Mihail Sebastian is the literary pseudonym of Iosif Hechter, a Romanian writer, of Jewish origin, born in Brăila on the 18th of October 1907.
Mihail Sebastian graduated the Law school and the Philosophy school of the University of Bucharest and he worked as a lawyer. In 1926 he debuted in literature and publishing. In 1932 his first volume, Fragmente dintr-un carnet găsit („Fragments from a Found Notebook”), was released. In 1934 he publishes the volume De două mii de ani („For Two Thousand Years”). Other known pieces of Mihail Sebastian’s are the novels: Orașul cu salcâmi („The Acacia Tree City”) and Accidentul („The Accident”) and the plays: Jocul de-a vacanța („Holiday Games), Steaua fără nume („The Nameless Star”), Ultimă oră („Breaking News”).
During The Second World War and, in particular, during the Antonescu government he is affected by the anti-Semitic laws and measures and he no longer can plead as a lawyer and work as a journalist. His plays cannot be represented on stage anymore. Being in this situation, he ends up teaching as a highschool teacher at the Jewish Highschool He continues writing, and the play The Nameless Star is represented in 1944 with the help of a colleague who assign the author’s name.
Mihail Sebastian died at the age of 38, on 29th of May 1945, in an car accident.
Between 1935 and 1944 the writer Mihail Sebastian kept a journal. In this Journal he noted, among other things, how he was affected by the anti-Semitic laws and measures taken by the government led by Ion Antonescu (1940-1944). The Journal records the sufferings through the Jewish community from Romania passes in this period. This is the narration from Journal.