1925-1932

August 1925, his paternal Uncle Harry, who had emigrated to New York in the 1890s, visits the Romanian Steinbergs in Buzău, along with his wife and children. The occasion is the birthday of Nachman (Nathan) Steinberg, ST’s paternal grandfather. Years later, ST recalls, “I was electrified by the beauty of my cousins and also by the smell of America, chewing gum, shampoo. I was embarrassed to be part of a primitive civilization, and pledged that I would save myself from it.”

The Romanian Steinbergs with visiting American relatives, Buzău, 1925. Moritz Steinberg is in the top row, second from right, with his brothers and brother-in-law. Rosa Steinberg is seated, third from right; Clara and Nachman Steinberg to the left of her. Seated on the ground: Henrietta Steinberg, an American cousin, Saul, Gertrude Steinberg, an American cousin, and Lica Steinberg.

Saul, Moritz, Rosa, and Lica Steinberg, Black Sea, c. 1925-26. Collection of Daniela Roman.

September 1925, enters the Liceul Matei Basarab for lower and upper school education; describes it as “an overcrowded, tough school, devoted mostly to Latin.” Half the students are Jewish, but institutional anti-Semitism is the norm. He always remembers his entry to the school as the moment when Romania became a hateful place for him.

<em>LMB 566</em>, 1968. Ink on paper, 14 ¼ x 17 ¼ in. Private collection. In Steinberg’s self-portrait at left, he wears the armband of his school (Liceul Matei Basarab) and his student number. — *LMB 566*, 1968. Ink on paper, 14 ¼ x 17 ¼ in. Private collection. In Steinberg’s self-portrait at left, he wears the armband of his school (Liceul Matei Basarab) and his student number.

September 1928, matriculates to the upper school of the Liceul Matei Basarab, where the curriculum covers languages, history, philosophy, science, music, and art. Plays the violin in the school orchestra. Graduates in May 1932.

Steinberg’s graduating class at the Liceul Matei Basarab, May 1932. Steinberg is at the extreme left, standing with one foot on a step. Saul Steinberg Papers, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Steinberg’s diploma from the Liceul Matei Basarab, June 1932. Politecnico di Milano - Archivi Storici, Archivio Storico di Ateneo. — Steinberg’s diploma from the Liceul Matei Basarab, June 1932. Politecnico di Milano – Archivi Storici, Archivio Storico di Ateneo.

Fall 1932, enrolls in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (i.e., the Humanities division) at the University of Bucharest. Takes courses in philosophy, psychology, and logic; gets acceptable grades but rarely attends classes because of rampant anti-Semitism—“there was an atmosphere of brutality.”