Lucian Boz
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Lucian Boz (; also rendered as Lucien Boz; November 9, 1908 – March 14, 2003) was a
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
literary critic, essayist, novelist, poet and translator. Raised 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 ...
, he had a lawyer's training but never practiced, instead opting for a career in journalism and literary criticism. An active participant in the 1930s cultural scene, he theorized an empathetic and "enthusiastic" approach to literature, which was in tune with the avant-garde tendencies of his lifetime. After a stint editing the review ''Ulise'' in 1932–1933, he became a contributor to more major newspapers, including ''
Adevărul (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Kingd ...
'', '' Cuvântul Liber'', and '' Vremea''; he was also for a while an editorial secretary at
Ion Vinea Ion Vinea (born Ioan Eugen Iovanaki, sometimes Iovanache; April 17, 1895 – July 6, 1964) was a Romanian poet, novelist, journalist, literary theorist, and political figure. He became active on the Modernist literature, modernist scene during hi ...
's ''
Contimporanul ''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of the Romanian word for "the Contemporary", singular masculine form) was a Romanian (initially a weekly and later a monthly) avant-garde literary and art magazine, published in Bucharest between June 1922 ...
''. Earning attention for his critical treatment of authors from
Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...
to Urmuz, Boz was singled out on the literary scene for his Jewish origins. His Romanian career was cut short with the advent of a censorious authoritarian and antisemitic government in 1937. Moving to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, he graduated from the
École pratique des hautes études The (), abbreviated EPHE, is a French postgraduate top level educational institution, a . EPHE is a constituent college of the Université PSL (together with ENS Ulm, Paris Dauphine or Ecole des Mines). The college is closely linked to É ...
and settled into journalistic work, but was displaced by the
German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...
. Upon this, Boz joined the
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
and was then interned at
Drancy Drancy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in northern France. It is located 10.8 km (6.7 mi) from the center of Paris. History Toponymy The name Drancy comes from Medieval Lati ...
. His plight drew the attention of a fellow Romanian exile,
Emil Cioran Emil Mihai Cioran (; ; ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorism ...
, who networked on his behalf; Boz was subsequently freed, becoming one of very few Jews to escape alive. Resuming his reporter's activity, and contributing to ''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'', Boz divided his time between France and Romania from 1944 to 1947, debuting as an
autofiction Autofiction is, in literary criticism, a form of fictionalized autobiography. Definition In autofiction, an author may decide to recount their life in the Third-person narrative, third person, to modify significant details and characters, use in ...
al novelist and translating from
Jean Bruller Jean Marcel Adolphe Bruller (26 February 1902 – 10 June 1991) was a French writer and illustrator who co-founded the publishing company with Pierre de Lescure. Born to a Hungarian-Jewish father, he joined the Resistance during the World War ...
. Though initially tolerated by the
Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...
, he never returned to his native country after a
Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
was fully established. After a few more years in France, he left for Australia in 1951, and worked for a while as a welder. He was eventually hired by
Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...
to head its local office, and Boz's literary activity abated until his retirement in 1974. Afterwards, he republished some of his old work in photocopy and contributed to Romanian cultural activities in his adopted country. Never a declared opponent of the regime, his work was nonetheless unwelcome in Communist Romania, and had to wait until after the 1989 Revolution to regain critical favor. During the 1990s and until soon before his death, Boz contributed material to a Romanian magazine. In 2000, his short ''
roman à clef A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...
'', dealing with the war years, was printed as his last major contribution.


Early life and career

Originally from
Hârlău Hârlău (also spelled ''Hîrlău'', ; ; ) is a town in Iași County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It was one of the princely court cities of Moldavia, in the 15th century. One village, Pârcovaci, is administered by the town. Geography The town is ...
,
Iași County Iași County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with the administrative seat at Iași. It is the most populous county in Romania, after the Municipality of Bucharest (which has the same administrative level as that of a cou ...
, Boz was born to Jewish parents Mendel, later wounded and decorated in World War I, and Clara (''née'' Sapina). Ilie Rad
"Recuperarea unui scriitor: Lucian Boz"
in ''
România Literară ''România Literară'' is a cultural and literary magazine from Romania. In its original edition, it was founded on 1 January 1855 by Vasile Alecsandri and published in Iași until 3 December 1855, when it was suppressed. The new series appeared ...
