The Romanian Sentiment of Being

Constantin Noica
Translated by Octavian Gabor and Elena Gabor

• ISBN: 978-1-68571-038-5

• Paperback, 5×8 in., B/W, 300pp.

• Publication date: February 10, 2022

• Price: $21

• BISAC: PHI013000, PHI038000

• Thema: QDTJ, CFA

• Categories: Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language, Romanian Studies

The link between language and thought formed a major new exploration of twentieth-century philosophy. Languages nuance our ideas and perceptions. Though from various angles, Heidegger, Derrida, Wittgenstein forged new ways of understanding the relationship between our views of the external world and our culturally and linguistically pre-determined modes of expression.

Another giant in this field of exploration is the Romanian philosopher Constantin Noica (1909–1987), who has so far remained generally unknown to the Western World because of the Iron Curtain. The Romanian Sentiment of Being (Sentimentul românesc al ființei), first published in Romanian in 1978 is a philosophical work at the intersection of metaphysics and philosophy of language. The title of this book may be deceptive. “Romanian” does not mean ethnically circumscribed; it does not limit ontology to nationality but rather reflects on how language can carry ontological thought.

The Romanian Sentiment of Being invites the readers to meditate on the fundamental theme of being and being as expressed in a culture in time. Being in time marks the tension between moment and eternity, captured in the fairytale “Ageless Youth and Deathless Life” (“Tinerețe fără batrânețe și viață fără de moarte”), which Noica interprets in detail. The translation of the story will be found in the appendix. Noica also analyzes one of the most famous poems in Romanian, Mihai Eminescu’s “The Evening Star,” and readers will find its translation in the appendix.

Octavian Gabor is Professor of Philosophy at Methodist College. He works in Greek philosophy and has strong interests in Dostoevsky. Recent essays include: “Responses to Divine Communication: Oedipus and Socrates” (Philosophy and Theology, 2020), “Taming the Beast: Constantin Noica and Doing Philosophy in Critical Political Contexts” (Dialogos, 2019), “Justice between Mercy and Revenge in Sophocles’ Antigone and Plato’s Crito” (Lexicon Philosophicum: International Journal for the History of Texts and Ideas, 2019) and “Constantin Noica’s Becoming Within Being and Meno’s Paradox” (Companion to Classical Reception in Eastern and Central Europe, eds. Zara Torlone & Dana Munteanu. Blackwell, 2017). He has translated from French to Romanian and Romanian to English. His most recent translations are Andre Scrima’s Apophatic Anthropology (Gorgias, 2016) and Constantin Noica’s Pray for Brother Alexander (punctum books, 2018).

Elena Gabor, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Communication at Bradley University, Peoria, IL, where she teaches and conducts research in organizational communication. She received her B.A. and her M.A. in Journalism/Media Management from the University of Bucharest, Romania. She received a second M.A. in Communication from Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA) and her Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN).