George Silviu family collection

George Silviu (1901-1971) was born Silvius Goliger in Focşani, Romania, on January 2, 1901. He was a Romanian poet, playwright, translator and lawyer. His father, Iancu Goliger, was a famous architect, and the family held Romanian citizenship. Silviu completed his law degree at the University of Bucharest in the early 1920’s, became a member of the Socialist Party, and started writing for left-wing reviews and newspapers. From 1927 to 1931, he was press attaché with the Romanian delegation to the League of Nations. He worked as a lawyer within the Ilfov County bar beginning in 1924, but he was excluded due to anti-Jewish regulations in 1939. During WW II, he was obliged to perform forced labor. After the war, he resumed practicing law and studied for a doctorate. He held various posts in the post-war government, such as secretary general, but resigned in 1948 when the Communists took over. He was banned from publishing under his true name, arrested and imprisoned in March 1953, and released in July 1954. He married his second wife, Renée Saraga, in 1938. She was a writer, a puppet-maker and puppeteer, whose career extended from 1938 to 1958 in Romania. The family finally received permission to immigrate to France in 1961 with their two daughters, Ioana and Lumiora. George Silviu died in Paris on May 16, 1971.