I N T E R N A T I O NA L CO N F E R E N C E RCIC’17 Redefining Community in Intercultural Context Bari, 5-6 June 2017
MIGRATION OF IDEAS: FROM THE ITALIAN FUTURISM TO THE ROMANIAN INTEGRALISM
Daniela NAGY
Department of Fundamental Sciences and Management, “Henri Coandă” Air Force Academy, Brașov, Romania
Abstract: The current paper aims to illustrate the manner in which the Romanian literature of the Avant-garde managed to find its place in the European literary landscape, after numerous fluctuations between synchronicity with similar European literary movements, marginalization, independent manifestations or architecture of the Art Nouveau. The influence that the Italian futurism had on the Romanian literature of the early twentieth century was not a direct one, but its ideas and spirit migrated toward this fertile literary space in continuous waves, leaving behind original creations and contributing to the birth of a purely Romanian literary movement – the integralism. This literary movement, atypical of Western Europe, represents the only Romanian avant-garde manifestation that managed to melt together futurist, Dadaist, constructivist or surrealist influences, in a creative Romanian synthesis, although it is not a homogenous, unitary movement that occurs artistically and literarily. Futurist reverberations were present in all Romanian publications of the literary avant-garde and they included the telegraphic style, alert pace, abundance of neologisms (especially inspired by technology), whereas futurist manifestos were published almost at the same time with the Italian ones. On this background of melted ideas, Western literary avant-garde movements, occurring before the Central ones, found in the Romanian cultural space both a place for possible convergences and one for discovering the old under the veil of the new.
Keywords: futurism, integralism, literary avant-garde, Dadaism, constructivism, surrealism
1. INTRODUCTION manifestation, to align itself to the innovative European spirit and to fully contribute to the The literary avant-gardes emerged and will advance of the post-modern literature. Migration probably continue to appear out of the obsession of new ideas was initially achieved in intimate for the new, out of need to supersede, by means of circles, based on mutuality, respect and an “infantile malady” into action, expressed as consideration, and, later on, ideas were shaped and such in a literary environment characterized by turned into distinct literary movements. Social, generationist linearity. In this climate, we need to economic or politic influences of the epoch were understand the need for new, not in relation with always present in the literature of the avant-garde; the instruments of modernity or with the need of yet, their manifestations were not identical in the progress, but in rapport with the need of European and Romanian cultural spaces. The surpassing, by means of innovation or even literary criticism of the avant-gardes oscillated tradition. The Romanian literary avant-garde between placing the Romanian avant-garde at the perceived this reality and made room for a European avant-garde’s periphery and underlining remarkable evolution. If this was hazard or if the the essential role it had for the evolution of the local cultural environment led to such a European avant-garde, between highlighting the phenomenon, it is the literary history to find out, in time-distance in relation with the European time. It is only certain that the Romanian literary movement and the synchronism of its avant-garde fosters the new as openness, in a manifestation. However, the real interest in the unique model and in a synthesis that deserves Romanian literary avant-garde manifested only in greater attention. the last three decades of the twentieth century and Installed in a moment of creative stagnation, of there are some terminological confusions with lack of ideas, the Romanian literary avant-garde regard to the perception of the Romanian literary manages, although in the absence of a linear movement. The current paper does not intend to
