Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu was born on December 8, 1876 in Ivești, Galați, being the daughter of captain (later general) Dimitrie Bengesu and the wife of magistrate Nicolae Papadat. Because of her husband's profession, she lived in Buzău between 1903-1909 (other sources indicate 1904-1911), where she was friends with the writer Constanța Marino-Moscu, the family of engineer Gheorghe I. Dunka and the family of colonel Benone Anastasiu, future general. Here, on January 9, 1906, his daughter, Sofia-Elena, was born. The local press frequently mentioned the Papadat family's participation in social events and balls.
Hortensia's literary debut took place in 1912 with articles in French, and in 1913 she published in "Viata Românească", being supported by the critic Garabet Ibrăileanu. In 1919, he released the volume "Deep Waters". During the First World War, she worked as a nurse for the Red Cross. After the war, he attended the cenacle of Eugen Lovinescu and published in the magazine "Sburătorul", contributing to the promotion of the modern European novel.
Among his best-selling novels are Untied Maidens and Bach Concerto. He also wrote short stories such as "The Sphinx" and "The Woman in Front of the Mirror", but also plays such as "The Overhanger", "The Old Man" and "A Star Has Fallen". In 1946, he won the National Prize for Prose.
After the establishment of the communist regime, her work was banned, and the writer died in anonymity and poverty in 1955. After 1965, her works were gradually reintegrated into the literary circuit. The house where he lived in Buzău was included in the List of Historical Monuments in 2010 and renovated in 2014.
Sursa: buzauopen.ro
