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A hero from Bukovina


“...That's all that will be left after each of us in this world: the good we've done to others. The rest is but dust and ashes carried by the wind.”
Ion Gramada

Writer, historian and journalist, romanian war hero Ion Gramada was born on January 3, 1886 in the village of Zaharesti, county of Suceava, in the Bukovina province of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, today’s Romania. Registered at Czernowitz University and afterwards at the University of Vienna, he studied history and geography and obtained his doctorate in those fields in 1913 with a thesis about the contribution of Romanians at the Siege of Vienna.

He also published many stories and some studies in numerous literary magazines about the Bukovina of old. He founded the news magazine Desteptarea (The Awakening) in Czernowitz in 1908 and also worked as an editor at the local paper Viata noua (The New Life).

Mobilized by the Romanian army in 1916 (World War I), he specifically asks to be sent to fight to the front line, where he is placed in command of a Mountain Hunters Corps platoon (vanatori de munte - elite infantry troops specialized in fighting on difficult terrain). He is shot down during an assault on August 27, 1917, on the heights of Ciresoaia, in Bacau, Romania.

Overwhelmed by the remembrance of the hero, the writer’s distinguished personality remains almost unknown. He dies at the age of 31, without having had the chance to complete his work. Literary dictionaries mention him briefly and conveniently as a traditional writer of his generation, but his short stories, though, which appeared at that time in a disparate manner in various literary magazines, reveal a beautiful prose, with sensitive tension and mystery, specific to the literary trends of Central Europe, and with psychological features and remarkable skills of portrayal. After important efforts are made to assemble his works, Ion Gramada’s literary production still awaits to be published entirely.

Chronology of his life

1886
January 3rd – he is born in Zaharesti, a small village in the county of Suceava situated in Bukovina, the ancient province of the former Austo-Hungarian Empire (today’s Romania), the son of Paraschieva and Constantin Gramada. He is the first born child and his siblings were: Dumitru, Alexandru, Natalia and Porfira.

1893
Attends four grades at the elementary school in the village

1897
He enrols in the Greek-Orthodox High School in Suceava (today the ‘Stefan cel Mare’ high school). Fluent in german, french and italian, he discovers literature through substantial reading of foreign authors, mostly French and very popular at the time, and also tries some translations in romanian.

1904
Sends his first writings to some literary magazines. Under the pseudonym Nicu Nalba, his short stories “De Inviere” (Celebrating the Resurrection) and “Intoarcerea” (The Return) both appear in Junimea Literara magazine of Czernowitz (1904), and the short story “In ajunul despartirii” (Before departure) is published in Luceafarul magazine (October 1905).

1905
He wins a writing contest for his short story “In Abbiategrasso”, and is awarded, through the reader’s votes, the literary prize of the Junimea literara magazine.

1906
Completes his school-leaving exams and attends the University of Czernowitz’s Faculty of Letters, specializing in History and Geography.
He stays in Czernowitz until 1910, and continues writing short stories, novellas and some translations.
He becomes a member of the Junimea Society committee and president of its literary department.

1908
Organizes literary meetings and invites authors from the old Kingdom of Romania: Simion Mehedinti, Constatin Sere, St. O. Iosif, Mihail Sadoveanu, Dimitrie Onciul, Nicolae Iorga, etc.
November 15 – He becomes the founder of the people’s magazine Desteptarea (The Awakening), “ the most well-made and finest popular news magazine of Bukovina” (cf. Constantin Loghin, Viata si opera lui Ion Gramada” Junimea literara, 1923, no. 10-11-12)
Frequently participating with other young writers in literary meetings at the residence of the priest Constantin Morariu of Patrauti, he makes the acquaintance of his two daughters, Victoria and Elvira. He falls in love with Elvira, a young woman with a distinguished education and many musical and writing talents, which he courts intensely. Prior to his departure for Italy, the two were almost officially engaged.
He is employed as a private educator by the Minister Al. Constantinescu for his son, Atta Constantinescu (future Minister himself in Antonescu’s government) and has to go to the family residence in Abbazia, Italy. The job, rather financially important, offers him some leisure and tranquility, and the opportunity to visit the country.

1909
He visits Rome, Florence, Venice, Bologna, Ancora on a private holiday tour he’ll joyfully recall in his letters.
Because of the great distance between them, the relationship with Elvira becomes cold (later, she will marry the writer Ilie E. Toroutiu).

In October he is mobilized for the military service in the austro-hungarian imperial army. He joins a regiment of Mountain Hunters (elite infrantry troops specialized in fighting on difficult terrain) and is stationed in Tirent in the region of Tyrol, in northern Italy. The climate quickly makes him ill. In a letter to his friend Vasile Grecu on Nov 17, he tells him: “I’ve been sitting in a hospital for the past six weeks, sick with malaria”. The suspicion of malaria was not confirmed and the illness proves to be bronchitis.

