Literature as an exemplification of cultural categories : Jewish roots of the Romanian literary avant-garde

The paper considers the problem of possible Jewish roots of the Romanian avant-garde and tries to underline the importance of the cultural aspect of this phenomenon. The initial part outlines the historical and social context as well as the general sociocultural situation of the beginning of the XX century and the interwar period in Romania. The second part discusses the important role that Jewish artists played in the development of the avant-garde movement in Bucharest and describes the international character of the Jewish culture. Further, Tristan Tzara's poetry is analyzed with the aim of putting it in context of Yiddish tradition. Finally, the paper considers the role that Judaism might have played in the construction of a literary identity adopted in times of crisis. What is emphasized is the role of cultural categories of both Jewish and Romanian origins in influencing the avant-garde