 1939 edition | |
| Author | Mihail Sadoveanu |
|---|---|
| Original title | Baltagul |
| Language | Romanian |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Cartea Românească |
Publication date | 1930 |
| Publication place | Romania |
Published in English | 1955 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Preceded by | Miorița |
The Hatchet (orig. Romanian: Baltagul) is a 1930 crime novel that was written by Mihail Sadoveanu.
The novel's main character is Vitoria Lipan, the wife of a shepherd living in the Moldavian village Măgura Tarcăului. Vitoria has a premonition her husband Nechifor, who has gone to the town Dorna to buy more sheep, has died. The local priest and the county's prefect dismiss her premonition but for Vitoria, archaic symbols and superstitions are more trustworthy than the books of the priests or the science of the government officials. She calls home her son Gheorghiță, who is on business in Jijia village, where he waited for news from his father to pay some debts. Vitoria and Gheorghiță embark on a mythical journey, at the end of which they find Nechifor's dead body and take their revenge on the thieves who killed him. The determined and clever Vitoria Lipan is a unique female character in the Romanian traditionalist novel, despite the female stereotypes.[1][2]
The Hatchet is considered Sadoveanu's greatest work and a creative adaptation of themes from the famous Romanian ballad Miorița, which inspired the novel.[3][4][5] The novel uses the ballad's epic structure, and the conflict between the three villagers and Vitoria's perseverance in the search for her dead husband. The author was also inspired by other popular, mid-19th-century ballads by Vasile Alecsandri; "Șalga", from which comes the theme of the courageous village woman who searches for groups of thieves and takes revenge for their crimes – and "Dolca", from which the author took the link between humans and nature.[6]
The Hatchet is considered a monograph of a traditional Romanian village because it shows the aspects of the village typology with Romanian traditions and superstitions; baptism, wedding, and funeral. The title is based on the weapon that makes both criminals confess but also refers to the weapon with which the dead shepherd was murdered. The novel is divided into 16 chapters. It was adapted into an eponymous movie, Baltagul, which was directed by Mircea Mureșan[7] and premiered in October 1969;[8] Vitoria Lipan was played by Margarita Lozano.
- ^ Mihail Sadoveanu. "Baltagul, Chapter 1". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ^ Mihail Sadoveanu. "Baltagul, Chapter 12". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ^ Ovid S. Crohmălniceanu, Romanian Literature Between Two World Wars, vol. I, publishing house Minerva, Bucharest, 1972, p. 205.
- ^ Eugen Lovinescu, History of the contemporary romanian literature (1900-1937), publishing house Library Socec & Co., Bucharest, 1937, pp. 196-197.
- ^ George Călinescu, "M. Sadoveanu", in Istoria literaturii române de la origini până în prezent, publishing house of the Royal Foundation for Literature and Art, Bucharest, 1941, pp. 559-560.
- ^ Ion Dodu Bălan, "Reciting Baltagul", postface to Mihail Sadoveanu, Baltagul, publishing house Minerva, Bucharest, 1971.
- ^ Călin Stănculescu, The book and movie, publishing house Biblioteca Bucureștilor, Bucharest, 2011, pp. 121-122.
- ^ Călin Căliman, The History of the Romanian movie (1897-2000), Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Foundation, Bucharest, 2000, p. 199.