263 Daniela NAGY clarify the confusions caused by certain literary century does not mean that they became critics of the avant-garde, but rather, to indicate the avangardists at that time. This reality may e influences of the first avangardist movement – the perceived only as conscientization of their Italian futurism – on the Romanian. common front of action in negating the previous literature, to which the other European movements 2. ITALIAN FUTURISM of the beginning of twentieth century had also adhered. However, different from the other The first avant-garde movement, in the limits avangardist movements, futurism came up with of the meaning “historical avant-garde” is something new, an expression of the very term that futurism, which is dated on the 20th of February, defines it: the possibility of construction through 1909, when Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the openness toward future. It may be asserted that founder and the main exponent of the Italian futurism offers one of the main directions in movement, published his famous Manifesto of defining the avant-garde, as openness toward Futurism in the French magazine Le Figaro. Under future, as anticipation, as advance on unknown the title of Manifesto di fondazione, the text was territory, even as openness toward multi-art, also published in Italian, shortly after, in no.1-2 of toward a convergence of the act of writing with the magazine Poesia. It is interesting and equally painting and acting. important for the Romanian literature that, Marinetti launched numerous manifestos: simultaneously with the appearance of the first Manifesto di fondazione, Uccidiamo il chiaro di avangardist manifesto, right in the same day - the luna, Manifesto tecnico della letteratura futurista 20th of February, 1909, there appeared its Romanian (completed by Supplemento al Manifesto tecnico version, in the journal Democrația of the city of della letteratura futurista), Imaginazione enza fili Craiova. e le parole in libertà, Manifesto dei dramaturghi futuristi, Lo splendore geometrico e meccanico e The dynamic, expansive director of the magazine la sensibilità numerica, La declamazione dinamica Poesia of Milan, first published in 1905, having e sinottica, etc., all of which aimed at various areas echoes in the Romanian printed press had found in of art and in which there was invoked the necessity the Romanian publisher with socialists views, of projecting a new language, resulting from the Mihai Drăgănescu, an emissary (…). need of adjustment to a different social reality:
as Ion Pop noted (2009:7). Poetry is called – Marinetti believes – to express Nevertheless, if in the French and Italian modern sensitivity in a new language, adequate to publications the manifesto had found a target the functional-mechanical style of the epoch, of the public to resonate with the issue under debate, in industrial society. By abandoning all aristocratic Romania, there was not an adequate background isolations, the poet must go out in the street, face for its receiving, because the problem was strange anonymous crowds, he has to praise the big to the Romanian cultural space. For example, if the metropoles, the crowded railway station covered in French and Italian literary environments could smoke, the factories. Both vocabulary and grammar declare their boredom against a norm, the of the old poetry are totally insufficient for this. Romanian literature was in its incipient phase and, There is need for a dynamic language, as fast as the modern means of locomotion; a language that has more than that, those museums and libraries to be something of the beauty and functional structure of set on fire, invoked by Marinetti, were rather scarce the new technical inventions. (Călinescu, 1972:189) in Romania for them to be subjected to such treatment. Futurism is, therefore, the literary/artistic The Italian futurist revolution led, however, not movement of proportion, from which, chronologically to liberation in the linguistic field (one must see the speaking, we can speak about the avant-garde proclaimed freedom of words), but rather to a new movements. Drogoreanu underlines this aspect in confinement, to a re- codification of stylistic means, the preface of her study Influences of the Italian and even of grammar. Paroliberism (paroliberismo, futurism on the Romanian avant-garde (2004:17): in Italian), one of the fundamental claims of the futurist esthetics, originates in Manifesto tecnico The early times of the avant-garde and of the futurism della letteratura futurista of 1912, but, in its interfere. Literary histories agree to place the Italian completeness, the theory of words in freedom was futurism within the first avant-gardes that appeared in Europe, it being, in fact, absolutely the first one. only presented one year later, when the norms of the new poetry had been established, based on The fact that futurists started to call themselves destruction of syntax, use of verbs only in their avangardists only in the third decade of the past infinitive forms, abolition of both adjectives and 264 MIGRATION OF