Blaga, Lucian (1895-1961)

Romanian poet, dramatist, and philosopher, born in Transylvania. He was a leading figure of 20th-century Romanian letters. His poetry includes the collections Poemele lumini/Poems of Light (1919), La cumpǎna apelor/At the Watershed (1933), and Nebǎnuitele trepte/Unsuspected Steps (1943).

In 1921, Blaga helped found Gindirea, a review to promote literature, inspired by the Orthodox Church and Romanian village life. German literary and philosophical thought influenced Blaga's writings on society and culture, such as Trilogia cunoaşterii/Trilogy of Knowledge (1931-34), Trilogia culturii/Trilogy of Culture (1936-37), and Trilogia valorilor/Trilogy of Values (1939-42).

Blaga was born in Lancram, studied theology in Vienna, became a diplomat in 1926, and was professor of the philosophy of culture at the university in the Transylvanian city of Cluj from 1937 to 1948.