Ion Buzdugan

Ion Buzdugan was born Ivan Alexandrovici Buzdâga in Bessarabia, formerly part of the Russian Empire, now in Moldova. He was the son of peasants Alexandru and Ecaterina Buzdâga. He was educated at a teachers' seminary, then studied in Russian schools, and became licensed to practice law at Moscow University.He became a poet writing under various pen names. He taught school in Bursuceni. Politically he became involved with groups of Romanian nationalists and taught his students in Romanian which was not allowed.He began to collect Romanian folklore and folk songs which were repressed by the Russian authorities. He volunteered as an officer in the Imperial Russian Army and fought in the Russian Revolution, agitating in favor of socialist reforms. Later in life his views mellowed somewhat. In Bessarabia he supported the introduction of the Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic, and helped in the founding of a people's university and a peasants' theater. His poetry was widely published in Rom