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 ...

Baruțu T. Arghezi Baruțu T. Arghezi (28 December 1925, Bucharest – 26 August 2010, Arad) was a Romanian prose writer, essayist and publicist, the son of Tudor Arghezi, brother of Mitzura Arghezi and half brother of Eli Lotar. He was a member of the Writers' ...

Eli Lotar Eli Lotar (born Eliazar Lotar Teodorescu; January 30, 1905 – May 10, 1969) was a French photographer and cinematographer. Lotar was born in Paris, the son of Tudor Arghezi, a Romanian poet, and Constanța Zissu, a teacher. He became a Fren ...

Mărțișor Mărțișor () is a tradition celebrated at the beginning of Spring in March, involving an object made from two intertwined red and white strings with hanging tassel. It is practiced in Romania and Moldova, and very similar to Martenitsa tradit ...

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 ...

Floria Capsali Floria Capsali (28 February 1900 – 29 June 1982) was an Ottoman-born Romanian ballerina, choreographer and dance teacher. Life Provenance, disrupted childhood and early career Floria Capsali was born at Bitola, a midsized town and commerc ...

National Theater Bucharest The National Theatre Bucharest () is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest. Founding It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Grand Theatre of Bucharest") in 1852, its first director ...

graphic arts A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional graphics, i.e. produced on a flat surface,Romanian communism. Deemed a child "of the bourgeoisie" by ''

Scînteia ''Scînteia'' ( Romanian for "The Spark") was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history. The title is a homage to the Russian language paper '' Iskra''. It was known as ''Scânteia'' until ...

'', she was forced to renounce her studies at 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 ...

and focus instead on becoming an actress. She graduated from the Caragiale Institute of Theater just as Arghezi Sr was undergoing rehabilitation. Debuting on the screen with the 1951 ''

In Our Village ''In Our Village'' (Romanian: ''În sat la noi'') is a 1951 Romanian drama film directed by Jean Georgescu and Victor Iliu.Liehm & Liehm p.142 The film's sets were designed by Stefan Norris. Cast * Constantin Ramadan as Ion Lepadat * George ...

'', Arghezi returned ten years later with a leading role in ''Doi vecini''—based on a comedic story by her father, and marking the directorial debut of her Institute colleague

Geo Saizescu Geo Saizescu (14 November 1932 – 23 September 2013) was a Romanian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He appeared in 22 films between 1963 and 2009 and directed 16 films between 1956 and 2012. He was born in Oprișor, Prisăceaua, Me ...

. This was followed in 1964 by another substantial role, as Gena in ''

Titanic Waltz ''Titanic Waltz'' (Romanian: ''Titanic vals'') is a 1964 Romanian comedy film directed by Paul Călinescu and starring Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic, , and .Iordanova p.25 It was based on a play of the same name by Tudor Mușatescu. The film's sets wer ...

''. Though she continued to appear in films and was part of the National Theater company, from 1967 she became mainly focused on preserving her late father's legacy, and by 1975 was in charge of ''Mărțișor'', reopened as a museum. Following Baruțu's self-exile and Lotar's death, she took full managerial control of the estate, sparking controversy with her rigid interpretation of copyright, and being accused of stealing others' research in her own work as editor of the Tudor Arghezi corpus. She was also criticized for her alleged compromises with communist governments, and, into her old age, remained adamant that Romania under socialism was preferable to the United States. Despite being part- Székely, Arghezi was an advocate of

Romanian nationalism Romanian nationalism is a form of nationalism that asserts that Romanians are a nation and promotes the identity and cultural unity of Romanians. Its extremist variation is Romanian ultranationalism. History Antecedents The predecessors of ...

, and repeatedly voiced suspicion toward the Hungarian minority. After 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 ...

, she entered electoral politics with the

Romanian National Unity Party The Romanian National Unity Party (, PUNR) was a nationalist political party in Romania between 1990 and 2006. History The PUNR was the first nationalist party in post-communist Romania, created in 1990, with Gheorghe Funar emerging as its leader ...

, presenting herself in the race of September 1992. She later joined

Corneliu Vadim Tudor Corneliu Vadim Tudor (; 28 November 1949 – 14 September 2015), also colloquially known as "Tribunul", was a poet, writer, and journalist who was the leader of the Greater Romania Party () and a Member of the European Parliament. He was a Rom ...

's

Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party (, PRM) is a Romanian far-right political party. Founded in May 1991 by Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor, it was led by the latter from that point until his death in September 2015. The party is sometimes referred ...

(PRM); for several months in 1995, she was the inaugural holder of a government secretariat channeling support for the

Romanian diaspora The Romanian diaspora is the Romanians, ethnically Romanian population outside Romania and Moldova. The concept does not usually include the ethnic Romanians who live as natives in nearby states, chiefly those Romanians who live in Ukraine, Hun ...

. Arghezi was elected to the Chamber for

Olt County Olt County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt River, Olt river). The capital city is Slatina, Roma ...

in the general election of 1996, and reelected in 2000 (when she was also the first woman to preside over a Chamber session). Openly calling for a ban on the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians, she was also an opponent of the then-governing

Romanian Democratic Convention The Romanian Democratic Convention (; abbreviated CDR) was an electoral alliance of several democratic, anti-communist, anti-totalitarian, and centre-right political parties in Romania, active from 1991 until 2000. The most prominent leaders o ...

. Arghezi defended the PRM's image as a moderate-nationalist force, expressed support for

European integration European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...

, and spoke about her father's

philosemitism Philosemitism, also called Judeophilia, is "defense, love, or admiration of Jews and Judaism". Such attitudes can be found in Western cultures across the centuries. The term originated in the nineteenth century by self-described German antisemit ...

, while remaining loyal to Vadim Tudor throughout the PRM's decline and factional splits. She died in 2015, weeks after Vadim Tudor's own death, and was buried at ''Mărțișor'' amid a controversy surrounding her inheritance.

Biography

Origins and early life

Arghezi was born 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 ...

on 10 December 1924. Museum of Romanian Literature, "A încetat din viață Mitzura Arghezi", 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 45/2015, p. 16 Mădălina Ceban
''Mitzura Arghezi a fost înmormântată, joi, în grădina Casei Mărțișor, alături de părinții ei''

Mediafax Mediafax () is a Romanian media company headquartered in Bucharest and founded in 1991 as the first undertaking of the MediaPro Group. Its lines of business include news, photography, and business information services. The company's ''Mediafax Bu ...

, 29 October 2015 Her father was Tudor Arghezi, by then a nationally famous writer, who celebrated her birth with the poem ''Cântec de adormit Mitzura'' ("A Song for Rocking Mitzura to Sleep"), and composed a new lyrical piece for each of her birthdays. Her mother, Paraschiva, hailing from a rural family of

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

Romanians, was Arghezi's second wife.Ferenczes, p. 47 Specifically, she and her sister Saveta ("Tătana") were from the Burda clan of yeomen, hailing from either Bunești

Baruțu T. Arghezi Baruțu T. Arghezi (28 December 1925, Bucharest – 26 August 2010, Arad) was a Romanian prose writer, essayist and publicist, the son of Tudor Arghezi, brother of Mitzura Arghezi and half brother of Eli Lotar. He was a member of the Writers' ...

