Vlaicu Victor Virgil Bârna (December 4, 1913 – March 11, 1999) was an

Austro-Hungarian 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 between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

-born

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

n poet. Born in Crișan,

Hunedoara County Hunedoara County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva, Romania, Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as , ...

, in the

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 ...

region, his parents Ion Bârna and Maria (''née'' Pavel) were peasants. After graduating from Avram Iancu High School in

Brad Brad may refer to: * Brad (given name), a masculine given name Places * Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania * Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania * Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romania * ...

in 1932, he entered the literature and philosophy 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 ...

, earning his degree in 1936. He was editing secretary for ''Azi'' magazine and editor at ''Rampa'' and ''România'' (under

Cezar Petrescu Cezar Petrescu (; December 1, 1892–March 9, 1961) was a Romanian journalist, novelist, and children's literature, children's writer. He was born in Cotnari, Hodora, Iași County, the son of Dimitrie Petrescu, an engineer and a teacher. Af ...

's direction in 1938–1939) and at the daily ''Ardealul''. From 1941 to 1947, he was press representative at the Propaganda Ministry and the

Foreign Ministry In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral re ...

. Under the

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 ...

, he was editor at Editura de Stat pentru Literatură și Artă (1949–1951), literary adviser at Radiodifuziunea română (1951–1966), editor at ''

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. ...

'' (1968–1974) and literary secretary of the

Romanian Writers' Union The Writers' Union of Romania (), founded in March 1949, is a professional association of writers in Romania. It also has a subsidiary in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The Writers' Union of Romania was created by the communist regime by taking ...

(1972–1976). He edited and headed the publications ''Arta'' (1941; ''Arta nouă'' in 1942–1943) and ''Galeria'' (1941–1943). He was a participant in the ''

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 ...

'' circle, particularly from 1933 to 1935. Bârna's first published poems appeared in ''Azi'', ''Viața literară'', and ''Litere'' in 1934; his first poetry book was the 1936 ''Cabane albe''. His work appeared in ''

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 ...

'', '' Familia'', ''Universul literar'', ''Gazeta literară'', ''

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 ...

'', and ''Steaua''. In 1944, during World War II, he edited the bimonthly ''Câmpia Libertății'', a publication that protested against fascism and the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all of Maramureș and part of Cri ...

. Starting with ''Brume'' (1940) and through the retrospective selection ''Cupa de aur'' (1970) and ''Patria mea, plai al Mioriței'' (1977), he sought to evoke a medieval Transylvania dominated by mountain landscapes and the turbulent history of the ''moți''. Under communism, in the socialist realist framework, he also celebrated the new societal conditions. He wrote two historical novels for young people: ''Romanul Caterinei Varga'' (1961) and ''Când era Horia împărat'' (1962). Authors he translated include

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

, and

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

. He won the Ion Pavelescu Prize for sonnets in 1934 and the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

's Mihai Eminescu Prize in 1977.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. I, p. 147. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. In 1996 he was made honorary citizen of Brad; a memorial for Bârna is located in his native village, Crișan.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barna, Vlaicu 1913 births 1999 deaths People from Hunedoara County University of Bucharest alumni Romanian poets Romanian magazine editors Romanian newspaper editors Romanian translators Romanian novelists Socialist realism writers 20th-century translators