The family and friends, senior state officials, politicians, diplomats, colleagues, artists and people who read his works said goodbye to journalist Constantin Tanase on November 1. He was buried at the Central Cemetery on Armeneasca St in Chisinau, IPN reports.
“This end of October brought sad news - Constantin Tanase departed this life. He was not only a model journalist with effervescent pen and exceptional attitude to our national values. Constantin Tanase was an absolute model of the Bessarabian intellect, who knew to serve this nation with all his talent, passion and devotion, without asking for recompense. Those who knew him closer know that he created in his modest apartment in Ciocana districts,” said suspended Minister of Culture Monica Babuc, who noted that next year should be declared the Year of Constantin Tanase.
Writer Vladimir Besleaga, who was a friend of Constantin Tanase, said he was a courageous journalist who always told the truth and confirmed the tradition of the great polemic spirits of the interwar period by his inspired writings. “Goodbye, my brother in faith and Romanian spirit,” he said.
“I was marked by two great sorrows: one – Constantin Tanase left us, and two – Constantin Tanase will no longer be among us,” said former Minister of Youth and Sport Octavian Ticu. According to him, the founder of the newspaper “Timpul” was a model and a source of inspiration for him and namely owing to Constantin Tanase he began to write.
The Union of Journalists of Moldova published an obituary. “Constantin Tanase pleaded passionately for the correctness, objectivity and editorial independence of the media, for the deontological cleanness of the journalists. His phenomenal productivity, rapid and prompt reaction to all the states of public and national interest made the appearance of the daily “Timpul” an awaited event, while from master Constantin Tanase it made a moral institution,” reads the obituary.
Constantin Tanase was born on June 24, 1949 in Nemteni village of Hancesti district. In the 1990s, he was one of the leader of the national renaissance movement and a member of Moldova’s first Parliament. In September 2001, he launched the National Independent Daily “Timpul”. He published the publicistic volumes “Aesop’s Eye” (2000), “Motherland booming” (2001), “Thieves of myths” (2004), “Curse of being” (2009), and “Hole with lions” (2014).
Constantin Tanase was awarded the medals “Civic Merit” and “Mihai Eminescu”, and the Order of the Republic. In 2004 he was conferred the National Order “Romania’s Star” in the rank of Commander, while in 2014 – the National Order “Faithful Service” in the rank of Major Officer. He is also a laureate of the National Journalism Award. He died on October 30, 2014. November 1, the day of his funeral, was declared a day of national morning.