, "Hotare de aer. Remember", in ''Steaua'', Vol. XXIII, Issue 14, July 1972, p. 12 or Pleșești. Constantin Beldie, "Memorii și memorialiști. Acasă la Arghezi (III)", in ''Argeș'', Vol. XVIII, Issue 2, February 1983, p. 12 They had been orphaned early on, after both their parents died of food poisoning. Paraschiva and Tudor's other child, Iosif "Baruțu", was born on 28 December 1925;''Baruțu Arghezi, fiul scriitorului Tudor Arghezi, a încetat din viață''

Mediafax Mediafax () is a Romanian media company headquartered in Bucharest and founded in 1991 as the first undertaking of the MediaPro Group. Its lines of business include news, photography, and business information services. The company's ''Mediafax Bu ...

, 25 August 2010 as observed later by their family friend Constantin Beldie, the couple had been married for 15 years before having either child, who therefore risked being "spoiled" by their loving parents. Tudor had been married to Constanța Zissu, from whom he had another son, Eliazar Theodorescu. Ion Pop, "Meridiane. Expoziție Eli Lotar la Paris. Un 'vagabond de rasă'", 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 50/1993, p. 26Ferenczes, p. 40 At exactly the moment of Mitzura's birth, Eliazar had rebelled against his upbringing, leaving Romania to try his luck in France, and establishing his fame there as photographer-filmmaker "Eli Lotar".

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 ...

, "Breviar. ''L-am cunoscut pe Tudor Arghezi''", 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 9/1982, p. 7 Tudor and his immediate family were only officially registered as "Arghezi" from April 1956; though Mitzura took the famous surname, in a 2002 she referred to it as a "sweet burden", which had always seen her compared to her father.Ioana Florea, "Acasă la... Tudor Arghezi, cu fiica sa, Mitzura", in '' Cuvântul Liber'', 4 December 2002, p. 4 Throughout her life, she supported

Romanian nationalism Romanian nationalism is a form of nationalism that asserts that Romanians are a nation and promotes the identity and cultural unity of Romanians. Its extremist variation is Romanian ultranationalism. History Antecedents The predecessors of ...

, presenting Arghezi Sr as a "good Romanian", and being herself critical of Romania's Hungarian community.Ioana Florea, "Acasă la... Tudor Arghezi, cu fiica sa, Mitzura (II)", in '' Cuvântul Liber'', 5 December 2002, p. 6 On her father's side, she had ethnically diverse origins. These were long obscured by Arghezi Sr, and only became accessible after archival research in the 1970s. Records brought up at the time indicate that Tudor was born out of wedlock to the Romanian pastry-maker Nae Theodorescu, originally from

Oltenia Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...

, and took his surname. Tudor's mother, Rozalia, was a domestic servant from

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

(at the time in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

), who also had children from other relationships; one of them was the lawyer Alexandru Arghezi Pârvulescu, who in 1975 revealed that "Arghezi" was also Rozalia's original surname, and not a literary pseudonym invented by her son. Rozalia gave her ethnic origin as "

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

", reporting that she had converted from Catholicism to

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

—though various of her contemporaries already knew her as a Hungarian, and more specifically a Székely, who had taught her sons to speak her native language. In 2015, journalist István Ferenczes discovered her birth certificate as "Rozalia Ergézi" of

Vlăhița Vlăhița () (, , until 1899 ''Szentegyházas-Oláhfalu'') is a town in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The town administers two villages: Băile Homorod (''Homoródfürdő ...

, further establishing her origin among the

Székelys of Bukovina The Székelys of Bukovina are a small Hungarians, Hungarian ethnic group, ethnic community with a complex history. They live today in the Tolna County, Tolna and Baranya County, Baranya counties of Hungary, in Hunedoara County, Transylvania and Su ...

. Domnica spent her earliest years at ''

Mărțișor Mărțișor () is a tradition celebrated at the beginning of Spring in March, involving an object made from two intertwined red and white strings with hanging tassel. It is practiced in Romania and Moldova, and very similar to Martenitsa tradit ...

'',Mitzura Arghezi, "L-am cunoscut pe Tudor Arghezi. Mărțișorul, 'mica noastră patrie'", in '' Luceafărul'', Vol. XXII, Issue 20, May 1979, p. 7 an estate that her father had bought and developed in Văcărești, southern Bucharest, in 1926. This new home was only completely built in 1931,Valeriu Fărcaș, "Memoria vie. Amintiri cu Tudor Arghezi la Mărțișor", in '' Vatra'', Vol. XLII, Issues Issues 495–496, 2012, p. 168 after Arghezi Sr had drained a swamp and extended a paved road. Valer Donea, "O vizită la Tudor Arghezi", in ''

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 ...

'', 20 October 1935, p. 4 Mitzura and her two brothers were all partly raised by their paternal grandmother Rozalia, who lived with them at ''Mărțișor''; he was noticeably discreet when introducing her, leading some of his close friends to assume that she was a governess, rather than the children's grandmother. After his youngest no longer required her services, Tudor forced his mother to move out of the house and into a rented apartment, or, according to Beldie, a monastery. The latter author was once told by Mitzura that Rozalia was Arghezi's stepmother, and was thus punished for having mistreated Tudor in his childhood; she also reported that Alexandru had been similarly shunned by the "Arghezi tribe" for speaking ill of them. Beldie notes that another one of Nae Theodorescu's wives, a Greek-Romanian, was on good terms with the family, and gave Mitzura her first lessons in English. As reported by Mitzura herself, the writer loved both of his youngest children, and made them the literary subjects of his ''Book of Toys'', which recounts his fascination with their early development; the book was much criticized by Beldie, who found that its only possible readers were housewives. However, he praised Arghezi Sr for not overindulging his children and for ultimately allowing his "

anarchic Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...

" worldview to inform his approach to child-rearing. The father's affection is recorded in a September 1927 letter he sent to his patron A. L. Zissu from

Râșnov Râșnov (; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''Ruusenåå''; Latin: ''Rosnovia'') is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 15,920 as of 2021. It is located at about southwest of the city of Brașov and about the s ...

, where he was vacationing when Mitzura was struck by an illness. As he confesses therein: "I was no longer able to write down just one line until today, when the light of her eyes shone again, when she could smile again". Creating his own printing press in Văcărești, he conceived early on of a plan to have Mitzura train as his illustrator, and Baruțu as a typographer. His method was also anti-literary; as he explained in 1935, he never read to his children, since "literature is a strictly intimate thing". As noted by literary historian

Mircea Zaciu Mircea Zaciu (August 27, 1928–March 21, 2000) was a Romanian critic, literary historian and prose writer. Biography Born into a Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, Greek-Catholic family in Oradea, Ion Pop"Prezența lui Mircea Zaciu" in ''Tribu ...