'', Issue 34/2009
Clara also gave birth to Lucian's elder brother, Marcel, who worked as a physician in France; close relatives included Marcela, wife of novelist Ury Benador. The Bozes moved to the national capital
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 ...
in 1909, where Lucian attended Gheorghe Lazăr High School. He then enrolled in the Law faculty of 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 ...
, where his professors included Istrate Micescu, Constantin C. Stoicescu, and Vintilă Dongoroz. He graduated in 1934 but never practiced, instead entering a career in the press and in literary criticism. Boz's first published work, a biographical sketch of
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
, appeared in ''Premiera'' magazine in 1927. When he was aged nineteen, ''Tiparnița Literară'' published his review of Ion Barbu's poetry.
Alexandru Mirodan Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu. Origin Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men", ...
, "Dicționarul neconvențional al scriitorilor evrei de limbă română. F", in ''Minimum'', Vol. IX, Issue 96, March 1995, p. 46
As he himself noted, he then used this text as a reference to be hired by
Ion Vinea Ion Vinea (born Ioan Eugen Iovanaki, sometimes Iovanache; April 17, 1895 – July 6, 1964) was a Romanian poet, novelist, journalist, literary theorist, and political figure. He became active on the Modernist literature, modernist scene during hi ...
at ''
Facla ''Facla'' ("The Torch") was a Romanian political and literary magazine. ''Facla'' was published weekly in Bucharest between 13 March 1910 and 15 June 1913, daily from 5 October 1913 to 5 March 1914, weekly from 1 January to 7 August 1916 and daily ...
''. Vinea preferred to have him work for the literary magazine, ''
Contimporanul ''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of the Romanian word for "the Contemporary", singular masculine form) was a Romanian (initially a weekly and later a monthly) avant-garde literary and art magazine, published in Bucharest between June 1922 ...
'', though ''Facla'' also carried Boz's literary chronicles. He was ''Contimporanul''s editorial secretary in 1930–1931, only quitting when he had to perform his mandatory service in the
Romanian Land Forces The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Force ...
; his replacement was a young
Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; ; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre#Avant-garde, French avant-garde th ...
. A member of the
Eugen Lovinescu Eugen Lovinescu (; 31 October 1881 – 16 July 1943) was a Romanian modernist literary historian, literary critic, academic, and novelist, who in 1919 established the ''Sburătorul'' literary club. He was the father of Monica Lovinescu, and the ...
-led ''
Sburătorul ''Sburătorul'' was a Romanian modernist literary magazine and literary society, established in Bucharest in April 1919. Led by Eugen Lovinescu, the circle was instrumental in developing new trends and styles in Romanian literature, ranging f ...
'' literary society, Boz contributed to Isac Ludo's ''Adam'', ''
Adevărul Literar și Artistic (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Roma ...
'', ''Capricorn'', ''Mișcarea'', '' unu'' (where he used the pseudonym ''Vasile Cernat''), ''Discobolul'', and ''
Viața Românească ''Viața Românească'' (, "The Romanian Life") is a monthly literary magazine published in Romania. Formerly the platform of the left-wing traditionalist trend known as poporanism, it is now one of the Writers' Union of Romania's main venues. ...
''. He began frequenting literary cafes, befriending, among others, Ionesco,
Alexandru Sahia Alexandru Sahia (pen name of Alexandru Stănescu; October 11, 1908 – August 12, 1937) was a Romanian journalist and short story writer. Biography Born in Mânăstirea, Călărași County, as the son of a small landowner, he was enrolled in the ...
, and Ionathan X. Uranus. With Ludo and Benador, he also attended a Jewish literary salon at Slova printing house, where he recalled running into
Barbu Lăzăreanu Barbu Lăzăreanu (born Avram Lazarovici,Valentin Chifor, "Lăzăreanu Barbu", in Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', Vol. I, pp. 839–840. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. or Bercu Leizerovici,Constantin Ior ...
, Theodor Loewenstein-Lavi, and Henric Streitman. Boz was a noted promoter of
literary modernism Modernist literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is characterised by a self-conscious separation from traditional ways of writing in both poetry and prose fiction writing. Modernism experimented with literary form a ...
, and, according to scholar
Paul Cernat Paul Cernat (born August 5, 1972 in Bucharest) is a Romanian essayist and literary critic. He has a Ph.D. summa cum laude in philology. Cernat has been a member of the Writers' Union of Romania since 2009. As of 2013, he is lecturer of Romanian l ...
