Istrati, Panahit

The son of a Romanian laundress and Greek smuggler, originally from the island of Kefalonia. The real name is Panagis Valsamis [Παναγης Βαλσαμης], but the writer chose the surname Istrati from the Greek Istros [Ιστρος] - that was the name of the Danube in ancient times. Unlearned five classes, at age 12 left home, wandered, earned a living in various crafts. In 1916 left Romania. In 1921 he tried to commit suicide in Nice , leaving a letter to Romain Rolland , he was rescued, the letter was informed to the addressee, correspondence was struck between them (it continued until Istrati's death and was later published). Rolland advised Istrati to describe his life, so the story of “Kira Kiralina” appeared.

In 1927, Istrati visited the USSR on the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution, was in Moscow and Kiev . At first, he was accompanied by Christian Rakovsky , then - Nikos Kazantzakis and Victor Serge , with whom he will continue to maintain close relations. In 1928 he visited there again, traveled to Batumi , Baku , Nizhny Novgorod and others. He also visited his long-time acquaintance Catherine Arbor-Rally in the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic .

In 1929, he, several years before the similar works of Andre Gide and Arthur Koestler , published a book of essays on the Soviet bureaucracy and its everyday arbitrariness, “Toward another fire: Confession of the loser,” which the USSR and its sympathizers in Europe — Henri Barbus et al. - regarded as betrayal by Istrati, who shared the leftist views (the book was written in collaboration with Boris Suvarin and Victor Serge , which was not indicated in its publication). At the initiative of the Soviet authorities, a broad, massive campaign to discredit Istrati began, he was accused of " Trotskyism ", "philistinism" and "fascism", an article was written about him in the Soviet Literary Encyclopedia in this spirit.

The writer found himself in deep isolation. His chronic tuberculosis worsened, which he tried to treat in Nice and from which he died when he returned to his homeland. Before his death in his homeland, he was closely monitored by Sigurans and began to write for Cruciada Românismului, the left-wing organ of the far-right branch of the Iron Guard .

He was buried in Bucharest at Bella Cemetery .

The prose of Istrati, which relies heavily on the element of oral narratives and for which he was nicknamed the “ Balkan Gorky, ” is a story about experiences in Romania and in wanderings in Europe, written on behalf of the fictional hero Adrian Zograffi.

Novels and novels

• Kira Kiralina / Chira Chiralina ( 1924 , the novel was made three times by Boris Glagolin , 1927, USSR; Gyula Maar , 1993, Turkey, Hungary, France and Dan Pitsy , 2014, Romania)
• Moș Anghel ( 1924 )
• Codin ( 1925 )
• Prezentarea haiducilor ( 1925 )
• Domnița de Snagov ( 1926 )
• Mihail ( 1927 )
• Ciulinii Bărăganului ( 1928 )
• Casa Thüringer ( 1933 )
• Biroul de plasare ( 1933 )
• Răsarit de soare ( 1934 )

For several years, the prose of Istrati was extremely popular in Europe and in the USSR: his novel “Mikhail” opened in 1928 the new Soviet journal “Bulletin of International Literature” (the writer visited his editorial office), the story “Kira Kiralina” was filmed by Boris Glagolin (“Twice Sold ", 1927 ), etc. Then Istrati fell out of the circle of readers' attention for decades, and only since the 1960s did his books gradually return to readers all over the world. Films began to appear again: in 1993, “Kira Kiralinu” was filmed by the Hungarian film director Gyula Maar .

• Opere: povestiri, romane. București: Editura Academiei Române, 2003

• Jutrin-Klener M. Panaït Istrati: un chardon déraciné, écrivain français, conteur roumain. Paris: F. Maspero, 1970
• Pintea GM Panait Istrati. București: Cartea românească, 1975
• Dadoun R. Panaït Istrati. Aix-en-Provence: L'Arc, 1983
• Souvarine B. Souvenirs sur Isaac Babel, Panaït Istrati, Pierre Pascal. Paris: Champ libre, 1985
• Panaït Istrati, notre contemporain: le livre du centenaire, 1884-1984. Aix-en-Provence: Edisud, 1986
• Geblesco E. Panaït Istrati et la métaphore paternelle. Paris: Anthropos, 1989
• Bălan Z. Panait Istrati: tipologie narativă. Brăila: Editura Istros a Muzeului Brăilei, 2001
• Iorgulescu M. Panaït Istrati. Paris: Oxus, 2004.
• Suvarin B. Panait Istrati and Communism // Continent, 1981, No. 3, p.209-222

•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to Panait Istrati
• Panait Istrati
• Article in the Literary Encyclopedia
• Istrati, Panait ( Internet ) on the Internet Movie Database