It is often said that the greatest suffering a human can endure comes from love, and the cruelest of these sufferings are born from betrayal and disappointment. In Romanian literary history, few stories illustrate this better than the tragic love triangle involving Ștefan Octavian Iosif, Dimitrie Anghel, and the captivating Natalia Negru. 

A love story destined for tragedy

These two poets and close friends found themselves bound by passion, rivalry, and heartbreak over the same woman, creating one of the most dramatic tales of love in Romanian literature.

Natalia Negru was striking in every sense. Tall, dark-haired, and beautiful, she possessed feline-like eyes, voluptuous curves, and a siren’s voice. Her allure was immediate, and the young poet Șt. O. Iosif was captivated from the moment he saw her reading in the University Foundation Library, where he worked as a custodian. 

Equally enchanted, Natalia could not take her eyes off him. Seeking to impress him, she even presented a paper on his poetry, Doina, during a seminar, showcasing her intellect and dedication.

As she later recounted in her autobiographical novel Helianta: "When Steo heard the success my paper on his Doina had at the seminar, he whistled all day with joy. He sought to meet me, thanked me, and asked for some of my poems, from which he selected one, Străbunica, to publish prominently in Sămănătorul."

Their romance blossomed quickly, filled with glances, meetings, and love letters. Eventually, Iosif proposed, and Natalia accepted. On July 25, 1904, they exchanged vows before God in a ceremony conducted by Natalia’s maternal grandfather, Father Toma Dimitrescu. 

The wedding reportedly lasted three days and nights, attended by notable figures such as Nicolae Iorga and Mihail Sadoveanu, with Iorga presenting the young couple the literary magazine Sămănătorul as a gift.

The betrayal that shattered Șt. O. Iosif

For a time, Iosif’s life seemed complete. However, the happiness he found in love was tragically short-lived. His closest friend, Dimitrie Anghel, frequently visited the newlyweds, forming a bond with Natalia that would soon become dangerous. The intimacy among the three was intense, and Anghel, proud and infatuated, could not bear to be second in Natalia’s affections.

Natalia, drawn to Anghel’s charm and passion, eventually succumbed to temptation. She left her husband for Anghel, seeking in him a new sense of vitality and desire. This betrayal crushed Iosif, whose sensitive and fragile heart could not bear the double treachery. On June 22, 1913, Ștefan Octavian Iosif died, officially from a cerebral congestion, though romantic contemporaries believed he died of a broken heart.

A stormy marriage with Dimitrie Anghel

Natalia’s relationship with Dimitrie Anghel was far from idyllic. The “poet of flowers” was hot-tempered, volatile, and proud—a stark contrast to the gentle, kind, and sensitive Iosif she had left behind. The marriage was plagued by jealousy, frustration, and domestic quarrels. Natalia soon realized she had made a grave mistake by choosing a man so different from the husband she had once loved.

The tragic climax of their story occurred one fateful evening during a heated argument. Natalia, blinded by jealousy, accused Anghel of infidelity. Enraged, Anghel threatened her with a gun. He fired a shot at the window, intending to frighten her, but the bullet ricocheted and struck Natalia. Horrified at what he had done, Anghel turned the gun on himself and shot his own chest.

Natalia recounted the horrific event in Helianta: "I thought he was joking and continued toward the door. He drew his revolver… and fired. I fell. Being impressionable, he believed he had killed me, which is why the next bullet he fired struck his chest…"

Anghel was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to septicemia two weeks later. At his funeral, Natalia faced the harsh judgment of society. Among those leading him to his final rest were literary figures George Topârceanu and George Călinescu, who honored the poet known for his delicate verses and the romance that had both inspired and destroyed him.

A cautionary tale of love and literary tragedy

The story of Natalia Negru, Șt. O. Iosif, and Dimitrie Anghel remains a potent reminder of the intertwined passions and vulnerabilities of human hearts, even among those gifted with literary genius. 

It is a tale where love, ambition, friendship, and betrayal collided with devastating consequences. Natalia, the muse who enthralled them both, became in the eyes of contemporaries a tragic figure—a woman whose charm and allure ultimately led to the deaths of two brilliant poets.

Though their literary contributions endure, the personal tragedies of Iosif and Anghel have become inseparable from their legacy. 

Their poetry, suffused with sensitivity and romantic idealism, now carries the shadow of heartbreak inflicted by the same hands that once inspired them. Natalia Negru, in her charm and complexity, embodies the destructive yet irresistible power of love, a muse who literally and figuratively “buried her gods.”

The most tragic love triangle in the history of Romanian literature

This dramatic love triangle continues to captivate scholars, writers, and readers of Romanian literature. It underscores the vulnerability of even the most brilliant minds to the forces of passion and jealousy. Natalia’s story is not merely one of infidelity but of the human condition, the interplay between desire, power, and the tragic consequences of choices made in the heat of emotion.

The deaths of Șt. O. Iosif and Dimitrie Anghel transformed them into immortal figures of literary legend, and Natalia Negru became a symbol of both inspiration and destruction. Their lives, forever entwined in this tale of love and betrayal, offer a cautionary lens through which to examine the intense emotions and moral complexities that often underpin artistic genius.

Even today, over a century later, the story of Natalia Negru and her two doomed poets resonates as a striking example of the dangerous interplay between love and creativity, passion and destruction. It remains one of the most poignant and tragic narratives in the annals of Romanian literature—a story of hearts broken, lives lost, and inspiration turned to sorrow.

In remembering Șt. O. Iosif and Dimitrie Anghel, one cannot separate their poetic achievements from the human drama that enveloped them. Natalia Negru, with her beauty and complexity, forever altered the course of their lives, leaving an indelible mark on Romanian literary history and the collective imagination.

This is the story of a muse who enthralled, inspired, and ultimately destroyed, showing that even the greatest hearts and the brightest literary stars are vulnerable to the tumultuous, often cruel, forces of love.

We also recommend: The Forbidden Love Between Queen Maria and the “White Prince” Barbu Știrbey: “I love you, my Mary!”