, "the only enthusiastic supporter of the homegrown avant-garde". In ''Contimporanul'', he introduced Romanians to the work of
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
. It is seen by Cernat as his "most important" piece of commentary,Cernat, p. 330 even though (as noted by Arleen Ionescu) his reading of '' Ulysses'' contains "errors of interpretation" which "today ..appear hilarious." In March 1930, in ''Facla'', he published the only interview ever granted by
Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century and a pioneer of modernism ...
, then on a visit to Bucharest. The same newspaper carried his posthumous homage to the avant-garde hero Urmuz (whom he described as a "reformer of Romanian poetry" and as a local equivalent of
Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he s ...
) and his praise of modernists such as Jacques G. Costin. At ''Zodiac'', a literary sheet put out by I. Peltz, Boz wrote similar reviews of literary works by Vinea and
Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (; 8 December 1876 – 5 March 1955 in Bucharest) was a novelist of the Romanian interwar period. Life Hortensia Bengescu was born in Ivești, Galați, Ivești, Galați County, on 8 December 1876. She was the daughter o ...
. In 1931, ''
Adevărul (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Kingd ...
'' daily hosted his homage to
Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, c ...
.Cernat, p. 331 Alongside Em. Ungher, Boz edited his own publication, the avant-garde magazine ''Ulise'', which appeared in four numbers in 1932–1933. Largely a continuation of ''Contimporanul'', it grouped around it an eclectic circle, comprising Ionesco, Uranus, alongside Arșavir Acterian, Dan Botta,
Emil Botta Emil Botta (; 15 September 1911 – 24 July 1977) was a Romanian actor, poet and prose writer, the younger brother of poet-essayist Dan Botta. Though born in Western Moldavia, the two boys were raised by their Corsican mother in Muscel County; ...
, Marcel Bresliska, Barbu Brezianu,
Petru Comarnescu __NOTOC__ Petru Comarnescu (23 November 1905 – 27 November 1970) was a Romanian literary and art critic and translator. Born in Iași into a family that was related to the metropolitan bishop , he studied law at the University of Bucharest (degr ...
, Virgil Gheorghiu, Anton Holban, Eugen Jebeleanu, Alexandru Robot, Horia Stamatu,
Simion Stolnicu Simion Stolnicu (pen name of Alexandru I. Botez; November 6, 1905 – November 29, 1966) was a Romanian poet. Born in Puchenii-Moșneni, Prahova County, his parents were Al. Botez, a ''Căile Ferate Române'' clerk, and his wife Ecaterina ...
, Octav Șuluțiu, and writer-cartoonist Neagu Rădulescu. In 1933, Boz became editor at ''Adevărul'' and '' Dimineața'', as well as at the weekly '' Cuvântul Liber''. At this stage in his life, he married an ''Adevărul'' colleague, Cora Costiner, from whom he would have a son, Alain. Boz's 1932 essay on
Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...
(''Eminescu. Încercare critică''), originally printed in ''Capricorn'', Mihai Drăgan, "Aproximații critice. Riscul originalității", in ''Cronica'', Vol. VII, Issue 12, March 1972, p. 5 drew lavish praise from
George Călinescu George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899 – 12 March 1965) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the most important Romani ...
. Other contemporary critics who appreciated his work included Lovinescu, Ionesco,
Perpessicius Perpessicius (; pen name of Dumitru S. Panaitescu, also known as Panait Șt. Dumitru, D. P. Perpessicius and Panaitescu-Perpessicius; October 22, 1891 – March 29, 1971) was a Romanian literary historian and critic, poet, essayist and fiction wr ...
,
Pompiliu Constantinescu Pompiliu Constantinescu (May 17, 1901 – May 9, 1946) was a Romanian literary critic. Biography He was born on May 17, 1901, in Bucharest, "''in a place where he saw the light of day for the first time, on Sabines Street no. 109, the son of J ...
, and Ion Biberi. Some, including the modernist Vladimir Streinu, were derisive of the effort—as noted by their common friend
Șerban Cioculescu Șerban Cioculescu (; 7 September 1902 – 25 June 1988) was a Romanian literary critic, literary historian and columnist who was born in Drobeta-Turnu Severin and died in Bucharest. He held teaching positions in Literature of Romania, Romanian ...
