Anatoliy Gujel Moldavian poet, publicist. Date of Birth: 06.04.1922 Country: Moldova

Biography of Anatol Gugel

Anatol Gugel was a Moldovan poet and publicist, known for his extensive literary works. He was born in the Moldovan city of Iași in April 1922, into a family of a lawyer. Unfortunately, his father passed away from typhus, and his mother returned to her parents in Chișinău with Anatol, who was only six months old at the time.

Anatol completed his education at the B.-P. Hașdeu High School in Chișinău, where he became friends with another future writer, A. Cozmescu. After graduating from high school in 1940, he enrolled in the Chișinău Pedagogical Institute. However, due to the outbreak of World War II, Anatol and the institute were evacuated to Buguruslan, where he continued his studies.

Tragically, Anatol's mother was executed by the Germans during the early days of the occupation in the Chișinău ghetto. After completing his studies at the institute in 1944, Anatol returned to Chișinău and began working for various newspapers and magazines. He worked as the responsible secretary of the newspaper "Tinerimea Moldovei" (Youth of Moldova) from 1945 to 1960, followed by "Moldova Socialistă" (Socialist Moldova) from 1960 to 1966, and later at the magazine "Moldova" from 1966 to 1988.

In 1997, Anatol Gugel, along with philologist Efim Levit and musicologist Efim Tkach, became one of the founders of the Anti-Fascist Democratic Alliance in Moldova. He actively participated in the compilation of four volumes of documents on the history of the Holocaust in the republic, which were published in the bilingual Russian-Romanian journal "Nu vom uita!" (We will not forget!).

Anatol Gugel was recognized for his contributions to culture and literature. He was awarded the title of Honored Cultural Worker of the Moldavian SSR in 1971 and received the Excellence Award from the Union of Writers of Moldova in 2003. He was also a member of the Union of Writers of the USSR since 1946.

Throughout his career, Anatol Gugel published over 40 books of poetry, including 10 books for children, as well as works of essays and sketches. Some of his notable poetic collections include "Our Generation" (1951), "Window with Three Geraniums" (1956), "When Silence Speaks" (1964), and "Magic Lantern" (1975). He also wrote books for children, such as "Green Islands" (1960) and "Me, Anikutsa, and Radu" (1963).

His works have been translated into Russian, with collections like "On the Roads of Memory" (1959), "Thirst for the Sky" (1967), "Moon Sonata" (translated by Anatoly Naiman, 1974), and "Magic Lantern" (1983). He also published books like "Pushkin in Moldova" and a photo album titled "Rhythm, Youth, Friendship" in collaboration with Efrem Bauh in 1968.

In his later years, Anatol Gugel continued to publish in Moldova, with collections like "Post scriptum" (1998) in Romanian and a volume of selected poems titled "Au fost odată că niciodată" (Once upon a time or never, 2004). His poem cycle "Jerusalem Notebook" (featured in the collection "Post scriptum") was published in Russian translation in the second issue of the anthology "Branch of Jerusalem."