, Mitzura was always less educated than her father: while Arghezi Sr, who had spent time in Switzerland, used competent French in his correspondence, Mitzura's French letters were "puerile ndimmature", as well as ungrammatical. Both Theodorescu children had an early start in the arts, with Baruțu publishing his first work of prose in 1939. Mitzura worked for a while in the ballet troupe of the National Opera, and appeared in shows staged by

Floria Capsali Floria Capsali (28 February 1900 – 29 June 1982) was an Ottoman-born Romanian ballerina, choreographer and dance teacher. Life Provenance, disrupted childhood and early career Floria Capsali was born at Bitola, a midsized town and commerc ...

, with whom she was already training in 1943.

Baruțu T. Arghezi Baruțu T. Arghezi (28 December 1925, Bucharest – 26 August 2010, Arad) was a Romanian prose writer, essayist and publicist, the son of Tudor Arghezi, brother of Mitzura Arghezi and half brother of Eli Lotar. He was a member of the Writers' ...

, "Hotare de aer. ...sub matricola 5624", in ''Steaua'', Vol. XXV, Issue 1, January 1974, p. 24 She ultimately gave up on this career path because, as she put it, "the life of a dancer is very constrained." Though "known primarily as a ballerina and actress", she also debuted as a visual artist, with ink drawings that were taken up by a Bucharest magazine during the same period.

Baruțu T. Arghezi Baruțu T. Arghezi (28 December 1925, Bucharest – 26 August 2010, Arad) was a Romanian prose writer, essayist and publicist, the son of Tudor Arghezi, brother of Mitzura Arghezi and half brother of Eli Lotar. He was a member of the Writers' ...

, "Hotare de aer. Evenimente literare", in ''Steaua'', Vol. XXIV, Issue 7, April 1973, p. 4 Writer and Orthodox clergyman Valeriu Anania, who visited ''Mărțișor'' during the 1950s, recalls its walls being decorated with her engravings. Valeriu Anania, "L-am cunoscut pe Tudor Arghezi. Amintiri la statura ceasului de-acum (II)", in '' Luceafărul'', Vol. XXIII, Issue 6, February 1980, p. 6 In April 1943, at the height of World War II, fifteen of her sketches were exhibited with the ''Grupul Grafic'' artists' society, and were positively reviewed by

Ion Frunzetti Ion Frunzetti (1918–1985) was a Romanian art critic and historian. He was vice president of the Union of Fine Artists, head of the Literature and Arts Section of the Academy of Social and Political Sciences, professor at Bucharest Buchares ...

. Frunzetti argued that she had found perfection in

line art Line art or line drawing is any image that consists of distinct straight lines or curved lines placed against a background (usually plain). Two-dimensional or three-dimensional objects are often represented through shade (darkness) or hue (co ...

and animal drawing, especially with her "delicious panorama" of domestic life. In later musings on these events, Baruțu argued that ''Grupul''s Dimitrie Dimitriu-Nicolaide was the one who approached his sister to have her featured in the show. As he notes, Dimitriu and his colleagues were "at odds" with the fascist aesthetics promoted by Romania's wartime ''

Conducător ''Conducător'' (, meaning 'Leader') was the title used officially by Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu during World War II, also occasionally used in official discourse to refer to Carol II and Nicolae Ceaușescu. History The word is derived from ...

'',

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� ...

.

Marginalization and recovery

Soon after, Mitzura's father began openly questioning Romania's participation in the war as an ally of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, and enraged Antonescu with his satirical prose, in which he had targeted Ambassador

Manfred Freiherr von Killinger Manfred Freiherr von Killinger (14 July 1886 – 2 September 1944) was a German naval officer, ''Freikorps'' leader, military writer and Nazi politician. A veteran of World War I and member of the '' Marinebrigade Ehrhardt'' during the German ...

. As Baruțu reported in 1960, the definitive attack on Killinger was first read to a family-only audience, including Mitzura; upon hearing it, Paraschiva exclaimed: ''iar ți s-a făcut de pușcărie'' ("it seems you're itching to get back behind bars"). This work in fact resulted in his brief internment at Târgu Jiu.

Zigu Ornea Zigu Ornea (; born Zigu Orenstein Andrei Vasilescu"La ceas aniversar – Cornel Popa la 75 de ani: 'Am refuzat numeroase demnități pentru a rămâne credincios logicii și filosofiei analitice.' ", in Revista de Filosofie Analitică', Vol. II, N ...

, "Cronica edițiilor. Din publicistica lui Arghezi", 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 16/2000, p. 9 Mitzura and Paraschiva visited him there in October 1943, and found themselves treated with unusual respect by the local

Land Forces Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land surface ...

garrison, whose staff had quietly endorsed Arghezi's patriotic take-down of

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

. The returning poet was openly celebrated during the interlude which followed Antonescu's toppling in August 1944. At the time, 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 ...

, backed by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and its

occupation forces Military occupation, also called belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is temporary hostile control exerted by a ruling power's military apparatus over a sovereign territory that is outside of the legal boundaries of that ruling powe ...

, was experiencing an increase in influence. In February 1945, the communist ideologue

Miron Radu Paraschivescu __NOTOC__ Miron Radu Paraschivescu (; 2 October 1911 – 17 February 1971) was a Romanian poet, essayist, journalist, and translator. Born in Zimnicea, Teleorman County, he went to high school in Ploiești, after which he studied fine arts, first ...

accused the writer of having backed the fascist

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 ...

, and of having embraced

anti-Sovietism Anti-Sovietism or anti-Soviet sentiment are activities that were actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the Soviet Union. Three common uses of the term include the following: * Anti-Sovietism in inter ...

, noting that the Killinger incident was uncharacteristic. According to Paraschivescu, Eli Lotar, who had embraced "revolutionary" ideas and had deserted his family, was "T. Arghezi's first son—his first, and not just chronologically." Other communists were considering Arghezi Sr as an external ally. By August, contacts between the party and the Arghezis were mediated by Radu Bogdan of ''

Scînteia ''Scînteia'' ( Romanian for "The Spark") was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history. The title is a homage to the Russian language paper '' Iskra''. It was known as ''Scânteia'' until ...

''; as he recalled in a 1993 piece, the effort was doomed: "Every person in that home, including Lady Paraschiva, Tătana (her sister), Mițura and Baruțu, not to mention the writer himself, were stunned by the occupation army and its behavior .. The family's hopes were directed exclusively toward the

Anglo-Americans Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...

". For a while, the attempts at a rapprochement did not yet subside. In December 1946, a banquet was hosted in the writer's honor by the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

, headed at the time by

Mihai Ralea Mihai Dumitru Ralea (also known as Mihail Ralea, Michel Raléa, or Mihai Rale;Straje, p. 586 May 1, 1896 – August 17, 1964) was a Romanian social scientist, cultural journalist, and political figure. He debuted as an affiliate of Poporanism, th ...

. Performances included a dance number by Mitzura. Mitzura was by then appearing as a backing dancer in

Marin Iorda Marin Iorda, pen name of Marin Iordache (30 August 1901 – 23 June 1972), was a Romanian visual artist, writer, filmmaker, and theatrical director. His beginnings were as a teen-aged cartoonist, employed on Constantin Costa-Foru's magazine for you ...