, Streinu treated Boz's "abstruse essay" with "extreme cruelty". Among later reviewers, Sergiu Ailenei notes that Boz's attempt to describe Eminescu by means of national psychology was "far-fetched". Sergiu Ailenei
"Eminescu în ultimii ani"
in '' Convorbiri Literare'', June 2002
In
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
and traditionalist circles, the work was panned as offensive and anomalous. C. Vrăbete of '' Neamul Românesc'' saw it comprising "the most fantastic aberrations" and "monstrosities", for being "fed on German theories", and for suggesting that the Romanians were contemplative and had "
Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...
blood". Boz, he noted, "seems not to be a Romanian, and not to have any links with the aspirations of our people". Before 1935, Boz was a columnist at '' Vremea'', where he covered the modern literature of France. He followed up on his writing with ''Cartea cu poeți'' ("The Book of Poets"), published in 1935. Displaying "extreme eclecticism", it included essays about 31 contemporary Romanian poets, nearly all of whom entered the literary canon. The preface outlined Boz's credo: a rejection of critical impressionism, and an empathetic,
anti-intellectual Anti-intellectualism is hostility to and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectualism, commonly expressed as deprecation of education and philosophy and the dismissal of art, literature, history, and science as impractical, politica ...
, "enthusiastically visionary", reception of the literary work up for review. His essays often focused on finding international connections for Romanian particulars, for instance tracing links between Vinea and
Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the developme ...
;
Tudor Arghezi Ion Nae Theodorescu (21 May 1880 – 14 July 1967) was a Romanian writer who wrote under the pen name Tudor Arghezi (. He is best known for his unique contribution to poetry and children's literature. Biography Early life He graduated from Sai ...
, Urmuz, and
Ramón Gómez de la Serna Ramón Gómez de la Serna y Puig (July 3, 1888 – January 13, 1963), born in Madrid, was a Spanish writer, dramatist and avant-garde agitator. He strongly influenced surrealist film maker Luis Buñuel. Ramón Gómez de la Serna was especially ...
or
François Villon François Villon (; Modern French: ; ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these e ...
;
Geo Bogza Geo Bogza (; born Gheorghe Bogza; February 6, 1908 – September 14, 1993) was a Romanian avant-garde theorist, poet, and journalist, known for his left-wing and Communism, communist political convictions. As a young man in the interwar period, h ...
and the
Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...
. In later decades, Boz was reviewed with reserve. In 1941, revising his early stance, Călinescu suggested that Boz's "visionary enthusiasm" was "an aberration", since it impaired the selection of values. He found Boz to be an "intelligent" writer, but one of "unthinking generosity". However, he also described ''Ulise'' as the more mature of Romania's avant-garde papers. Cernat takes the middle ground, describing Boz as "second-rate", "prolix" and "rather invertebrate", but "sometimes surprisingly intuitive". His opposition to mainstream literary theory, Cernat notes, is suited to the avant-garde requirements, surpassing Călinescu's own limits. Boz, he concludes, "is worth rereading."


In wartime France

Boz opposed the rise of
fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
, and, in a 1937 interview with '' Azi'', spoke out against its attempts to threaten and silence Jewish authors. In June of that year, the literary critic and
Iron Guard The Iron Guard () was a Romanian militant revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary Clerical fascism, religious fascist Political movement, movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel M ...
affiliate Mircea Streinul described Boz, Andrei Tudor and Oscar Lemnaru as "little kikes" (''jidănași'') who actively promoted pornographic writing. After ''Dimineața'' and ''Adevărul'' were suppressed by the National Christian government in December 1937, he left for Paris. There, he took courses at the
École pratique des hautes études The (), abbreviated EPHE, is a French postgraduate top level educational institution, a . EPHE is a constituent college of the Université PSL (together with ENS Ulm, Paris Dauphine or Ecole des Mines). The college is closely linked to É ...
. He took part in public conferences and attended lectures by
Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aqui ...
,
Gabriel Péri Gabriel Péri (; 9 February 1902 — 15 December 1941) was a prominent French communist journalist and politician who served in the Chamber of Deputies from 1932 to 1940 for Seine-et-Oise. A member of the French Resistance in World War II, he ...
and
Dolores Ibárruri Isidora Dolores Ibárruri Gómez (; 9 December 189512 November 1989), also known as ("the passionate one" or Passion flower"), was a Spanish Republican politician during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and a communist. She is renowned for ...
, also joining
PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...
