Marin Preda

In April 1942 he made his debut with the sketch "Părlitu" (“Burnt”) in the newspaper "Timpul" (no. 1771 and 1772 of April 15 and 16), on the literary page "Popasuri" (Halts), endorsed by Miron Radu Paraschivescu. His debut at the age of 20 gave him a confidence in his writing, continuing to publish sketches and stories: "Strigoaica" (The Undead), "Salcâmul" (The Acacia), "Calul" (The Horse), "Noaptea" (The Night), "La câmp" (In the Field).[3]

In September, he left the position of proofreader at "Timpul". For a short time he was a civil servant at the Institute of Statistics. On the recommendation of Eugen Lovinescu, the poet Ion Vinea hired him as editorial secretary at "Evenimentul zilei" (The event of the day).

In March 1943, a column has appeared in the newspaper "Vremea războiului" (The war time). In April, "Evenimentul zilei" published the sketch Rotila. He took a part in several meetings of the Sburătorul (The Flier) circle, led by the critic Eugen Lovinescu, where the short story Calul produced a vivid impression on those present, arousing the delight of Dinu Nicodin, who has bought the manuscript for a large sum of money.[4] The short story was included in his debut volume edited in 1948, "Întâlnirea din pământuri" (The Meeting between the Lands). In the short story after which the name of the volume was given, the critics immediately recognized the author's father, who has appeared with a changed name in Moromeții. It is built on the technique of "fly on the wall" (a perfectly objectified, behaviorist narrative, used at the time by Albert Camus, William Faulkner or later by Truman Capote). A forerunner of Marin Preda in Romanian literature had been Anton Holban in the short story "Chinuri" (Pungs).

Between 1943-1945 he was taken to the army, an experience described in later works, in the novels "Life as a Prey" and "Delirium". In 1945 he became a proofreader for the newspaper "România liberă"(Free Romania).

Between 1949 and 1955 he wrote the first volume of the novel "Moromeții" that was considered the masterpiece of the writer.

Then in 1952 he became and editor of the magazine Viaţa Românească ("Romanian Life"). In 1956 he received the State Literature Prize for the novel "Moromeții". A year later, in 1957, the writer made a trip to Vietnam. On the way back, he stopped in Beijing. In 1954 he married the poet Aurora Cornu. The love letters sent to the poet were published posthumously. They divorced in 1959. He then remarried Eta Vexler, who later immigrated to France in the early 1970s. He had two sons with his third wife, Elena[5], Nicolae and Alexandru.[6]

In 1960-1961, he read the world's great novelists. He was fascinated by William Faulkner, with whom his prose has obvious affinities. In 1965 he translated with his wife Eta the novel The Plague by Albert Camus. In 1968 he was elected the vice president of "Uniunea Scriitorilor" (Writers' Union), and in 1970 he became director of the “Cartea Românească (“Romanian Book”) publishing house, which he led until his sudden death in 1980. In 1970 he translated in collaboration with Nicolae Gane Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel: Demons. His novel, "Marele singuratic" (The Great Lonely One), received the Writers' Union Award in 1971.

Preda's novel Delirium (Delirul) is considered to reflect the attempt to review Ion Antonescu's role against the background of re-surging nationalist pride in Communist Romania. Here, Antonescu is painted as a tragic figure, who joined Germans, regarding this as the only way to re-gain Bessarabia.[7] The first edition of the novel quickly sold out.

He became a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy in 1974, and was promoted to titular post-mortem member in 1990.[8]

The second edition of the novel "Marele singuratic" had appeared in 1976, and in 1977 he published "Viața ca o pradă" (Life as a Prey), a comprehensive autobiographical novel whose main theme is the crystallization of an artist's conscience.

In 1980, Marin Preda published his last novel, Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni ("The Most Beloved Earthling"), regarded as a violent critique of communism. After a few short weeks on the market, the novel was withdrawn from all public, university, and school libraries and all bookshops. Between 1975 and 1980 he lived in Bucharest on the street (after the painter name) Alexandru Romano no. 21.

• Dans un village : nouvelle (Desfășurarea), translation in French language by Ana Vifor, 1955
• L'horizon bleu de la mort, translation into French language by Micaela Slăvescu, 1982
• Le Grand solitaire (Marele singuratic), translation into French language by Claude B. Levenson, 1975
• L'intrus (Intrusul), translation into French language by Maria Ivănescu, foreword by Cezar Ivănescu,1982
• Les Moromete (Moromeții), translation into French language by Maria Ivănescu, the foreword by Mihai Ungheanu, 1986

He was awarded the Second Class Star Order of the Socialist Republic of Romania (1971) "for special merits in the work of building socialism, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Romanian Communist Party establishment".[9]

On May 16, 1980, that the novelist died at the Writers' Mansion of Mogoşoaia Palace. The autopsy, which took place 24 hours after his death, showed that his blood alcohol concentration was 3.5 BAC, enough to fall into a coma. The official cause of death was asphixiation.[10]

His family is convinced that his sudden death has something to do with the publication of the novel "Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni" and occurred in occult conditions.[11] [12]According to the forensic report, "Marin Preda's death was violent and was due to mechanical asphyxia by clogging the airways with a soft body, possibly bed linen, in an alcoholic coma".[13] Marin Preda was buried on the Writers' Alley in Bellu Cemetery.

• A lyceum of Bucharest is called after his name, Liceul Teoretic "Marin Preda".
• A lyceum of Odorheiu Secuiesc is called after his name, Liceul "Marin Preda".
• A lyceum of Turnu Măgurele is called after his name, Liceul "Marin Preda".
• A branch of the Bucharest Metropolitan Library bears his name, Marin Preda Branch.
• A street in Cluj-Napoca bears his name, Marin Preda Street.
• A street in Turda is named after him, Marin Preda Street.
• A street in Oradea is named after him, Marin Preda Street.
• A street in Mangalia is named after him, Marin Preda Street.
• A street in Râmnicu Vâlcea bears his name, Marin Preda Street.

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the birth of Marin Preda, the National Bank of Romania, on August 10, 2012, put into circulation, for the attention of the numismatists, a commemorative silver coin, with the title of 999 ‰, with a face value of 10 lei. The coin is issued in proof quality, in a circulation of 500 copies. The edge of the coin is serrated. The diameter of the coin is 37 mm and its mass is 31,107 g. The coins are individually packaged in transparent methacrylate capsules, and are accompanied by presentation brochures written in romanian, english and french and signed certificates of authenticity by the NBR governor and the central cashier of this institution. The currency has circulation power on the Romanian territory. The selling price of a copy of this coin, including the methacrylate capsule and the accompanying brochure, is 340 lei.[14]

• The obverse of the coin represents a concentric composition, formed by the titles of the most famous works of the writer Marin Preda; in the center, the coat of arms of Romania, the face value 10 LEI, the inscriptions in a circle ROMANIA and the thousandth 2012.[14]
• The reverse of the coin represents the portrait of the writer Marin Preda, the years between which he lived 1922, 1980 and the inscription MARIN PREDA.[14]

• Marin Preda on IMDb