IDEAS: FROM THE ITALIAN FUTURISM TO THE ROMANIAN INTEGRALISM adverbs – since they represented the poetic attitude, 3. CONSTRUCTIVIST FOUNDATIONS. by excellence -, abandonment of punctuation, FUTURIST AND DADAIST ECHOES IN THE preference for nouns followed by double INTEGRALIST MELTING POT. nominatives, “death of literary Ego”, “lyrical obsession for matter”, analogism, poetic supremacy If for the European avant-garde the given to onomatopoeias and mathematical symbols representative movements are the Italian futurism, (David Drogoreanu, 2009:20-21). the Russian futurism, Dadaism and surrealism, in Consequently, by placing Marinetti and his Romania, realities are much more confusing. We collaborators on divergent position in rapport with can speak of three main waves of the avant-garde, the norms of the time, futurism achieves not pretty ambiguous when related to the values of the liberation but a mechanization of style, within European movement, but which give a special whose borders the size, boldness or fonts of the particularity to the Romanian modernism. typographic signs are directly connected with The first wave includes among its most art/painting (thus they constitute the foundation of important representatives writers such as Tristan the future verbal-iconic rapports) and with music Tzara, Ion Vinea, Adrian Maniu, B. Fundoianu, (establishing verbal-sound relationships). Both Ilarie Voronca, Stephan Roll. This wave is not directions will be further exploited by the characterized by closeness to a distinct literary- representatives of the Italian futurism; still, the artistic direction (Cătălui, 2011:77) like in Western freedom of words ends up in transforming Europe; rather, it represents a mixture form of the language into a mere instrument. futurist, Dadaist and cubist tendencies around the Aspects related to the openness of literature central publication, Contimporanul magazine, of toward the visual, convergence of painting with constructivist orientation, and around its minor writing, respectively, of music with written texts, magazines, 75 H.P., Punct, and others. lead not only to the proclamation of a linguistic The second wave, appeared in 1930, is defined revolution, but equally, to creation of the first by an incipient surrealism, mainly expressed by the literary works that highlight this reality. Despite magazine unu, but also by its satellite magazines some critics who consider that futurism did not Alge, Muci and others. have any literary works, but only literary The third wave, initiated around the year of manifestos as its literary expression, the visual 1940, is the only one to express the ideas and works of A. Soffici or C. Govoni illustrate values of a single avant-garde movement, in an convincingly the openness of Marinetti’s unaltered form. It claims to be surrealist from manifestos. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that beginning to the end, and includes Gellu Naum, futurists tried to achieve a lyrical simultaneity, to Gherasim Luca, Paul Păun, Virgil Teodorescu and reach the supreme poetry, in which colors, sounds, D. Trost among its most famous representatives. scents, noises, weights, thickness, and analogies to Before we bring up the constructivist- be melted together. integralist peculiarities of the first wave, we should The Italian critic Sandro Briosi (apud notice the manner in which the echoes of the main Drogoreanu, 2004:20) claimed that futurism is the European avant-garde movements are reflected on precursor of the visual poetry, aspect that was also its similar Romanian movement. Although we mentioned by the representatives of that movement cannot speak about a Romanian futurism, (poesia visiva), who considered that their artistic influences of this movement were present in the achievement originated in paroliberism. Romanian literature of the avant-garde, at a certain The visual poetry was present in the Romanian time distance, and they contributed to the syncretic avant-garde from its first wave, whereas signs of image of the Romanian avant-garde (Drogoreanu, some subsequent development had appeared since 2004). Futurist reverberations are present in all the late decade of the nineteenth century, when Romanian avangardist publications of the first some representatives of the Romanian symbolism wave. They regard the telegraphic style, the alert were very keen on associating images with poetic pace, the abundance of neologisms (especially texts (by means of various fonts, sizes, colors), yet, inspired by technology) which depict some of the without achieving a unitary whole text-image. literary works of the first wave: Later on, under the direct influence of futurist ideas, the visual poetry of the Romanian historical The poetry of futurist inspiration published by Ilarie avant-garde receives distinct character and it may Voronca, Stephan(e) Roll, Mihail Cosma and, be placed on the same value level with the similar occasionally, Ion Vinea in the magazines “75 H.P.”, creations of the European avant-garde movements. “Punct” and “Integral” has for its main characteristics
