United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Horia Stamatu (1912-1989), a Romanian author and poet, was born on September 9, 1912 in Vǎlanii de Munte, Romania. He worked as a substitute teacher at Cantemir Vodǎ High School in Bucharest. From 1938 to 1940, he served as an editor of the Enciclopedia Romaniei. He became a member of the Iron Guard and participated in the Legionnaires’ rebellion in Bucharest which took place on January 21-23, 1941. The rebellion coincided with the violent Bucharest pogrom. Following the rebellion and pogrom, Stamatu fled Bucharest for Germany, traveling through Bulgaria. From 1942-1944 he was imprisoned at the Buchenwald concentration camp and was sentenced to death in absentia by a Romanian military tribunal. The sentence was never fulfilled. Stamatu was eventually released from Buchenwald. In 1945, he studied philosophy with Max Müller at the University of Freiburg and held lectures in linguistics focusing on Romanian. Horia Stamatu lived in Paris, France from 1948-1950, where he helped found a Romanian research institute. He lived in Spain from 1951-1961 and worked as an editor for several magazines at which time he co-founded the Libertatea românească and Fapta magazines. In 1961, Stamatu moved to Freiburg, where he lived until his death in 1989.
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The Horia Stamatu papers are arranged in twelve series. Series 1: Manuscripts, circa 1930s-1980s, undated Series 2: Correspondence, 1895-1990s, undated Series 3: Subject files, circa 1950s, undated Series 4: Notes, undated Series 5: Biographical materials, circa 1950s-1960s Series 6: Financial materials, circa 1950s-1980s Series 7: Ephemera, 1970s, undated Series 8: Artwork, undated Series 9: Photographs, undated Series 10: Printed Materials, circa 1950s-1990s Series 11: Notebooks, 1967, undated Series 12: Audio Materials, 1969
The Horia Stamatu papers consists of largely post-war materials including manuscripts, drafts, and published versions of Stamatu’s writings, essays, and poetry. The correspondence includes letters, postcards, telegrams, and holiday cards with various family members and friends including men who served with Stamatu in the Iron Guard. The papers also include artwork by Alexander Lungu; photographs; financial materials; and printed materials including clippings from newspapers, journals, and magazines.
Horia Stamatu papers