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Known as writer, militant on the domain of culture, of social and sanitary assistance, with dynamic organization spirit, Mary Baiulescu (1860-1941) was remarking in the rich activity within the framework of different societies and domains. Using new documents from the correspondence fund which is in the documentary archive of the County Library "George Baritiu" Braşov, the article put forth new data on the collaboration between Mary Baiulescu and Queen Mary. Begun during the first world war, on the medical ground, the collaboration between M. Baiulescu and the Queen has continued under the sign of the feminist movement and especially of literature in inter war period. The author has insisted particularly on the correspondence regarding the Femina Literary Prize. From the letters concerning this topic, dated from the years 1927, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1937, one can detach the informations about the authors and the books which were proposed for awarding of prizes, about the debates on these, about the choice criteria. A letter dated after November 11th 1930, sent to Mary Baiulescu by Constanţa Marino- Moscu, who was delegated in her place in the Committee of Femina Prize, describes widely the awarding of prizes for E. Bucuţa's novel, ""Fuga lui Sefki" by a committee composed from Izabela Sadoveanu, Cella Delavrancea, S. Lahovary, under Queen's Mary patronage. In the discussion of the Committee were anothers Romanian writers too, like L. Rebreanu, M. Sadoveanu, Constanţa Hodoş, Cezar Petrescu. In a letter from 1937, E. Bucuţa informed Mary Baiulescu on the proposed book for the prize, "Doamna Elena Cuza" by Lucia Borş and the reasons of its selection, a prevalent criterion being the political and the anniversary one. The intention of the Committee is to award a work abuot Elena Cuza with occasion of the celebration of 75 years from founding of Doamna Elena Asylum, one of the first Romanian hospital institutions. The documents add new informations concerning the co-operation relationships between Mary Baiulescu and Queen Mary, they emphasize Mary Baiulescu's contribution to the Romanian cultural and institutional like from inter war age and they enlighten unknown aspects on the inner mechanism of the Romanian literary life. |