265 Daniela NAGY
the telegraphic style (punctuation marks, connectors (translated: Influences of the Italian futurism on and even predicates are usually missing), juxtaposed the Romanian avant-garde). notations at an alert pace, unusual ludic-ironic In what Dadaism is concerned, although this associations, predominantly neologistic lexis and current of nihilist nature was brought to light, abolition of the lyrical self (the poet is distant, cold, among others, by important Romanian refusing sweet and obsolete sentimentalism, taking pleasure only in recording external perceptions with avangardists: Tristan Tzara, Marcel Iancu or the eye of a reporter) (Morar, 2005:129). Arthur Segal, it did not have relevant reverberation in Romania. In the absence of an esthetic program In Contimporanul, the most significant of (Tzara will disconsider the possibility of any these magazines, futurism is given generous space, esthetic projection; he will promote a “recipe” for throughout three consecutive issues, 96, 97 and 98, making a Dadaist poem), and willing to free art in which fundamental futurist texts are shown. from dogmas, Dadaism did not resonate with the These texts include the manifesto Sensibilitatea Romanian cultural space. Although some of the futuristă (translated: Futurist sensitivity), an Dadaist literature features are present in the pages interview with Antonio Giulio Bragaglia, as well of the first avant-garde wave magazines as a reportage of Marinetti’s, following his visit to (deconstructivist approach, ludic spirit, phonetic Romania, Incendiul sondei din Moreni (translated: occurrence in discourse, abolition of syntax or The Fire of the Moreni Derricks), in which the punctuation marks) – but which are also common founder of the movement appreciates the for futurism, pure Dadaist reverberations are rare. Romanian writers Petrașcu, Codreanu, Iancu, There are also other premises that could have Maxy, Minulescu, Vinea and Marcu. Let us notice led to a greater Dadaist influence on the Romanian that the birth certificate of the Romanian avant-garde. For example, the appearance of avangardism, in the Romanian critic Paul Cernat’s Contimporanul is owed mainly to Marcel Iancu, perspective, Manifestul activist către tinerime that had just returned from Switzerland after he (translated: Activist manifesto for the young had abandoned his Dadaist impulses. Important people) was created by Vinea on base of a futurist names of Dadaist authors including Hans Arp, rhetorical matrix, Marinettian, more precisely. Kurt Switters, Philippe Soupault etc. sign artistic Other magazines of the first wave display works or program articles in the pages of important futurist reverberations, as well. In 75 Romanian publications of the first avant-garde H.P., Punct and Integral, numerous pages are wave. But equally, the European futurist dedicated to the futurist movement. Issue 27 of publications host Dadaist creations, too. Some Integral magazine contains, for example, texts by critics (Morar, 2005:141, for instance) consider Marinetti and other Italian futurists - F. Casavola, that Pictopoezia (translated: Pictopoetry) in the 75 Farfa, P. Buzzi, and futurist texts of the Romanian H.P. magazine would be the result of a Romanian authors - Mihail Cosma, Stephan Roll, Ernest embodiment of the Dadaist collage. Others, Cosma etc. The futurist spirit is discernible in (Drogoreanu, 2004:204, for example) highlight the other works of Voronca, Roll, Cosma or Vinea. influence of verbal-iconic structures synthesis Among them, we can mention Voronca’s article- entitled tavole parolibere. program Aviograma. În loc de manifest (translated: Mention should be made that, despite its Aviogram. Instead of a manifesto), the text permanent dialogue with the Dada movement, and Accidente (Accidents) by Mihail Cosma or the despite its proven paternity on the avant-garde manifesto Metaloid by Stephan Roll. As a result of literature from Cabaret Voltaire or the publication these cultivated connections with the Italian of texts belonging to famous Dadaists, the futurists, the Romanian magazines of the first