stood for Zionism. Steuerman also contributed to the Iași gazette ''Jurnalul'', an organ of a left-wing political movement spearheaded by George Panu. Known under the pen name ''As.'', he was a noted proponent of socialist literature and didacticism in art, following the theories of socialist thinker Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea. Victor Durnea
"Enigmaticul I. Saint Pierre"
, in ''Cultura'', Nr. 312, February 2011

As a result, Steuerman had his works published in the Moldavian socialist review, ''Contemporanul''. He fought to defend Dobrogeanu-Gherea against dissident socialists, in particular against a pseudonymous critic, ''I. Saint Pierre''. In November 1894, he and Anton Bacalbașa of ''Adevărul'' daily were each proposing ways to uncover Saint Pierre's real identity, and debating each other on the actual nature of Pierre's critique. By then, Steuerman's own articles were being taken up by ''Adevărul''. As a correspondent, he was using a regional pen name: ''De la Iași'', later ''A. de la Iași''.

By 1893, Steuerman had enlisted at the University of Iași Faculty of Medicine, but was still preoccupied with literary studies. The Jewish printing house of Lazăr Șaraga hosted Steuerman's selection of Romanian literature, ''Autori români'' ("Romanian Authors"). Published in or around 1893, it was divided into two volumes: the Anthology-proper and the Chrestomathy. Steuerman and Șaraga published a second edition in 1896. Between these, Steuerman and his editor worked on translations from the work of philosopher Vasile Conta, putting out the ''Theory of Universal Undulation'' in 1894, and the ''Basic Metaphysics'' in 1896. The same collaboration brought the posthumous edition of poems by the socialist Traian Demetrescu, published by Șaraga and prefaced by Steuerman, and tales by Carmen Sylva, the Queen-consort of Romania.

In Moldavia, Steuerman made his name writing for the moderate left-wing paper '' Evenimentul''. Additionally, he worked with the ''Evenimenul'' men Al. Stroja-Flișki and Ioan Dafin on the literary magazine ''Cărticica Săptămânei''. Writing years later, Dafin called Rodion "one of omania'smost talented journalists". According to Dafin, he wrote with "amazing ease", and was involved on all aspects of creative work.

In parallel, Steuerman was studying to become a Doctor of Medicine: beginning in autumn 1896, he furthered his medical studies in France. Normally, this departure would have brought a hiatus in his journalistic activity. Steuerman compensated by mailing daily contributions to ''Evenimentul'', and, as Dafin notes, "his absence from Iași was not at all felt by his readers." Upon his return, he set up a medical practice in the city.Boia, p.318 His thesis, on the treatment of skin cancer, was eventually printed in 1898.Podoleanu, p.305

His writing career was consecrated by several volumes of lyrical poetry—''Sărăcie'' ("Poverty"), ''Lirice'' ("Lyricals"), ''Spini'' ("Thorns")—, a volume of short stories—''O toamnă la Paris'' ("An Autumn in Paris")—, a libretto for an opera about Moldavian Prince Petru Rareș, and several translations. The latter work includes versions of plays or poems by Tristan Bernard, Heinrich Heine, Victor Hugo, Ada Negri, Leo Tolstoy etc.

In 1897, Steuerman was a contributor to ''Noutatea'' ("The Novelty"), an independent daily published in Iași by the Jewish poet Berman Goldner-Giordano. This short-lived gazette had a relatively obscure history, and one of its contributors, the maverick socialist Garabet Ibrăileanu reportedly forgot to mention it in all his later accounts of the period. Victor Durnea
"Pseudonimele lui G. Ibrăileanu. Colaborator la ''Noutatea'' (Iași, 1897)"
, in ''România Literară'', Nr. 11/2008 Its regular contributors were young supporters of left-wing ideologies: alongside Steuerman and Giordano, they include poet Mihail Codreanu and future jurist Eugen Heroveanu. With Codreanu, Steuerman (who usually disguised his name under the signatures ''Rodion'', ''Aster'', ''Leander'' and ''Tristis'') took charge of the literary column and the poetry section. They were sporadically joined by other writers, among them Laura Vampa, Alexandru Toma, I. A. Bassarabescu, George Ranetti