's version of ''

Scapin the Schemer ''Scapin the Schemer'' () is a three-act comedy of intrigue by the French playwright Molière. The title character Scapin is similar to the archetypical Scapino character. The play was first staged on 24 May 1671 in the theatre of the Palais-Roy ...

'' at Giulești Workers' Theatre—that institution's inaugural production. Overseen by Capsali, she and her fellow ballerinas were praised by

Tudor Șoimaru Gheorghe Drăgușanu (December 29, 1898 – September 18, 1967), known under the pseudonym Tudor Șoimaru, was a Romanian literary critic, the founder, together with Vladimir Streinu, Șerban Cioculescu and Pompiliu Constantinescu Pompiliu ...

in ''

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 ...

'' as "agile and graceful". Her return as an illustrator had occurred earlier that year, when she designed the cover for the Romanian edition of

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

's ''

Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...

''. Her drawings and one watercolor were showcased at an independent exhibit at ''Căminul Artei'' of Bucharest. They earned her encouragement from art critic

George Oprescu George Oprescu (27 November 1881 – 13 August 1969) was a Romanian historian, art critic and collector. Born into a poor family, he developed a taste for the fine arts early in life, as well as for the French language, which he taught into his fo ...

, who found her drawings reminiscent of

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

and

Nicolae Tonitza Nicolae Tonitza (; April 13, 1886 – February 27, 1940) was a Romanian painter, Engraving, engraver, Lithography, lithographer, journalist and art critic. Drawing inspiration from Post-Impressionism and Expressionism, he had a major role in ...

, "that which is not a bad thing." Such work was continued in early 1947, when Editura Socec issued Tudor Arghezi's ''Țara Piticilor'' ("Land of the Dwarfs") with his daughter's vignettes. On Christmas Day, Arghezi Sr completed another cherished project by working with his two children on a self-published, artisanal, booklet, ''Drumul cu povești'' ("A Pathway of Stories")—it retains value as a collectible item. In June 1948, Mitzura and Baruțu, alongside Cora Benador and others, appeared in a ballet recital at the

National Theater Bucharest The National Theatre Bucharest () is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest. Founding It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Grand Theatre of Bucharest") in 1852, its first director ...

. During the early years of Romanian communism, introduced as a people's democracy in early 1948, Tudor Arghezi was lambasted in ''Scînteia'' editorials penned by

Sorin Toma Sorin may refer to any one of the following: People *Sorin (given name), a Romanian masculine name *Edward Sorin (1814–1893), American priest, founder of the University of Notre Dame and St. Edwards University * Herbert I. Sorin (1900–1994), Ne ...

. Toma depicted him as a voice of

decadent literature The Decadent movement (from the French ''décadence'', ) was a late 19th-century artistic and literary movement, centered in Western Europe, that followed an aesthetic ideology of excess and artificiality. The Decadent movement first flourished ...

; one episode of his expose discussed Arghezi's belief in

vitality Vitality (, , ) is the capacity to live, grow, or develop. Vitality is also the characteristic that distinguishes life, living from non-living things. To experience vitality is regarded as a basic psychological drive and, in philosophy, a comp ...

as a principle in educating his own children. The article suggested that the very notion displayed Arghezi's preaching of

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...

, against the "preservation of collective life", and that it fit well with raising his son and daughter as "children of the bourgeoisie". The writer was then virtually banished by the censorship apparatus. These circumstances were aggravated after December 1948, when Baruțu used the family's printing press to publish an anticommunist manifesto—he was arrested in 1949, and held in custody until 1950, when his father successfully negotiated his release with the

nomenklatura The ''nomenklatura'' (; from , system of names) were a category of people within the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries who held various key administrative positions in the bureaucracy, running all spheres of those countries' activity: ...

.

Ion Simuț An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

, "Tudor Arghezi în anii împotrivirii tăcute: 1948–1953. Disidența din sertar. Poezia politică de atitudine", 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 37/2014, p. 12 At this stage, the family was reduced to living from unusual sources of income, including cherries from the orchard, that Tudor Arghezi would sell to passers-by.

Geo Saizescu Geo Saizescu (14 November 1932 – 23 September 2013) was a Romanian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He appeared in 22 films between 1963 and 2009 and directed 16 films between 1956 and 2012. He was born in Oprișor, Prisăceaua, Me ...

, "Întîlniri cu Poetul", in ''Cinema'', Vol. XVIII, Issue 5, May 1980, p. 4 According to Anania, this commercial activity was also embraced by Mitzura and Baruțu. In 1951, Mitzura had a small, uncredited part in the film ''

In Our Village ''In Our Village'' (Romanian: ''În sat la noi'') is a 1951 Romanian drama film directed by Jean Georgescu and Victor Iliu.Liehm & Liehm p.142 The film's sets were designed by Stefan Norris. Cast * Constantin Ramadan as Ion Lepadat * George ...

''. Gheorghe Tomozei, "Interviu. Intîlnire cu Gena...", in ''Cinema'', Vol. II, Issue 12, December 1964, p. 17 Initially, she followed the literary path. Enlisted at 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 ...

Faculty of Letters, she was expelled due to political pressures in 1948. She was allowed to study at the Caragiale Institute of Theater, after reciting a Soviet poem in front of the examination board, which included Aura Buzescu. She went on to perform in a variety of small parts at the National Theater, but had to skip a year due to her poor health. By 1953, she was in the same class as the aspiring director

Geo Saizescu Geo Saizescu (14 November 1932 – 23 September 2013) was a Romanian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He appeared in 22 films between 1963 and 2009 and directed 16 films between 1956 and 2012. He was born in Oprișor, Prisăceaua, Me ...

, who greatly admired her father; as noted by Saizescu, she remained "rather skimpy on details regarding isearthly sufferings". Some records suggest that she was originally enlisted in the Institute's film section, and only later transferred to the drama section. From 1955, Arghezi Sr agreed to participate in communist propaganda, and was admitted into the regime's literary community. According to diary entries by his anti-communist friend

Petre Pandrea Petre Pandrea, pen name of Petre Ion Marcu, also known as Petru Marcu Balș (26 June 1904 – 8 July 1968), was a Romanian social philosopher, lawyer, and political activist, also noted as an essayist, journalist, and memoirist. A native of rural ...

, this pact was sealed due to material constraints, and in large part because of Mitzura's persistent pleas. Also according to Pandrea, this change of status allowed Mitzura, who had been married once before, to begin her second marriage, to a fellow actor whom he does not name. The wedding, which took place somewhere in Oltenia in October 1956, was a lavish affair with over 1,000 guests and a "strictly Orthodox ceremony"—since, despite the officially endorsed atheism, major cultural figures who supported the regime's agenda were now allowed publicized exceptions. She had moved out of the family home the previous year, and spent time at various addresses. In 1964, she and her family moved to Dorobanți, in a recently

nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with priv ...

townhouse on Grigore Cerchez Street.Augustus Costache, "Afaceri veroase la Academia Română. Contabilul Institutului Național pentru Studiul Totalitarismului scrie Istoria Romanilor cu 32.500 de lei pagina", in '' Gazeta de Sud'', 31 May–1 June 1997, p. 3

Artistic and editorial fame

Censorship also became more lenient by 1957, around the time of her graduation. Mitzura Arghezi had begun work as a voice actress with the

Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company (), informally referred to as Radio Romania (), is the public radio broadcaster in Romania. It operates FM broadcasting, FM and AM broadcasting, AM, and webcast, internet national and local radio channels. ...

