COSBUC, GEORGE. — Romanian poet, b. 1 September 1866 at Hordău (Năsăud) to Greek-Catholic parents, d. in Bucharest on 9 May 1918. He recognized in popular tradition values worthy of ancient classicism.
After interrupting his philological studies at the University of Cluj, he became editor of the newspaper Tribuna, where he published the short poem Nunta Zamfirei (“The Wedding of Zamfira,” 1889). The volume Balade și Idile (1893) revealed him as a great bucolic and epic poet. In the volume Fire de tort (“Threads to Weave,” 1896) his personality asserted itself vigorously. Subsequently other original works and translations appeared: the Eneide (Bucharest 1986), Ziarul unui pierde-vară (“The Diary of a Loafer,” 1902), Cântec de vitejie (“Heroic Songs,” 1904), etc. Notable is his translation of the Divina Commedia into terza rima, published posthumously by Ramiro Ortiz (1925–32).