Background
Nicolai Costenco was born in Chişinău on December 21, 1913, but his maternal grandparents, Gheorghe and Libeada, brought him up in Cihoreni.
Nicolai Costenco was born in Chişinău on December 21, 1913, but his maternal grandparents, Gheorghe and Libeada, brought him up in Cihoreni.
He was managing editor of Viaţa Basarabiei (1934–1940) and was deported to Siberia în 1941. He worked for Viaţa Basarabiei (1934–1940). In 1941 he was deported to Siberia because he claimed that there is no difference between the Moldovan language and the Romanian language.
In his poem, "Pictează-mi o mirişte", Grigore Vieru wrote: "Nicolai Costenco, poetul/ Care şi-a scris poemele/ Pe caietul de gheaţă Siberian".