, including with a rendition of

Mihail Sebastian Mihail Sebastian (; born Iosif Mendel Hechter; October 18, 1907 – May 29, 1945) was a Romanian playwright, essayist, journalist and novelist. Life Sebastian was born to a Jewish family in Brăila, the son of Mendel and Clara Hechter (née We ...

's ''Jocul de-a vacanța'', for which she recorded alongside

Radu Beligan Radu Beligan (; 14 December 1918 – 20 July 2016) was a Romanian actor, director, and essayist, with an activity of over 70 years in theatre, film, television, and radio. On 15 December 2013, confirmed by Guinness World Records, the actor receiv ...

, Dina Cocea and

Colea Răutu Colea Răutu (; 18 November 1912 – 13 May 2008) was a Romanian actor, born in Bălți (Russian Empire, now Republic of Moldova).Editura Tineretului This is a list of publishers of works in Romanian language, Romanian. A * Editura Academiei * Adevărul, Editura Adevărul * Editura Albatros * Editura Aldine * Editura ALFA * Editura ALL * Grupul Editorial AMALTEA * Amco Press * Editura Anastas ...

, and featured her drawings as illustrations. Mitzura received positive notice for her role as one of The Neighbors in

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

's ''

The Shoemaker's Prodigious Wife ''The Shoemaker's Prodigious Wife'' (''La zapatera prodigiosa''), also known as ''The Shoemaker's Wonderful Wife'' and ''The Shoemaker's Prosperous Wife'', is a play by the twentieth-century Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca Federico ...

''—a January 1959 production at the National Theater, which saw her sharing the stage with Draga Olteanu and Eliza Plopeanu. In that context, she invited Saizescu to ''Mărțișor'', where he and Tudor Arghezi discussed a film project. These talks resulted in the 1961 comedy film ''Doi vecini'', which was submitted by Saizescu for the completion of his film degree, and which featured Mitzura in her second film credit. In 1964, she was given a major role in ''

Titanic Waltz ''Titanic Waltz'' (Romanian: ''Titanic vals'') is a 1964 Romanian comedy film directed by Paul Călinescu and starring Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic, , and .Iordanova p.25 It was based on a play of the same name by Tudor Mușatescu. The film's sets wer ...

'', as Gena. She noted her overall disappointment with this career choice, recalling her father's warning that the acting career "will bring one few satisfactions ..if there's no one to support you, if you're not a director's wife, a manager's wife, this and that man's girlfriend, there's no way forward, you can be as gifted as can be, there will still be two parts for women and ten for men". During the early 1960s, Mitzura was spending some of her time in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, where Arghezi Sr was undergoing treatment for what he termed "sclerosis" and "loss of vision". She also began contributing to ''Scrieri'', the definitive corpus of Arghezi Sr's works. Its seventh volume, appearing in 1965, featured the ''Book of Toys'', again illustrated with her drawings. Around 1964, Mitzura and Baruțu (who was by then a physical education teacher in Bucharest) had monopolized editorial work on their father's newer poetry. Their effort was criticized by Pandrea, who argued that they exercised poor judgment, allowing "idiocies" to seep into definitive volumes. The two siblings looked after Arghezi Sr from 1966, when he became a distraught widower. Shortly after his death in 1967, Mitzura was made custodian of his papers, including his unpublished literary works. In 1970, she created controversy by refusing to authorize a critical edition, which had been proposed to her by researcher G. Pienescu. In a 2004 article, Pienescu further accused "Domnica Theodorescu, the writer's biological successor", of having borrowed his documentary collection under false pretense, of never returning it, and of then fraudulently using it for her own Arghezi editions. Though he had reconnected with his family, visiting Romania in 1958 and 1959, Eli Lotar was left out of the disputes and publication projects—he died in his self-imposed exile in 1969. Instead, Mitzura's activities involved her younger brother: in December 1972, the two of them appeared in public in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

, at a festivity marking both the relaunch of

Scrisul Românesc Scrisul Românesc is a Romanian publishing house, founded in 1922 in Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, sit ...

publishing house and the publication of their father's last poems. The following year, they issued with Editura Eminescu their own anthology of his poetic manuscripts, as ''Călătorie în vis'' ("Dream-journey"). It was poorly reviewed by M. Camil in ''Milcovul'' newspaper, primarily because "none of the book's poems is an Arghezian masterpiece." In 1974, Baruțu opted to settle in Switzerland, and took with him all of his father's explicitly anticommunist manuscripts, that he intended to publish abroad. On his departure, he left his sister the remaining rights of usage for all other parts of the estate. Mădălina Ceban
''Averea Mitzurei Arghezi, disputată de 4 potențiali moștenitori, care se vor lupta în instanță''

Mediafax Mediafax () is a Romanian media company headquartered in Bucharest and founded in 1991 as the first undertaking of the MediaPro Group. Its lines of business include news, photography, and business information services. The company's ''Mediafax Bu ...

, 29 October 2015 By 1975, ''Mărțișor'' had become a museum, and Mitzura had been appointed its curator—calling this "my most important achievement".Ioana Florea, "Acasă la... Tudor Arghezi, cu fiica sa, Mitzura (III)", in '' Cuvântul Liber'', 6 December 2002, p. 4 Serving continuously to her death in 2015, she organized it as a venue used by the Museum of Romanian Literature. Arghezi's contribution as in the literary field went in parallel with her film and theater career. In 1966, she appeared as a provincial wife in the interwar-themed satire ''Calea Victoriei'', and, as critic

D. I. Suchianu Dumitru Ion Suchianu, most often shortened to D. I. Suchianu or D.I.S. (2 September 1895 – 17/18 April 1985), was a Romanian essayist, translator, economist and film theorist, also noted for his participation in politics. The son of a distingui ...

argued, proved "excellent" for the part; she also reunited with Saizescu, with a role in his new project, '' La porțile pamîntului''. Still employed by the National Theater, that same year she was noted for her performance as a nomadic Romani in Andrei Corteanu's ''Copiii pămîntului''. In 1967, she appeared in Moni Ghelerter's production of ''Siringa''—written by her father during his Antonescu-era internment, it had its inspiration in the author's real-life illnesses and his disdain for the medical profession. The year 1970 brought a celebrated performance as a servant girl in Horia Lovinescu's ''Al patrulea anotimp'', as produced by the National Theater. The following year, she debuted in amateur

rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

: in June, she and Adrian Mureșan, driving a

Dacia 1300 The Dacia 1300 () is a medium-sized family automobile, car based on the Renault 12 that was built during the Cold War by Romanian auto maker Dacia (car), Dacia. The "1300" stands for the engine displacement. The first Dacia 1300 left the assembly ...