1910
He is released from the Imperial army, having been diagnosed with a heart deficiency, probably from birth, and bronchitis, which developed into pleurisy due to the severe mountain climate.
In the summer he returns to the kingdom of Romania where he attends the open lectures of Nicolae Iorga, the greatest romanian historian, in Valenii de Munte. On his advice, he starts translating a french author’s book about romanian history.
In the fall he enrols at the University of Vienna following his dissatisfaction with the level of education at the
He is a member of the student’s society “Romania Juna” and soon becomes the president of its literary department. Determined to write the society’s history on it’s 40th anniversary, he goes to Bucharest to study the necessary documents in Biblioteca Academei Romane (The Romanian Academy Library).
Many of his columns are published in magazines or papers like Deutsches Volksblatt (from Vienna), Tribuna, Romanul, Viata romaneasca (Romania).
His first anthology, Din Bucovina de altadata (From the old Bukovina), a collection of historical stories, is published.

1912
After arriving in Arad, Romania, in May, he is hired as an editor at the Romanul magazine. He is very actively involved in the editorial work and writes more and more engaging articles on the romanian ideals for national unity.
He also contributes to the magazines Tribuna from Cluj and Viata noua from Czernowitz.

1913
January 1 - Dissatisfied with the atmosphere of inner manoeuvring from the editorial staff, he returns to Vienna.
July 16 – He obtains his Doctorate of History at the University of Vienna with a thesis on the contribution of the Romanians at the Siege of Vienna in 1683.
In the fall, he becomes a teacher at a high school in Czernowitz, teaching history and logic.

1914
He is an editor at Viata noua.
August – Beginning of World War I.
September – Joins hundreds of Romanians from Bukovina in refusing to fight against their own romanian brothers. Considers himself a deserter from the austro-hungarian army and crosses the border into Romania where he is elected by the refugee’s committee of citizens from Bukovina.
He writes a touching manifesto sustaining the Romanian ideals for national unity.

1915
He makes a speech during the swearing in ceremony of Bukovina’s volunteers.
Works on a book reuniting some polemic articles showing his commitment for the involvement of Romania in the war against the Central Powers, a book that he would like to be entitled Cartea sangelui (The Book of Blood). For reasons unknown, probably linked to war conditions, the tome was never published. (The book is not to be mistaken for the homonymous work that appeared in 2002, reuniting a monograph and a short anthology of Ion Gramada’s writings ).
He teaches German at the Romanian military high school of Manastirea Dealu.
March – He is mobilized at the work place.

1916 August 27 – Romania enters the war.
"Romania declared war to Austria-Hungary", title in the
romanian national newspaper "Universul"
He refuses the military status of a working-mobilized reserve or recruit, and asks to be sent to the front.
He again refuses further offers to teach at the military school or to instruct young recruits in the military, services behind the front line which would have saved his life.
He is fully mobilized and sent to the front line, as he wanted, with the rank of Second Lieutenant. Upon reaching his regiment, he also refuses to be a recruits instructor, or observer for his battalion, and asks for the command of a platoon. He is entrusted with a platoon from the first battalion of the 8th regiment of Mountain Hunters Corps, belonging to the second army that is on the large front of Marasti, on the defence line of Moldavia and in the middle of the most intense battles against German troops since the beginning of the war.

1917, August 27
During an assault, he is shot in battle on the heights of Ciresoaia. Wounded, his last words were: “Sergeant Donose, take the platoon command and lead it…ahead…straight ahead.” He then collapses under another fiery blast from the enemy. His comrades try to recover and retract him from the line of fire, to rush him to a medical post and to take care of his wounds, but he dies on the way. He was 31 years old.
After the victory, the officers of the 8th regiment of Mountain Hunters Corps take care of his internment next to another dead officer, in a clearing on the Ciresoaia Heights. His tomb was marked with an engraved wooden cross.

On May 12, 1926, his remains are brought back to Suceava for reburial. The ceremony includes a Mountain Hunters Guard from the 12 Battalion, under the command of Colonel Gheorghe Teodorescu of the garrison in Suceava. The funeral convoy first stopped at the Fortress of Suceava for a memorial service. The casket with it’s remains was then layed out in the St Joan Monastery Chapel where it remained for more than a month. On Sunday, June 20, the reburial ceremony took place in the town cemetery. Present, on behalf of the family, was Constantin Gramada, the writer’s father. With a huge crowd present, speeches by the town prefect, the mayor, local officials, delegates, friends and war comrades were given in his honor. At his grave site is erected a troita, traditional massive wooden crucifix. Every year on August 27 and on Heroes Commemorative Day, ceremonies and religious services are held to honour his memory.


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