Romanian avant-garde, open to synthesis and not wave, especially Integral, make use of their to violent and total negation, did not allow the instruments, discourse and technical means of perpetuation of this ideas within the Romanian achieving the page layout. cultural space. Apart from the ludic spirit, probably of Dadaist origin, the other Dadaist We observe some consistent materialization of influences are minor. Furthermore, in spite of the futurist influences throughout the entire structure of violent reaction of the first wave of the Romanian the magazine but especially in the idea fund and in avant-garde in relation with surrealism, Dadaism the writing style of theoretical articles, in poetry, in was not rejected. It simply did not manage to grow theory of theater and film, in prose, roots in a soil that could not assure the necessary nutrients for its development. states Drogoreanu (2004:166) in Influențe ale Constructivism, an avangardist current of futurismului italian asupra avangardei românești lesser importance in the landscape of the beginning 266 MIGRATION OF IDEAS: FROM THE ITALIAN FUTURISM TO THE ROMANIAN INTEGRALISM of twentieth century in Europe, left the deepest “poetry in the manner of the neoplasticim” (Pop, imprint on the first wave of Romanian avangardism. 1969:64). Due to this reason, the constructivism of Developed in Russia (its paternity is attributed Contimporanul is completed by ideas mainly to the painter Vladimir Tatlin), under the influence derived from the futurist vision. of futurism and cubism (some of the Romanian The constructivist movement is initiated in literary critics and historians associate it with the Romania, as a consequence of Marcel Iancu’s “literary cubism”), constructivism becomes an influence – a converted constructivist, who international avant-garde movement, manifest in participated in the first international congress of Western Europe, mainly in Netherland and the avant-garde movement that was held in 1922, Germany. The group of De Stijl, for instance, at Düsseldorf, and who was to declare declares its constructivist origin. It launches its Contimporanul, in the same year of its launching well-known manifestos that highlight the the “Romanian constructivist organ”. principles of the new art organization, based on Thus, Contimporanul declares it is a anti-mimetism and non-figurativism, suppressing publication built on constructivist skeleton, in and undermining even the metaphysic to the which literary creations and those belonging to the detriment of a construction in which the word does plastic arts are doubled by articles or interviews not benefit from the subject’s illusion, but from the with the current’s promoters in Western Europe: objective reality of syntax, prosody, typography Van Doesburg, Le Corbusier, Georges Linze etc. and orthography elements, respectively, from The constructivist skeleton suffered from arithmetic structures to be able to express itself various alterations, including the birth certificate plenary. Commenting on the second manifesto of of the Romanian avant-garde, in Paul Cernat’s De Stijl, signed by Theo Van Doesburg, Piet opinion, in the form of a manifesto article Mondrian and Antony Kok, Adrian Lesenciuc, the characterized by integralist eclecticism, not by author of the only Romanian work dedicated to purely constructivist values, principles and visual poetry, noticed the role of the Dutch directions of action: constructivists on the Romanian avant-garde as well as on the verbal-icon reform: The activist manifesto addressed to the young people, published by Ion Vinea in no. 46/1924 of It is not the duality form/content that makes the his magazine, reflects the same eclecticism, constructive unity between form and content. expression of the wish to create an “integral art”, Which means that only together the readable and “sign of the great epochs” (Hellenism, romanticism, the visual may recompose the coverage area gothicism, byzantism etc.)” (Morar, 2005:147-148) through language, may reestablish the relationship between language and speech, may revive the Other publications of the first wave express “meaning” of words, may cover words with their closeness to the movement, too, either inexpressivity. (Lesenciuc, 2006:55) directly (the case of Punct magazine – “magazine of international constructivist art”) or indirectly, Constructivism, through its multiple forms of but, in general, these publications are characterized manifestation, starting from Mondrian’s neo- by a visual skeleton, including works of some plasticism, aims to promote the total art,, which