, took bronze in an actors' competition held at Dinamo Stadium. In 1973, she appeared in

Sergiu Nicolaescu Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (; 13 April 1930 – 3 January 2013) was a Romanian people, Romanian film director, actor and politician. He was best known for his historical films, such as ''Michael the Brave (film), Mihai Viteazul'' (1970, released in ...

's ''

Ultimul cartuș ''Ultimul cartuș'' (''The Last Cartridge'', ''The Last Bullet'') is a 1973 Romanian crime film directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu. It is about commissioner Roman, portrayed by Ilarion Ciobanu, who is trying to avenge his partner's death. Plot Mih ...

'', followed in 1978 by '' Eu, tu, și... Ovidiu'', and in 1980 by '' Drumul oaselor''. Between these, in March 1974 she was cast in the

Romanian Television Televiziunea Română (), more commonly referred to as TVR , is the short name for Societatea Română de Televiziune ("Romanian Television Society"; SRTV), the Romanian public television. It operates nine channels: TVR 1, TVR 2, TVR 3, TV ...

special ''Când trăiești mai adevărat'' ("When You Live out Your Best"), directed by

Ion Cojar Ion Cojar (January 9, 1931 – October 18, 2009) was a Romanian acting teacher, researcher, and theatre director. He is the founder of a unique method that revolutionised the Romanian school of acting. Ion Cojar as acting teacher Cojar was bo ...

from a

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

by Paul Everac. Arghezi also found steady employment as a voice actress: the Radio Broadcasting Company had her appear in numerous radio plays, including at least two by her father, and also made her a co-host of the show ''De toate pentru toți''. Alongside

Ludovic Antal Ludovic Antal (18 February 1924 October 1970) was a Romanian actor, primarily noted for his voice acting and his activity as a cultural promoter. Born to Csángó parents in Western Moldavia, he was initially destined for a career as a priest i ...

, she voiced a version of the ''Book of Toys'', which, beginning in 1984, was sold as a collectible LP by

Electrecord Electrecord is a Romanian record label which was founded in 1932 being a major company in the field of music production in Romania, particularly popular for the large number of LPs released on the Romanian music market. Among the musicians who ...

. Also in 1984, she starred in the comedy ''

The Secret of Bacchus ''The Secret of Bacchus'' () is a 1984 Romanian comedy film directed by Geo Saizescu.''The Secret of Bacc ...

'', followed in 1987 by ''The Secret of Nemesis''. She was allowed to travel in the West, and visited the United States at some point in the 1980s. As she reported in 2002: "I did not like it, I wouldn't have defected there, not for a million dollars".

Political debut

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 ...

, Arghezi's activities at ''Mărțișor'' could explore topics that had been forbidden under the communist regime—in mid-1990, she and the Romania–Israel Friendship Society co-hosted a soiree dedicated to her father's

philosemitism Philosemitism, also called Judeophilia, is "defense, love, or admiration of Jews and Judaism". Such attitudes can be found in Western cultures across the centuries. The term originated in the nineteenth century by self-described German antisemit ...

. She also provided the

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...

with images of her half-brother, which were used at the Eli Lotar retrospective of 1993–1994. In 1992, she sealed an agreement with the Romanian state, whereby the latter would acquire her rights to ''Mărțișor'' upon her death. Her own home on Cerchez Street, which she now shared with the National Institute for the Study of Totalitarianism (INST), fell under scrutiny, because any records of previous ownership had apparently been misplaced. By her own account, Arghezi joined

Corneliu Vadim Tudor Corneliu Vadim Tudor (; 28 November 1949 – 14 September 2015), also colloquially known as "Tribunul", was a poet, writer, and journalist who was the leader of the Greater Romania Party () and a Member of the European Parliament. He was a Rom ...

's

Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party (, PRM) is a Romanian far-right political party. Founded in May 1991 by Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor, it was led by the latter from that point until his death in September 2015. The party is sometimes referred ...

(PRM) in 1992, this being her first political affiliation. However, she was originally affiliated with another nationalist group, the

Romanian National Unity Party The Romanian National Unity Party (, PUNR) was a nationalist political party in Romania between 1990 and 2006. History The PUNR was the first nationalist party in post-communist Romania, created in 1990, with Gheorghe Funar emerging as its leader ...

(PUNR): she ran on its Bucharest list for the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

in the elections of September 1992; although unsuccessful, in mid-1994 she was serving as vice president of the party's Bucharest section. In this capacity, she publicly accused a party colleague, Cornel Brahaș, of irregularities, such as investing the party funds in a

Ponzi scheme A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays Profit (accounting), profits to earlier investors with Funding, funds from more recent investors. Named after Italians, Italian confidence artist Charles Ponzi, this type of s ...

. She had ultimately defected to the PRM by 1995—according to journalist

Ion Cristoiu Ion Cristoiu (; born 16 November 1948, Găgești, Vrancea County) is a conservative Romanian journalist, writer, and political analyst. Career He was editor-in-chief of the daily '' Evenimentul Zilei'' during its heyday in the 1990s, when t ...

, she "seamlessly moved on" from one group to the other.Cronicar, "Revista revistelor. O invenție epocală", 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 37/1995, p. 16 A decade later, Arghezi described her involvement with the PRM as being motivated by her belief that "too many concessions are being made to the Hungarians", and by her perception of Vadim Tudor as a "patriot ndone of the few honest politicians." In one of her speeches in 1997, she noted that the party doctrine was "national, but not extremist". According to a press report in '' Gazeta de Sud'', during that interval Arghezi was suspected of leaking classified information preserved by her INST neighbors to the PRM's magazines, '' România Mare'' and ''Politica''. The PRM joined the

Văcăroiu Cabinet The Văcăroiu Cabinet was the 111th cabinet (government), cabinet of Romania between 1992 and 1996, led by Nicolae Văcăroiu. After the 1992 general elections, when FDSN obtained 27.75% of the votes in the Chamber of Deputies, and 28.31% in the ...

coalition (the "

Red Quadrilateral The Red Quadrilateral () was a term used by the Romanian 1990s media to describe the political alliance that supported the Romanian government between the 1992 and 1996 legislative elections. The 'Quadrilateral', informal at first, consisted of t ...

"), awarding Arghezi a position as Executive Secretary of the governmental department for

Romanian diaspora The Romanian diaspora is the Romanians, ethnically Romanian population outside Romania and Moldova. The concept does not usually include the ethnic Romanians who live as natives in nearby states, chiefly those Romanians who live in Ukraine, Hun ...

affairs in early 1995. The department had been created as a special request by Vadim Tudor, and had Arghezi as its inaugural leader.István Barabás, "Az élet fonákja. Tolvaj testvér", in ''Hargita Népe'', 15 April 2000, p. 4 In September, Cristoiu panned her activity as a sample of graft, describing Arghezi as a "failed actress" and one of her father's "worst creations". Arghezi only served in the department to November 1995, when she voluntarily resigned as a result of reshuffles. In July, she had been shortlisted by Vadim Tudor for an adjunct position in the Ministry of Culture, but rejected by Minister Viorel Mărginean—allegedly, because the latter found her too old and unattractive. The following month, she went public with criticism of the government, noting that it was too lenient toward the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians (UDMR). In that context, she demanded that the UDMR be outlawed for instigating a "civil war" in Transylvanian constituencies. Arghezi was Vadim Tudor's campaign manager ahead of a general election in November 1996. She herself ran in for the Chamber, winning a seat in

Olt County Olt County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt River, Olt river). The capital city is Slatina, Roma ...

