Nem?eanu, Barbu
NEM?EANU, BARBU
NEM?EANU, BARBU (originally Benjamin Deutsch ; 1887–1919), Romanian poet. Born in Galatz, Nem?eanu was the son of a teacher at the local Jewish elementary school. From 1907 onward his own verse, as well as translations of foreign poetry, appeared in Bucharest literary journals such as Via?a Noua? and Flaca?+ra, and the Jewish periodicals Mántuirea and Lumeaevree. His collection of verses, Stropi de soare ("Drops of Sunshine", 1915) was warmly received by leading critics. Not a profound poet, he wrote lyrical verse about love and everyday life which was touched with light humor. He is better known for his translations from Victor Hugo, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde, *Lessing, and, above all, *Heine, whose Hebrew Melodies appeared posthumously in his Romanian translation in 1919. He also translated Yiddish works by Eliezer *Steinberg and Jacob *Groper. Nem?eanu died of tuberculosis at the age of 32.
bibliography:
E. Lovinescu, Istoria Literaturii Române Contemporane, 3 (1927), 223–5; G. Ca?linescu, Istoria Literaturii Romîne… (1941), 630–1.
[Abraham Feller]