is painters who adhere to the constructivist able to include life, not to negate or to reproduce it. principles, such as Marcel Iancu, Milița Petrașcu, Thus, art becomes part of the real and the abstract, Victor Brauner, Mattis Teutsch, M.H. Maxy, of the verbal and of the iconic. The consequences Corneliu Michăilescu etc., completed by literature of constructivism in the literary avant-garde, in and program articles, influenced, to a great extent general, and for the visual poetry, in particular, by the Italian futurism. The two movements are lead to the creation of an inseparable connection consonant and permissive with each other, as long between the esthetic theory promoted by the De as futurism had an important influence on the Stijl followers and the verbal-iconic expression appearance of constructivism. The reform of the present in the pages of the avant-garde magazines word, as it results from the De Stijl projection, led (including the Romanian publications of the first to a certain geometrization of the text, anticipating, wave, directly influenced by constructivism). in a way, the lettrism of Isidore Isou, according to The program of Contimporanul is, Morar (2005:153). accordingly, based on the Dutch constructivist If we synthesize the external influences on the group, from which the idea of “denaturalization” Romanian avangardism, there may be observed of art is taken over. Many of the Contimporanul easily that, on a background of constructivist poets were assigned to reformulate an esthetically predominance, first of all, of Contimporanul literary belief, in neoplasticist terms, and to create 267 Daniela NAGY magazine, the dissonant expression of surrealism in his article “Plastic politics”, published in was vehemently rejected, even by some of its number III of the Integral magazine. satellite magazines, such is the case of Integral, the This movement, atypical of western Europe, Dadaist expression did not occur, whereas the represents, in fact, the solitary purely Romanian futurist one was intensely present. Commenting on avangardist manifestation that became, by this general background of manifestations, extension, a landmark of the entire Romanian Drogoreanu asserted: avangardist movement of the former half of the twentieth century: (...) the essential weight in the competition of tendencies manifested at is taken by constructivism, Despite these delimitations, the Romanian literary which offered the magazine and the Romanian avant-garde, also called historical, is not a avant-garde, in general, a coherent, permissive, homogenous or unitary current to manifest in one accommodating theoretical support. At the same direction only, or to “surf” literarily and artistically time, the wish for creative synthesis promoted by one single wave, be it futurist, Dadaist, all Romanian avangardist groups held a decisive constructivist, or surrealist, but a melting pot of substance, which explains the presence of other currents, synthesized in the formula of influences, otherwise motivated by the late “integralism”. (Cătălui, 2011:78) reception of the avant-gardes in Romania. This is the very reason why we consider that futurist Nevertheless, the placement of the entire influences melted more easily with constructivism, Romanian avant-garde under the integralist sign rather than with expressionism. (Drogoreanu, symbolizes a simplified approach, even a 2004:120) simplistic one, unable to give interpretative consistency to an ample and perfectly synchronous Given this background like a melting pot, the phenomenon with the its similar movement from avant-garde currents of the West, occurring at a Western Europe. The “integralist” label is still certain distance from the Center, found in the defining for the Romanian avant-garde and it Romanian cultural space both a place for a metaphorically offers a way of understanding its possible convergence and an environment for the synthesizing, constructivist particularity, in discovery of the old under the veil of the new, in contrast with the dominant de(con)structivism of the light of innovation. Drogoreanu (2004:120) the Western European movements. underlines: The integralist synthesis, naturally insinuated, The extremism of the first avant-garde program is the one to add value to the Romanian historical accompanied closely the Romanian literature stage avant-garde, making it particular and producing, of discovering the innovative and iconoclast by its means, a relocation of efforts to place the cultural spirit of the beginning of the century. European avant-garde terminologically, in new conceptual