. The PRM list enjoyed unexpected success in that province, taking 7% of the vote. This win made her one of the 21 (out of 341) deputies who were of the female gender, including PRM deputies Daniela Buruiană and

Leonida Lari Leonida Lari (26 October 1949 – 11 December 2011) was a Moldovan poet, journalist, and politician who advocated for the reunion of Bessarabia with Romania. She published 24 volumes of poetry and prose and was a prolific translator of key works ...

. The PRM as a whole was in opposition to the governing

Romanian Democratic Convention The Romanian Democratic Convention (; abbreviated CDR) was an electoral alliance of several democratic, anti-communist, anti-totalitarian, and centre-right political parties in Romania, active from 1991 until 2000. The most prominent leaders o ...

(CDR). By mid-1998, Arghezi had involved herself in the national polemics. On one of her frequent tours of her constituency, she responded to

Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu Constantin-Grigore Dumitrescu, also known as Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu or Ticu Dumitrescu (27 May 1928 – 5 December 2008), was a Romanian politician and president of the Association of Romanian Former Political Prisoners. He was noted as a ...

, an activist and former political prisoner who had publicized documents depicting Vadim Tudor as a longtime informant of the communist

Securitate The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...

. According to Arghezi, the dossier was fabricated from falsified evidence by forces operating from "outside the country's borders". In her counterclaim, she alleged that Dumitrescu had been involved in communist reeducation, and was therefore not a victim. During the miners' protests of January 1999, Arghezi visited Slatina, and spoke out against the Vasile Cabinet for not allowing protesters to exit the

Jiu Valley The Jiu Valley ( , ) is a region in southwestern Transylvania, Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains. The region was heavily industrialised and the main activity ...

and complete their march on Bucharest. She came to serve on the Chamber's Committee on Human Rights, where, as she put it, she clashed with the UDMR, whose representatives she regarded as single-minded: "they are unified and they keep on advancing heir agenda" In this capacity, she also helped strike down Mariana Stoica's project for the legalization of brothels. During the final deliberation of 6 October 1999, she argued that medical tests as outlined in that bill were not sufficient guarantees against the

AIDS epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

. The former actress was reelected in the elections of December 2000. She and Vadim Tudor were on show together to celebrate the PRM's unexpectedly good result, as the second-ranking party nationally. Arghezi went on to preside upon the new Chamber's inaugural meeting, as the most senior member of the house; this also made her the first woman to ever preside over a meeting of Chamber.

Old age and death

Arghezi's other work was with the committee on the

Francophonie The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

, which allowed her to "travel quite a lot", including in French-speaking Africa, and to observe that "black people are rather smart". She was also supportive of Romania's projected accession into the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. Around the same time, she became embroiled in controversies regarding her party's ideology and stances on

government corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...

. During April 2000, CDR

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Radu Vasile Radu Vasile (; 10 October 1942 – 3 July 2013) was a Romanian politician, historian, academic/professor, and poet. Originally a member of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚ-CD), Vasile served as the Prime Minister of Romani ...

supervised an audit of the diaspora department, which produced allegations that Arghezi had engaged in embezzlement of public funds—including by not being able to account for electronic devices sent to the

Romanians in Ukraine This article represents an overview on the history of Romanians in Ukraine, including those Romanians of Northern Bukovina, Zakarpattia, the Hertsa region, and Budjak in Odesa Oblast, but also those Romanophones in the territory between ...

. In early 2001, Arghezi attended a festivity in

Rahova Rahova is a neighbourhood of southwest Bucharest, Romania, situated in Sector 5, west of Dâmbovița River. It is named after the Bulgarian town ''Rahovo'' (today Oryahovo), site of a battle in the Romanian War of Independence. The neighborho ...

, where a local high school was being named after

Romanian Jewish The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...

novelist

Mihail Sebastian Mihail Sebastian (; born Iosif Mendel Hechter; October 18, 1907 – May 29, 1945) was a Romanian playwright, essayist, journalist and novelist. Life Sebastian was born to a Jewish family in Brăila, the son of Mendel and Clara Hechter (née We ...

. Arghezi's presence was described as inappropriate by ''Minimum'', the Romanian-language Israeli magazine, who saw it as part of a PRM publicity stunt: "as if the party led by C. V. Tudor is head over heels in love with us Jews." At the PRM national congress, held at the

Palace of the Parliament The Palace of the Parliament (), also known as the House of the Republic () or the People's House (), is the seat of the Parliament of Romania, located atop Dealul Spirii in Bucharest, the national capital. The Palace reaches a height of , has ...

in November 2001, Arghezi read out a congratulatory message from the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

; this event, which saw party delegates issuing renewed calls for the UDMR's outlawing, was not attended by guests from Romania's other

parliamentary groups A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller political parties, who a ...

. During July 2001, she had been scheduled to appear as Vadim Tudor's witness in a civil suit for libel, brought up by the CDR's

Gavril Dejeu Gavril Dejeu (; born 11 September 1932) is a Romanian politician who served as Minister of Interior in Victor Ciorbea's cabinet. He was also acting (or '' ad interim'') Prime Minister of Romania from 30 March to 17 April 1998. Born in Poieni ...

. She was fined in September for failing to appear in court. On the first days of 2003, Arghezi and Vadim Tudor signed up to a

class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 e ...

against Prime Minister

Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the prime minister of Romania from December 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 Romanian presidential elect ...

, accused of having breached the Romanian constitution by allowing

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

to carry a second official name, in Hungarian. In mid-2002, Arghezi, alongside her former colleague

Sergiu Nicolaescu Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (; 13 April 1930 – 3 January 2013) was a Romanian people, Romanian film director, actor and politician. He was best known for his historical films, such as ''Michael the Brave (film), Mihai Viteazul'' (1970, released in ...

(who had similarly become a national legislator), proposed controversial legislation that would have resulted in deputies receiving a significantly increased state pension, as compared to the average Romanian. The bill was vetoed by, among others, Vadim Tudor, who argued that Arghezi had "signed on to it without knowing what it was all about". Those months introduced speculation that Arghezi was growing senile, especially after, during a PRM rally at

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

, she dozed off in her chair, slipping and breaking her arm as a result. Arghezi still continued to serve for another full mandate in Chamber, down to full-term elections in November 2004. She ran on the PRM Chamber list in

Buzău County Buzău County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km ...

, but was no longer successful. She carried on as a PRM representative on the Radio Broadcasting Company board (2005–2010). This period saw Arghezi reaffirming her loyalty to Vadim Tudor: during the party schism organized in mid-2005 by

Corneliu Ciontu Corneliu Ciontu (born 15 November 1941) is a Romanian politician, and currently general secretary of the Great Romania Party. In November 2005, he founded the People's Party, which was blocked in justice court. In August 2006 Ciontu became the vic ...

