Veronica Porumbacu facts for kids

Veronica Porumbacu (born Veronica Schwefelberg; October 24, 1921 – March 4, 1977) was a talented Romanian writer and translator. She wrote poems, stories, and even books for children.

She was born in Bucharest into a Jewish family. Her parents were Arnold and Betty Schwefelberg. When she was very young, a nanny from a village called Porumbacu de Sus took care of her. This village name later inspired her pen name, Porumbacu.

School Days and Early Life

Veronica went to Elena Doamna High School from 1932 to 1940. During these years, she became interested in a political idea called communism. After high school, she wanted to study at the University of Bucharest. However, because of special laws against Jewish people at that time, she could not enroll there. Instead, she attended a private college for Jewish students in 1943–1944. Later, from 1944 to 1948, she was able to study literature at the University of Bucharest.

Her Career Journey

Veronica Porumbacu had many different jobs throughout her life.

• In 1943, she worked as a schoolteacher.
• From 1945 to 1949, she was a reporter and editor at the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company.
• She worked at the magazine Viața Românească from 1949 to 1953, first as an editor and then as an assistant editor-in-chief.
• From 1953 to 1956, she was an assistant editor-in-chief at Gazeta literară.
• She also led a section at the Romanian Writers' Union from 1956 to 1964.
• Starting in 1970, she taught at the Bucharest Pioneers' Palace, a special place for young people.

Her Writings and Books

Veronica Porumbacu's first published work appeared in a newspaper called Ecoul in 1944. She used the name Maria Radu for this early piece. She also wrote for many other important magazines and newspapers, including Lumea, Contemporanul, Flacăra, Viața Românească, Gazeta literară, Steaua, Tribuna, Ateneu, Orizont, and Luceafărul.

Some of her poems, like Baladă pentru 1 Mai (Ballad for May Day, 1949) and Către centrul de votare (Towards the Voting Center, 1952), were published in the official newspaper of the Communist Party, called Scînteia.

Her first books, La capătul lui '38 (a prose book) and Visele Babei Dochia (a poetry book), both came out in 1947. In the 1950s, many of her poems focused on the ideas of the ruling communist government.

However, her writing became much more personal with her 1961 book, Diminețile simple. In this book and her later works, like Memoria cuvintelor (1963) and Voce (1974), she wrote about everyday life and feelings.

Veronica Porumbacu also wrote travel books. Bilet în circuit (1965) and Drumuri și zile (1969) share her experiences from trips both inside Romania and to other countries. She wrote two interesting memoir books, Porțile (1968) and Voce și val (1976), where she shared her memories. She also wrote lovely poetry especially for children.

Besides her own writing, Veronica Porumbacu was a skilled translator. She translated works by famous writers from around the world, including Friedrich Schiller, Jean Racine, Louise Labé, Emily Dickinson, Rafael Alberti, Miklós Radnóti, Attila József, and poets from Nordic countries.

Family and Legacy

Veronica Porumbacu was married to the literary critic Mihail Petroveanu. Sadly, both she and her husband died in the big 1977 Vrancea earthquake that hit Romania in 1977.