. He met
Benjamin Fondane Benjamin Fondane () or Benjamin Fundoianu (; born Benjamin Wechsler, Wexler or Vecsler, first name also Beniamin or Barbu, usually abridged to B.; November 14, 1898 – October 2, 1944) was a Romanian and French poet, critic and existentialist ph ...
and
Ilarie Voronca Ilarie Voronca (pen name of Eduard Isidor Marcus; 31 December 1903, Brăila – 8 April 1946, Paris) was a Romanian avant-garde poet and essayist. Life and career Voronca was of History of the Jews in Romania, Jewish ethnicity. In his early yea ...
. In 1939, he was accredited as the Paris correspondent of
Tudor Teodorescu-Braniște Tudor Teodorescu-Braniște (April 12, 1899 – March 23, 1969) was a Romanian journalist. He was editor at a number of newspapers, including ''Cuvântul Liber (1924), Cuvântul Liber'' from 1933 to 1936, ''Aurora'', ''Adevărul'' and, from 1944 ...
's ''Jurnalul'', and still contributed to ''Adevărul Literar și Artistic'', which sought to protect and recover Jewish Romanian intellectuals. Boz also sent diplomatic reports for
United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
. In order to make ends meet, he worked for French newspapers as well, including ''
Le Petit Parisien ''Le Petit Parisien'' () was a prominent France, French newspaper during the Third French Republic, Third Republic. It was published between 1876 and 1944, and its circulation was over two million after the First World War. Publishing Despite its ...
'', ''Excelsior'' and ''Dimanche Illustrée''. Boz was unable to complete his studies, due to the outbreak of World War II and subsequent
German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...
. He joined the
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
in the
Maquis du Vercors The Battle of Vercors in July and August 1944 was between a rural group of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) Maquis_(World_War_II).html" ;"title="'Maquis (World War II)">maquis''and the armed forces of Nazi Germany which had occupied Franc ...
. In 1943, the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
arrested him and his wife, sending them to the
Drancy internment camp Drancy internment camp () was an assembly and detention camp for confining Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps during the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, German occupation of France duri ...
. While there, the only one of their friends from hunger-stricken Paris who brought them food was
Emil Cioran Emil Mihai Cioran (; ; ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorism ...
, the Romanian philosopher. Of several thousand Romanian Jews who passed through on their way to the Nazi
extermination camp Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe, primarily in occupied Poland, during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocau ...
s, a dozen were saved by the intervention of the Romanian legation, including Boz and his wife. Once released, he and Carola went into
Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
, where she was arrested and threatened with a return to Drancy. She was freed upon the insistent intervention of Cioran, who accompanied the couple to the border and ensured they had left France safely. At the end of 1944, following the
August coup The 1991 Soviet coup attempt, also known as the August Coup, was a failed attempt by hardliners of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) to Coup d'état, forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev, who was President ...
against the Romania's pro-
Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
dictator
Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc ...
, Boz returned to his home country, where he co-founded the French-language daily ''L'Information Internationale''. He was a columnist at ''Democrația'', the independent left-wing weekly, and had poetry published in the Communist Youth journal, ''
Scînteia Tineretului ''Scînteia Tineretului'' ("Youth Spark"; originally spelled ''Scânteia Tineretului'') was a central organ of the Union of Communist Youth (UTC), which was itself a youth branch of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR). Appearing daily between Novemb ...
'', while also working as an editor at ''Finanțe și Industrie'' daily and a correspondent of the Romanian Press Information Agency (ARIP). In 1945, he published an overview of wartime France, ''Franța, 1938—1944'', described at the time by
Petru Comarnescu __NOTOC__ Petru Comarnescu (23 November 1905 – 27 November 1970) was a Romanian literary and art critic and translator. Born in Iași into a family that was related to the metropolitan bishop , he studied law at the University of Bucharest (degr ...
as one of "the books that so richly provide us with full awareness about the civilizations that will shape tomorrow's world." It is equal parts memoir, historical account, and a reportage with colorful detail. The first part deals with the Paris of 1938–1940, up through the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
and the beginnings of the Resistance. In the second part, which begins with Operation ''Torch'', he describes his arrest, with a chapter on his wife's detainment written by her. He supplies descriptions of French people on both sides of the conflict and ends with the Liberation of 1944. It earned praise from the literary chronicler at ''
Revista Fundațiilor Regale ''Revista Fundațiilor Regale'' ("The Review of Royal Foundations") was a monthly literary, art and culture magazine published in Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and ...
