Abstract: The Brown Bear in the Novel of Ion D. Sîrbu: Folk-Mythology in The Satirical Fable The Dance of the Bear. Ion D. Sîrbu’s last anthumous novel, The Dance of the Bear, subtitled A Novel for Children and Grandparents, displays a highly nuanced understanding and symbolization of the animal world. This study aims to analyse the novel which, as the title suggests, abounds in animal imaginary, by focusing on its fable-like characteristics and the elements of Romanian folklore incorporated by the main prose writer of the Sibiu Literary Circle. Like most of Sîrbu’s anthumous works, The Dance of the Bear anticipates the critical and satirical attitude towards the totalitarian regime(s) that would later define the better-known posthumous books of Ion D. Sîrbu. The Aesopic dimension of the novel is facilitated by the clever instrumentation of the animal reference. One such reference is that of the Romanian mythological fauna, in the analysis of which, Mihai Coman’s Romanian Traditional Mythology proves to be revealing.

Keywords: Ion. D. Sîrbu, Sibiu Literary Circle, fable, Romanian folk mythology, eco-ethology, post-war Romanian literature, satire