Mircea Damian

Mircea Damian (pen name of Constantin Mătușa; March 14, 1899–June 16, 1948) was a Romanian prose writer and journalist.

Biography Born in Izvoru, Olt County, he attended primary school in his native village, followed by high school in Slatina. He led a disorganized and nomadic life, living from one day to another while wandering from city to city (Bistrița, Dej, Bacău, Galați, Constanța) and founding or working on various obscure publications. He finally settled in Bucharest, where he worked as an editor on several publications and founded and led one of his own, the magazine Vitrina literară (1929–1934). He solidified a reputation as an apt polemicist. He also delved into literature, as an author of humorous stories. He was well-received in the Sburătorul literary circle, although in Istoria literaturii române contemporane, its leader Eugen Lovinescu gave a much more modest opinion of Damian's merits. He died of throat cancer.