'', who noted its "adherence to the French spirit" and its "vivid and suggestive" depictions of " Maquis figures". Boz also translated
Jean Bruller Jean Marcel Adolphe Bruller (26 February 1902 – 10 June 1991) was a French writer and illustrator who co-founded the publishing company with Pierre de Lescure. Born to a Hungarian-Jewish father, he joined the Resistance during the World War ...
's ''
Le Silence de la mer ''Le Silence de la mer'' (), English titles ''Silence of the Sea'' and ''Put Out the Light'', is a French novella written in 1941 by Jean Bruller under the pseudonym "Vercors". Published secretly in German-occupied Paris in 1942, the book quickl ...
'', in his introduction discussing the choice between resistance and collaboration faced by wartime French writers. In March 1946, he returned to Paris as a correspondent for the revived ''Adevărul'', and for the dailies ''Finanțe și Industrie'' and ''L'Information Internationale'', which would become an English-language weekly. At the same time, he occasionally wrote pieces for ''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'' and sent reports to Scandinavian papers. In 1947, ''Le Monde'' sent him on assignment to the famine-stricken areas of Romania; this would be his last visit to his native country. Because the Romanian newspapers who employed him disappeared with the advent of the Communist regime and his work for French newspapers and radio was only sporadic, he took a job at a Paris business. At the end of 1950 he decided to emigrate. Avoiding Soviet-occupied Romania, he briefly stayed in
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
before arriving in Australia in February 1951, after a 35-day journey. His cousin Adolf Bleicher noted in 1979: "Lucian adthe greatest luck, in that he communistsnever managed to capture him. All sorts of misfortunes plagued a cousin of his, also named Boz, who shared an address with Lucian's parents." First stopping in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
, Boz took on blue-collar jobs to support himself. He began as a factory welder, having taken a course on
arc welding Arc welding is a welding process that is used to join metal to metal by using electricity to create enough heat to melt metal, and the melted metals, when cool, result in a joining of the metals. It is a type of welding that uses a welding power ...
in France, but changed jobs after suffering an accident. Boz then moved to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, where he opened a public relations firm with no employees. His only assistant was his wife, herself a devotee of literature and culture.


Final decades

Thanks to his fluency in French and English, Boz was hired by
Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...
as the head of its Australian office, while his wife found work at the French embassy in Canberra. During his time in this position, he published hundreds of articles about France's aviation and aerospace industry in Australian newspapers and magazines. He visited
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
on several occasions after 1969, including a complete tour in 1970. He was a member of the
Australian Journalists Association The Australian Journalists Association (AJA) was an Australian trade union for journalists from 1910–1992. In 1913 the Australian Journalists' Association merged with the Australian Writers' and Artists' Union. This union had been formed in 19 ...
, and the newspapers that featured his work included ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' and ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...
''. In 1958, he was made a knight of the ''Ordre du Mérite Commercial'', while in 1979, he was conferred a knighthood in the National Order of Merit. Because his commercial work kept him very busy, Boz had little time for cultural pursuits and could only read evenings and Sundays. However, after retiring in 1974, he resumed his engagement with literature, still displaying attachment toward his native land, organizing Australian conferences about Romanian culture, and publishing articles about Cioran and others. His frequent reviews of novels published during the interwar appeared as a book he edited himself in 1981, ''Anii literari '30''. The book interested Romanian exile
Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian History of religion, historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. One of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and in ...
, a former participant on the literary scene described in Boz's book, who asked for a copy to be sent through his assistant, Mac Linscott Ricketts. Boz himself sent ''Anii literari '30'' to literary colleagues in Communist Romania. He recalled having received positive messages from Ștefan Cazimir, Ovid Crohmălniceanu, Silvian Iosifescu, and Mircea Zaciu, but no reply at all from an older friend,
Șerban Cioculescu Șerban Cioculescu (; 7 September 1902 – 25 June 1988) was a Romanian literary critic, literary historian and columnist who was born in Drobeta-Turnu Severin and died in Bucharest. He held teaching positions in Literature of Romania, Romanian ...
. He also sent letters to his Romanian friends, both inside the country and in the anticommunist diaspora. Among the cultural figures with whom he carried on a correspondence were Cioran, Ionesco,
Constantin Noica Constantin Noica (; – 4 December 1987) was a Romanian philosopher, essayist and poet. His preoccupations were throughout all philosophy, from epistemology, philosophy of culture, axiology and philosophic anthropology to ontology and logics ...
