Dumitru Karnabatt
Dumitru or Dimitrie Karnabatt (last name also Karnabat, Carnabatt or Carnabat, commonly known as D. Karr; October 26, 1877 – April 1949) was a Romanian poet, art critic and political journalist, one of the minor representatives of Symbolism. He was a disciple of both Alexandru Macedonski and Ștefan Petică, representing the conservative and mystical school of Romanian Symbolism, and a regular contributor to the newspaper Seara. He is also remembered as the husband and, for a while, literary partner of novelist Lucrezzia Karnabatt.
Dumitru Karnabatt | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 26, 1877 Giurgiu, Romania |
| Died | April 1949 (aged 71) |
| Pen name | Censor, D. Karr, Don Ramiro |
| Occupation | poet, art critic, columnist |
| Period | ca. 1898–1944 |
| Genre | biography, collaborative fiction, essay, feuilleton, hagiography, memoir, travel literature |
| Literary movement | Symbolism, Impressionism, Decadence, Literatorul |
Karnabatt had a controversial career, particularly so during World War I. Strongly Russophobic, and skeptical of the Entente Powers, he gave full endorsement to Germany and the Central Powers. His collaborationism, exemplified by the propaganda articles he wrote for Gazeta Bucureștilor, earned him a jail sentence in March 1919. He was ultimately released in January 1920, but the scandal still had repercussion throughout the 1920s, hindering his career in the interwar press.
Mystical symbolism was a constant of Karnabatt's literary work. In the 1930s and '40s, the poet publicized his admiration for Roman Catholicism in general, and for Franciscan dogma in particular. These beliefs were echoed in his final essays and poems, which received mixed reviews.