On the occasion of his 80th birthday on Wednesday, Sept.3, famed Moldovan writer Ion Druta was honored in a series of events at the International Book Fair, taking place in Chisinau from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, Info-Prim Neo reports. A feature exhibition devoted to Ion Druta and themed “The Burden of Our Kindness” (the title of a novel by Ion Druta – e.n.) was launched in the premises of the National Library of Moldova. According to the Library's director , Alexe Rau, the books, magazines and papers are displayed in compartments which portray the life and the work of the author – from his native Horodiste to ... “Druta in different languages of the world” to Druta's influence on our literature. Alexe Rau says that the theme selected for the exhibition matches well with Druta's artistic message. “The burden of our kindness means that we have always been too kind, docile, too gentle, and that is why many foreigners tried to hurt our national pride. Our intention is to carry on this message of Ion Druta, which we find topical in the current geopolitical circumstances, where we should preserve this pride and put it to good use”, said Alexe Rau. Ion Druta couldn't attend the manifestations dedicated to his birthday for health-related reasons. Launching the exhibition, Moldova's Deputy PM Victor Stepaniuc said that he congratulated the author on behalf of the Moldovan Government in a phone conversation and that Druta promised to come to Chisinau in October. In his speech, Stepaniuc said: “Ion Druta is an upholder for peasants, a compass for the intellectuals, a sea of decency and wisdom, which helps us at our nation's crossroads”. Writer Haralambie Corbu stated that Ion Druta is a great man of our times, a man who represents the image of the writer that draws his roots from this piece of land and who has ascended to the level of the global culture and spirituality. Ion Druta has been living in Moscow since 1960. He was born on 3 September 1928 in a remote Moldovan village. He graduated from a forestry school and completed higher courses in literature at the Maxim Gorky Institute of the USSR Writers’ Union. Ion Druta is perhaps the most outstanding Moldovan modern dramatist and novelist. His novel “Balade de Campie” (1963; “Ballads of the Steppes”), an investigation of the psychology of the village, marked a significant turning point in the evolution of Moldovan fiction; and his play “Casa Mare” (1962; “The Parlor”) turned away from the concept of collectivity to probe the individual conscience. On 26 August 2008, President Vladimir Voronin awarded Ion Druta the State Prize for 2008 in recognition “for the outstanding contribution in developing the national and universal culture and literature”.