, Anton Dumitriu, and Nicolae Steinhardt. Noica at one point marveled at how good Boz's Romanian still was. By then, Boz had had a row with the exile publicist
Ștefan Baciu Ștefan Aurel Baciu (, ; October 29, 1918 – January 6, 1993) was a Romanian and Brazilian poet, novelist, publicist and academic who lived his later life in Hawaii. A precocious, award-winning, young author in interwar Romania, he was involved ...
, whose review ''Mele'' had hosted an antisemitic poem by
César Tiempo César Tiempo, born Israel Zeitlin (March 3, 1906 in Yekaterinoslav, Russian Empire (now Dnipro, Ukraine) – October 24, 1980) was a Russian-born screenwriter of Argentine cinema. He wrote the script for award-winning films such as ''Safo, histor ...
. In the late 1970s, Boz maintained a correspondence with Loewenstein-Lavi, by then a political exile, airing his various grievances against the previous decades of "communist terror". He attempted to familiarize himself with communist texts by Ludo, Benador and Sandu Lieblich, but concluded that these were in fact illegible. Although he never criticized
national communism National communism is a term describing various forms in which Marxism–Leninism and socialism has been adopted and/or implemented by leaders in different countries using aspects of nationalism or national identity to form a policy independent ...
, and even privately only did so in 1992, in a letter to Arșavir Acterian (calling the
Danube–Black Sea Canal The Danube–Black Sea Canal () is a navigable canal in Romania, which runs from Cernavodă on the Danube river, via two branches, to Constanța and Năvodari on the Black Sea. Administered from Agigea, it is an important part of the waterway li ...
"an ill-fated undertaking of the demented Ceaușescu"), publication of his work was still blocked by the authorities, who considered him a political émigré. ''Franța, 1938—1944'' was kept in a secret archive by Romania's censorship apparatus. In 1971, a book by the young scholar Laurențiu Ulici cited profusely, and overall positively, from Boz's pronouncements about Eminescu and
Ion Pillat Ion Pillat (31 March 1891 – 17 April 1945) was a distinguished Romanian poet. He is best known for his volume ''Pe Argeș în sus'' (''Upstream on the Argeș'') and ''Poeme într-un vers'' (''One-line poems''), and for his embryonic love f ...
; critic Mihai Drăgan, who covered the book for ''Cronica'' weekly, also noted that Boz had had "excellent results" in his Eminescu studies. The exile's name was occasionally referred to in other literary reviews, but sometimes with negative connotations: in December 1975, discussing essays by Henri Zalis, Dumitru Micu mentioned that Boz, like Zalis, had been "horrible" in his writing, a paragon of "vacuous metaphorizing". Constantin Trandafir was similarly dismissive: in a 1983 discussion about the prejudice of academic criticism, he suggested that any "study" ever produced by Boz was inferior to any regular newspaper column by his contemporary,
Perpessicius Perpessicius (; pen name of Dumitru S. Panaitescu, also known as Panait Șt. Dumitru, D. P. Perpessicius and Panaitescu-Perpessicius; October 22, 1891 – March 29, 1971) was a Romanian literary historian and critic, poet, essayist and fiction wr ...
. In the 1980s, Boz made photocopies of some of his interwar work, sending them to friends and acquaintances. Asked by Ionel Jianu to supply details about Romanian artists living in Australia, Boz submitted information about four of them, all of whom appeared in Jianu's subsequent 1986 volume, ''Les artistes roumains en Occident''. Emil Boldan and
Constantin Crișan Constantin is an Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian and Romanian male given name. It can also be a surname. For a list of notable people called Constantin, see Constantine (name). See also * Constantine (name) * Konstantin The first name Konstan ...
attempted to edit a volume of his essays, but the project came to nought. Nevertheless, several censored or self-censored articles about him did appear in the press, for instance a 1981 piece in '' Orizont'' by his friend Steinhardt, who knew the facts of the situation, that implied Boz left Romania for good in 1937. Following the
Romanian Revolution of 1989 The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily within the Eastern Bloc. The Romanian revoluti ...
, Boz worked with '' Jurnalul Literar'' between 1994 and 2002, publishing letters, memories and biographical sketches. He did similar work with ''Iosif Vulcan'', the Romanian expatriate review in Cringila. In private correspondence, he was particularly indignant about
Lucian Pintilie Lucian Pintilie (; 9 November 1933 – 16 May 2018Lucian Pi ...