frameworks. This is what Umberto Eco 4. ROMANIAN INTEGRALISM will do, when he fosters the distinction between avant-garde and experimentalism, but who will Between the three waves there are inactive propose a new equilibrium of the avant-garde – spaces, from the manifestation standpoint, but yet tradition rapport, given his understanding of they are fertile from the perspective of future hidden resorts of a natural cyclicity: movements’ projection. In general terms, the deconstruction-reconstruction. Romanian historical avant-garde may be In these terms, the Romanian historical avant- characterized by a synthesizing term, garde is, in a way, a precursor of a process that “integralism”, an avant-garde literary movement came to be the object of analysis for theoreticians, that displays, conscientiously, constructivist, but which could only gain achievement in the Dadaist, futurist and even surrealist elements. Romanian cultural space. Each of the Western Integralism was launched as a synthetic version of avant-gardes ended in the intricacies of their own constructivism, manifested through the impositions, whereas the Romanian avant-garde publications of Contimporanul, 75 H.P., Punct, ended in its own ascendance, by imitation. The Integral, through the Dadaism of 75 H.P. dialectic materialism led, on the one side, to magazine, of the late futurism and of the incipient recognition of tradition, and on the other side, to surrealism of the magazine unu. the consciousness transformation of the present Integralism represents in its essence, not only a into nostalgia of the past. path toward the above mentioned synthesis, but This is the expression of the maximum also as a path to synchronization with the closeness of the avangardist art to a tradition with European spirit, such as M.H. Maxy was to claim amazing potential of manifestation, renewing 268 MIGRATION OF IDEAS: FROM THE ITALIAN FUTURISM TO THE ROMANIAN INTEGRALISM cyclically, a form of preceding. Moreover, Integral In this respect, we can mention two extremes. becomes a way of capitalization of esthetically On the one side, the literary critic Marin Mincu non-indoctrinated culture, manifested in its pure (2006a) considered that the Romanian avant-garde form, consonant with the form of art practiced by is placed in the foreground of the international Brâncuși, opposing degenerative borrowings, avant-garde in almost all areas of arts, through respectively, of a tradition of elevated creation that Tristan Tzara in poetry, Eugène Ionesco in slipped into imitation and mannerism. By this dramaturgy, Constantin Brâncuși in sculpture, positioning, integralism opposes Dadaism, a Victor Brauner in painting. current that starts by demolishing the profound On the other side, Nicolae Manolescu (2008) layers of culture. answered Marin Mincu ironically (and critically), Within the Romanian culture, integralism stating that the Romanian avangardists entered the becomes a landmark for the entire historical literature history especially due to what was not literary avant-garde, characterizing it an placing it avangardist in their works. The literature of the in the “avant-garde” of the European avant-garde remained, from this perspective, in a experimentalism. More than that, in this integralist corner that was rarely visited by literary critics. composition The two extreme positions result not only from divergent esthetic perspectives but also from It can be asserted that the Romanian literary ideological disputes. avangardism was assimilated by modernist Furthermore, the Romanian avant-garde was tendencies and its role, instead of being mainly judged by the criterion of center-periphery. If, in protesting and inhibiting, was above all a the previous case, of the role detained, we can recovering one, in the spirit of a synthesizing cultural system. (Mincu, 2006b:229) distinguish two opposite tendencies, manifested through Mincu and Manolescu extremes, in this 5. CONCLUSIONS case, of the center-orientation rapports, there is a certain lack of balance; there is only one In order to establish the place and role of the perspective, belonging to the university professor Romanian literary avant-garde in rapport with the Paul Cernat. Paul Cernat (2007a) reconsiders the European avant-garde, we need to detect some rapports of the Romanian avant-garde with the accurate criteria of assessment, as well as the European one, based on some relationships of the extremes of the literary criticisms with regard to type center-periphery. Thus, he places the this rapport. It is much simpler for us to start by Romanian movement under