Otilia Cazimir

Otilia Cazimir (pen name of Alexandra Gavrilescu; February 12, 1894 – June 8, 1967) was a Romanian poet, prose writer, translator and publicist, nicknamed the "poetess of gentle souls", known as a children's poems author.

Biography

Origins and early work Born in Cotu Vameș, Neamț County, she was the fifth child of schoolteachers Gheorghe Gavrilescu and his wife Ecaterina (née Petrovici). She was quoted as saying: "Allow me to confess to you, after so many years, that this name, that I still bore in dignity, I never liked. I have nothing in common with the heroines of German legends, and the first Otilia that I have ever met, the little girl I shared a school bench in first grade, was stupid, fat and pimply...". She is known to have also utilised other pen names, such as Alexandra Casian, Ofelia, Magda or Dona Sol, which she used to sign in the press, particularly her more "feminist" works.

In 1912, she made her debut with poems in Viața Românească, to which she remained a loyal contributor. Other magazines that published her work include Însemnări ieșene, Adevărul literar și artistic, Lumea, Bilete de Papagal, Iașul nou, Iașul literar, Orizont, Gazeta literară and Cronica. Her first book was the 1923 poetry volume Lumini și umbre, followed by Fluturi de noapte (1926) and Cântec de comoară (1931).

Communist period and legacy Cazimir won the Romanian Academy's prize in 1927, the Femina Prize (1928), the national prize for poetry (1937) and the Romanian Writers' Society prize (1942). her house there has been a museum since 1972, and includes the office where she wrote, portraits and local landscapes, her eyeglasses and inkwell, manuscripts and a library replete with signed books.

She died in Iași in 1967, and was buried at the city's Eternitatea Cemetery.

Poems Lumini și umbre, Viața Românească Publishing, Iași, 1923; Fluturi de noapte, Cartea Românească Publishing, București, 1926; Cântec de comoară, "Naționala" S. Ciornei Publishing, București, 1931; Jucării, București, 1938; Poezii, "Regele Carol II" Literature and Art Foundation, București, 1939; Catinca și Catiușa, două fete din vecini (in collaboration with Th. Kiriacoff-Suruceanu), Cartea Rusă Publishing, București, 1947; Stăpânul lumii, Cartea Rusă Publishing, București, 1947; Alb și negru (in collaboration Th. Kiriacoff-Suruceanu), Cartea Rusă Publishing, București, 1949; Baba Iarna intră-n sat, Tineretului Publishing, București, 1954; Poezii, „Regele Carol II” Literature and Art Foundation, București, 1956; Versuri, preface by Const. Ciopraga, Editura de Stat pentru Literatură si Artă, București, 1957; Poezii, București, 1959; Partidului de ziua lui, București, 1961; Poezii (1928-1963), preface by Const. Ciopraga, București, Tineretului Publishing, 1964; Cele mai frumoase poezii, preface Const. Ciopraga, București, Tineretului Publishing, 1965; Poezii, Ion Creangă Publishing, București, 1975; Ariciul împărat, Ion Creangă Publishing, 1985