's film ''
The Oak ''The Oak'' () is a 1992 Romanian drama film co-written and directed by Lucian Pintilie. Starring Maia Morgenstern, Razvan Vasilescu, Victor Rebengiuc. It was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Maia Morg ...
'', lamenting its presentation of Romania as "a kind of barbarian, brutal, violent state". In 2000, Boz published a short ''
roman à clef A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...
'', ''Piatra de încercare'' ("The Testing Bench"), which featured
autofiction Autofiction is, in literary criticism, a form of fictionalized autobiography. Definition In autofiction, an author may decide to recount their life in the Third-person narrative, third person, to modify significant details and characters, use in ...
, with himself as the protagonist, as well as appearances made by his wife and their son Alain, by Cioran, and by Eliade. The plot unfolds in wartime France, with the title referring to the French civilian population and its response to occupation. The author died in Sydney in 2003. He had by then came to be included in literary reference volumes, and his work was analyzed by, among others, Crișan, Nicolae Tzone, Florin Manolescu,
Andrei Andrei, Andrey or Andrej (in Cyrillic script: Андрэй, Андрей or Андреј) is a form of Andreas/Ἀνδρέας in Slavic languages and Romanian. People with the name include: * Andrei of Polotsk (–1399), Lithuanian nobleman *An ...
and Barbu Brezianu. His essays on Eminescu were republished by Constantin Cubleșan in the 2001 volume ''Eminescu în oglinzile criticii'' ("Eminescu's Critical Mirrors"). Samples of Boz's other work, reviewed by Tzone, saw print in ''Aldebaran'' review, and his correspondence was issued as a volume at Editura Dacia.Cernat, p. 332


Notes


References

*
Lucian Boia Lucian Boia (born 1 February 1944) is a Romanian historian. He is mostly known for his debunking of historical myths about Romania, for purging mainstream Romanian history of deformations arising from ideological propaganda, and as a fighter ag ...
, ''Capcanele istoriei. Elita intelectuală românească între 1930 și 1950''. Bucharest:
Humanitas (from the Latin , "human") is a Latin noun meaning human nature, civilization, and kindness. It has uses in the Enlightenment, which are discussed below. Classical origins of term The Latin word corresponded to the Greek concepts of (loving ...
, 2012. *
George Călinescu George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899 – 12 March 1965) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the most important Romani ...
, ''Istoria literaturii române de la origini pînă în prezent''. Bucharest:
Editura Minerva Editura Minerva is one of the largest publishing houses in Romania. Located in Bucharest, it is known, among other things, for publishing classic Romanian literature, children's books, and scientific books. The company was founded in Bucharest in ...
, 1986. *
Paul Cernat Paul Cernat (born August 5, 1972 in Bucharest) is a Romanian essayist and literary critic. He has a Ph.D. summa cum laude in philology. Cernat has been a member of the Writers' Union of Romania since 2009. As of 2013, he is lecturer of Romanian l ...
, ''Avangarda românească și complexul periferiei: primul val''. Bucharest:
Cartea Românească Cartea Românească ("The Romanian Book") is a publishing house in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1919. Disestablished by the communist regime in 1948, it was restored under later communism, in 1970, when it functioned as the official imprint of t ...
, 2007. *Mihaela Gligor, Miriam Caloianu (eds.), ''Teodor Lavi în corespondență''. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Universitară Clujeană, 2014.


External links


"Lucian Boz"
in '' AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Boz, Lucian 1908 births 2003 deaths 20th-century Romanian male writers 20th-century Romanian novelists 20th-century Romanian essayists 20th-century Romanian memoirists 20th-century Romanian translators Romanian male essayists Romanian literary critics Mihai Eminescu scholars Romanian magazine editors Romanian newspaper editors Romanian columnists Adevărul editors Adevărul writers Contimporanul writers United Press International people Romanian biographers Romanian male biographers Romanian male novelists Romanian travel writers French–Romanian translators Romanian writers in French People from Hârlău 20th-century Romanian Jews Jews from Western Moldavia Jewish Romanian writers Jewish non-fiction writers Jewish novelists Gheorghe Lazăr National College (Bucharest) alumni University of Bucharest alumni University of Paris alumni Romanian emigrants to France Romanian participants in the French Resistance Jews in the French resistance Drancy internment camp prisoners Romanian emigrants to Australia Welders Air France–KLM 20th-century Romanian businesspeople Romanian public relations people Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Censorship in Romania