the periphery sign. defining these interpretative extremes and then to His perspective has to be analyzed with certain build the natural criteria of comparison and to circumspection. When establishing the center- place the Romanian artistic and literary periphery rapports, Cernat sends to the channel of avangardist reality in the European environment. propagation, of capitalization of artistic creation, The first aspect that is worth mentioning, is that of not to the creative, enhancing background where perfect synchrony between the Romanian avant- the artists developed intellectually. The complex of garde and the European one, as the critic Ion periphery analyzed by Cernat’s study regards the Bogdan Lefter (2000) stated. The Romanian market and promotion of the very artistic products, cultural space’s contribution to the European because some of those genii of the avant-garde avant-garde cannot be contested either, since some strongly claimed their connection with the of its important names, such as Tristan Tzara or Romanian creative inspiration. The best example, Constantin Brâncuși are top billing in literature or in this respect is that of the sculptor Constantin plastic arts: Brâncuși, who repeatedly affirmed that his avangardism is but a way of “restoring archaic a movement (...) perfectly
The consideration of this rapport is very by Marco Cugno. Afterword by Ion Bogdan interesting: from the interior, through Paul Lefter. Pitești: Paralela 45 Publishing House. Cernat’s eyes, the Romanian avant-garde is aware 6. Lefter, Ion Bogdan. (2000). Recapitularea of its periphery complex, whereas, from the modernității. Pentru o nouă istorie a literaturii exterior, through the eyes of foreigners (Sandqvist române. Pitești: Paralela 45 Publishing House. is only one of the numerous cultural personalities 7. Lesenciuc, Adrian. (2006). Poezia vizuală. that firmly stated this reality), the Romanian Bucharest: Antet Publishing House. popular culture contributed fundamentally to the 8. Manolescu, Nicolae. (2008). Istoria critică a European avangardist manifestation. literaturii române. 5 secole de literatură. But this avangardist force coming from the Pitești: Paralela 45 Publishing House. depth of popular culture would not have probably 9. Marinetti, Filippo Tommaso. (2009). become visible without the migration of ideas from Manifestele futurismului. Translation, Western Europe, especially from the futurist Italy introduction and notes by Emilia David at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Drogoreanu. Bucharest: Art Publishing House. Romanian integralist combustion was, in other 7-10. words, initiated by the explosive futurist movement. 10. Mincu, Marin. (2006a). Avangarda literară românească. De la Urmuz la Paul Celan. BIBLIOGRAPHY Constanța: Pontica Publishing House. 11. Mincu, Marin. (2006b). Experimentalismul 1. Călinescu, Matei. (1972). Conceptul modern poetic românesc. Foreword by de Ștefan de poezie. (De la romantism la avangardă). Borbely. Pitești: Paralela 45 Publishing House. Bucharest: Eminescu Publishing House. 12. Morar, Ovidiu. (2005). Avangardismul 2. Cătălui, Iulian. (2011). Avangarda literară românesc. Bucharest: Publishing House. Of românească și visul. Studiu literar despre the Cultural Foundation “Ideea Europeană”. implicațiile fenomenului oniric în definirea 13. Muntenuș, Horia. (2008). Dincolo de avangardei literare românești. Brașov: Brâncuși. Second edition, revised and Publishing House of Transilvania University. completed. Foreword by Constantin Zărnescu. 3. Cernat, Paul. (2007a). Avangarda românească Cluj-Napoca: Gedo Publishing House. și complexul periferiei. Primul val. Bucharest: 14. Pop, Ion. (1969). Avangardismul poetic Cartea Românească Publishing House. românesc. Eseuri. Bucharest: Publishing 4. David Drogoreanu, Emilia. (2009). House for Literature. Introduction. Futurism manifestos – an integral 15. Pop, Ion. (2009). Foreword. In Filippo project for revolutionizing the universe. In Tommaso Marinetti, Manifestele futurismului. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Manifestele Translation, introduction and notes by Emilia futurismului. Bucharest: Art Publishing House. David Drogoreanu. Bucharest: Art Publishing 11-41. House. 7-10. 5. Drogoreanu, Emilia. (2004). Influențe ale 16. Sandqvist, Tom. [2006] (2010). DADA EST. futurismului italian asupra avangardei Românii de la Cabaret Voltaire. Translation românești. Sincronie și specificitate. Foreword by Cristina Deutsch. Bucharest: Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Institute.
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