, she remained affiliated with the Vadim wing, and served as head of its female section. In November 2005, she was confirmed as a member of the PRM's Permanent Bureau. Political scientist

Tom Gallagher C. Thomas Gallagher III (born February 3, 1944) is an American politician, financier, and insurance agent from the state of Florida and a member of the Republican Party. Gallagher holds the distinction of having served more years as an elected ...

made a note of her dedication to the cause, as part of a larger phenomenon: "Proportionately more women sit on the parliamentary benches of the PRM than for any other party .. No woman has been among the numerous senior defectors from the PRM, so Vadim may have grounds for feeling that his position is secure if they are given a prominent role in party affairs." Before the end of her Chamber mandate, Arghezi filled out a mandatory wealth declaration. It reportedly showed her as one of the least affluent MPs, who owned to her name some three

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s of agricultural land, a

Dacia Nova The Dacia Nova () is a subcompact/supermini car manufactured by Romanian auto maker Dacia from 1995 to 2000. History The Dacia Nova was the first in-house developed Dacia model and it was intended to complement the Renault 12-based " Berlina" ( ...

, and an apartment. In 2002, she complained that all the expenses at ''Mărțișor'' were covered by her, and that the Museum of Literature was not fulfilling its tasks. She noted having never had children of her own, but also that she was looking after a relative, born with a major speech impediment. She was also involved in animal-welfare causes. Arghezi was also noted, and criticized, for her strict application of copyright law when it came to her father's poetic works: in 2005, she reportedly sued a publishing house for releasing an unauthorized version of her father's children's rhyme, ''Zdreanță''. Four years later, she was criticized for charging exorbitant sums to anyone wishing to reprint any of her father's writings. This stance reportedly threatened private publishing houses, who could no longer afford to include them in literary textbooks, and considered skipping them entirely. Similarly, actor

Ion Caramitru An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

, who was performing poetry recitals to music by

Johnny Răducanu Johnny Răducanu (born Răducan Crețu; 1 December 1931 – 19 September 2011) was a Romanian jazz pianist of Romani ethnic background, whose family has a long musical tradition dating back to the 17th century. He was born in Brăila and start ...

, was forced to omit Arghezi's verse, but improvised with allusive references to it during a show held in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. Arghezi teamed up with

Vasile Voiculescu Vasile Voiculescu (, 27 November 1884 – 26 April 1963) was a Romanian poet, short-story writer, playwright, and physician who wrote under the literary pseudonym V. Voiculescu. Biography Early life and education Voiculescu was born in Pâr ...

's legatee, Andrei Voiculescu, accusing the publishing houses of collecting large profits that "they do not wish to share with anyone else", and revealed that they never collected copyrights from texbooks that were made freely available to schoolchildren. During the final stages of her life, Mitzura Arghezi joined Traian Radu in putting out the Tudor Arghezi corpus, which was being continued by

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 ...

. These included the 42nd volume, appearing in 1999, with unedited and uncensored articles from the 1940s. It was praised for its documentary value by literary historian

Zigu Ornea Zigu Ornea (; born Zigu Orenstein Andrei Vasilescu"La ceas aniversar – Cornel Popa la 75 de ani: 'Am refuzat numeroase demnități pentru a rămâne credincios logicii și filosofiei analitice.' ", in Revista de Filosofie Analitică', Vol. II, N ...

, who also criticized the editors for not including relevant information, and for tolerating "many typos." Arghezi survived her younger brother, who had returned to Romania—where he managed to publish his own edition of his father's secret works, in 2010. He died in Arad on 26 August of that year. Mitzura ceased her activities in September 2015, when she checked herself into Elias Hospital. She was later relocated to a nursing home in Bucharest's

Sector 1 Sector 1 is an administrative unit of Bucharest located in the northern part of the city. It contains also the northwestern districts of Băneasa and Pipera. Sector 1 is thought to be the wealthiest sector in Bucharest. Like each of Bucharest sec ...

. This episode divided Arghezi's extended family and circle of friends, with Baruțu's daughter Doina Elena reporting her as missing; she was found to be sharing the lodging with Traian Radu, whom she had designated as her sole heir. Vadim Tudor spoke out against Radu on Antena 1, criticizing his decisions on Mitzura's behalf. This was reportedly his own last television interview, followed shortly by his death on 14 September. M. Z.
''Ultimul interviu dat de Corneliu Vadim Tudor a fost pentru Antena 1''
Antena 1, 14 September 2015 Mitzura herself died on the morning of 27 October; she was aged 90. An Orthodox funeral service was held for her at ''Mărțișor'', where she was buried, in a tomb shared with her parents. This had been her request, included in the donation she had negotiated with the Romanian state. The ceremony was interrupted by another dispute around her remaining wealth, manifested as a heated exchange between Traian Radu and Doina Arghezi.

Selected filmography

* ''Doi vecini'' (1959) – Marița * ''Furtuna'' (1960) * ''Celebrul 702'' (1962) * ''

Titanic Waltz ''Titanic Waltz'' (Romanian: ''Titanic vals'') is a 1964 Romanian comedy film directed by Paul Călinescu and starring Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic, , and .Iordanova p.25 It was based on a play of the same name by Tudor Mușatescu. The film's sets wer ...

'' (1964) – Gena * ''

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...

'' (1971) * '' Șantaj'' (1981) * ''Secretul lui Nemesis'' (1987) – The Neighbour * ''Iubire și onoare'' (2010) – Varvara

Notes

References

*István Ferenczes, "Q.e.d.? Arghezi / Ergézi", in '' Vatra'', Vol. XLV, Issues 528–529, March–April 2015, pp. 37–49. *

Petre Pandrea Petre Pandrea, pen name of Petre Ion Marcu, also known as Petru Marcu Balș (26 June 1904 – 8 July 1968), was a Romanian social philosopher, lawyer, and political activist, also noted as an essayist, journalist, and memoirist. A native of rural ...

, ''Memoriile mandarinului valah. Jurnal I: 1954–1956''. Bucharest: Editura Vremea, 2011.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arghezi, Mitzura 1924 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Romanian women politicians 21st-century Romanian women politicians 20th-century Romanian civil servants Romanian National Unity Party politicians Greater Romania Party politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) 20th-century Romanian actresses Romanian stage actresses Romanian film actresses Romanian television actresses Romanian radio actresses Romanian women radio presenters 20th-century Romanian women artists 20th-century Romanian illustrators Romanian women children's book illustrators Romanian children's book illustrators 20th-century Romanian engravers 21st-century Romanian engravers Romanian women engravers Romanian printmakers Women printmakers Romanian women editors Romanian book publishers (people) Romanian anthologists 20th-century ballet dancers Romanian ballerinas Romanian women curators Romanian rally drivers Female rally drivers Romanian actor-politicians Actresses from Bucharest Artists from Bucharest Politicians from Bucharest Romanian people of Hungarian descent Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Romanian women in World War II Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film alumni Censorship in Romania