Henric Sanielevici | |
|---|---|
 Henric Sanielevici's portrait, published along with his books in the 1920s. Attached are Sanielevici's self-measurements, which, he claimed, proved he was of the "Dinaric race" | |
| Born | September 21, 1875 |
| Died | February 19, 1951 (aged 75) |
| Other names | Henri Sanielevici, Henry Sanielevici, Enric Sanielevici, H. Sanielevich, Hasan |
| Academic background | |
| Influences | Georg Brandes, Georges Cuvier, Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea, Émile Hennequin, Karl Kautsky, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Gustave Lanson, Titu Maiorescu, Hippolyte Taine |
| Academic work | |
| Era | 20th century |
| School or tradition | Social determinism, Marxism, Poporanism, Environmental determinism, Lamarckism |
| Main interests | anthropology, ethnography, literary criticism, religious studies, sociology, zoology |
| Notable works | Încercări critice (1909) Cercetări critice şi filosofice (1916) Poporanismul reacţionar (1921) La Vie des mammifères et des hommes fossiles (1926) În slujba Satanei?!... (1935) |
| Influenced | Octav Botez, Alexandru Claudian, Mircea Eliade, Garabet Ibrăileanu, Petre Pandrea |
Henric Sanielevici (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈhenrik saniˈelevit͡ʃʲ], first name also Henri, Henry or Enric, last name also Sanielevich; September 21, 1875 – February 19, 1951) was a Romanian journalist and literary critic, also remembered for his work in anthropology, ethnography, sociology and zoology. Initially a militant socialist from the political-philosophical circle of Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea, he incorporated other influences and, in 1905, created his own literary review, Curentul Nou ("The New Trend"). Sanielevici and his friend Garabet Ibrăileanu were among the founders of "Poporanism", a peasant-oriented and left-wing movement. However, Sanielevici soon detached himself from both Marxism and agrarianism, criticizing Romanian traditionalist literature, and prophesying a Neoclassicism for the working men. His heated polemic with the rival school of Sămănătorul journal isolated him from the other Poporanists, whom he eventually denounced as "reactionaries". More controversy surrounded his ambiguous attitudes during World War I.
From 1920, Sanielevici was an isolated figure on the left, editing a new version of Curentul Nou and only affiliating with the popular daily Adevărul. He moved away from literary theory and, following his anthropological speculations, revived Lamarckism and scientific racism to formulate his own racial-sociological system. Himself a Jewish Romanian, Sanielevici attempted to undermine the racial assumptions of Nazi ideologists and local fascists.
The author faded into obscurity by the 1940s, when his work was vilified by the governing fascists, then expunged by the communist regime.