Vasile Alecsandri
Vasile Alecsandri (born July 21, 1821 in Bacău , Principality of Moldova , † August 22, 1890 in Mirceşti , Romania ) was a Romanian poet, playwright and politician. He collected Romanian folk songs and was important for the awakening of Romanian cultural identity in Romania in the 19th century, as well as a leader in the movement for the unification of Moldova and Wallachia .
The first years
Origin and childhood
Vasile Alecsandri was born in the Moldovan city of Bacau to a family of small landowners. His parents Vasile and Elena Cozoni, the daughter of a Greek-Romanian trader, had seven children, but only three of them survived, a daughter - Catina - and two sons - Iancu and Vasile.
The family was active in the lucrative salt and grain trade. In 1828 she bought a large estate in Mirceşti , a place near the Sereth . Here the young Vasile did in-depth studies with a monk named Gherman Vida from Maramures and played with Vasile Porojan, a gypsy boy who became a good friend. Both people found each other later in his works.
Adolescent years
Between 1828 and 1834 he studied at the " V. cuenim pension " and then went to Paris , where he began studying chemistry, medicine and law. Later, however, he left all of this behind to turn to his true calling - literature. He published his first works in French in 1838, which he had mastered to perfection during his years in Paris. After a short stay at home, he soon turned back to Western Europe and visited Italy, Spain and southern France.
In 1840 he became one of the directors of the National Theater of Iași and produced his first play "Farmazonul din Hârlău". In 1844 his second piece "Iorga de la Sadagurga" was finally performed. He also wrote for " Dacia literară ", the first of Mihail Kogalniceanu out brought literary magazine in Romanian language . He also did this for " Albina Românească ", the first Romanian-language newspaper in Moldova.
Romances
A year later, Vasile attended a festival held in honor of Costachi Negri , a friend of the family. Here he fell in love with the daughter of the celebrated, 21-year-old Elena Negri, who - only recently divorced - reciprocated the feelings of 24-year-old Vasile Alecsandri. He wrote her various love poems until an illness forced Elena to go to Venice . This is where Vasile met her and they stayed here for two months. They later traveled across Europe to Austria, Germany and Vasile's previous residence, France. However, Elena's lung disease worsened in Paris and on April 25, 1847, both set out by ship to return home. On the ship, however, Elena died in the arms of Alecsandri. Vasile dealt with his grief in a literary way and wrote "Steluta" (Little Star) to commemorate his love and later also dedicated the cycle of poems "Lacrimioara" (Little Tears) to Elena.
The middle of life
Political participation
In 1848 he became one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement , which had its center in Iași . He wrote a well-read poem that was supposed to shake up the population. It was called " Către Români " (To the Romanian People) and was later called " Deşteptarea României " (The Awakening of Romania). Together with Mihail Kogălniceanu and Costache Negri, he wrote the revolutionary manifesto in Moldova called: " Dorințele partidei naționale din Moldova " (The wishes of the Moldovan National Party). After the failure of the revolution, he fled via Transylvania and Austria to Paris , where he continued to write political poetry.
Alecsandri emerged as a violent anti-Semite , both in his literature and in politics. In a Senate speech on October 10, 1879, he said about the revision of Section 7 of the Constitution:
- Romanians and Jews form the two sides of a barricade. They are implacable opponents. Romanians are gentle, generous, hospitable, clever, they love progress, they are adaptable to the most civilized nations, tolerant in matters of faith. The Jews threaten Romania, they represent the most blind religious fanaticism, the strongest claims to exclusivity among the peoples of the world, they are incapable of assimilation. Their power is immeasurable as they rely on two other powers: Freemasonry and gold.
Literary achievements
After two years he returned home for a successful performance of his new comedy "Chirița în Iași". He traveled through the Moldovan hinterland to collect and work on Romanian folklore, which appeared in two parts in 1852 and 1853. The poems contained in these two vast collections became the cornerstones of an evolving Romanian identity. This includes in particular the “ Miorița ballad”, but also pieces such as “ Toma Alimoș ”, “Mânăstirea Argeșului” and “Novac și Corbul”. He also published a volume of his own works "Doine și Lăcrămioare", which cemented his reputation. Well known in Romania's cultural circles, he supported the establishment of " România Literară ", to which both Moldovan and Romanian writers contributed. He was one of the main supporters of the unification of the two Romanian principalities of Moldova and Wallachia. In 1856 he published the poem " Hora Unirii " in Steaua Dunării , which became the anthem of the unification movement.
A new love
Towards the end of 1855, a new love began to develop for Alecsandri, contrary to the promise he had made to Elena on her deathbed. The now 35-year-old renowned poet and social commentator fell in love with the young landlord's daughter Paulina Lucasievici. The relationship was happy; both moved to the Alecsandris estate in Mirceşti. Their daughter Maria was born on November 3, 1857.
End of life
Political fulfillment
In addition to his happy private life, Alecsandri found satisfaction in the progress of the political developments he had long sought. The two Romanian sub-empires united; Alecsandri was proposed as foreign minister and appointed by Alexandru Ioan Cuza . He traveled through Western Europe and gave various lectures to make the newly formed state better known and to promote its development in the Balkans.
Retired in Mirceşti
However, the diplomatic service tired him. In 1860 he settled permanently in Mirceşti to spend his old age here. He married Paulina on October 3, 1876, more than fifteen years after their relationship began.
Between 1862 and 1875 he wrote a cycle of 40 lyric poems, including "Miezul Iernii", "Serile la Mircești", "Iarna", "La Gura Sobei", "Oaspeții Primăverii" and "Malul Siretului". He also tried his hand at epic poems and published them in the volume "Legende". He also wrote a series of poems dedicated to the soldiers who took part in the Romanian struggle for independence.
In 1879 his drama "Despot-Vodă" received the Romanian Academy Prize . Even in his later years he was still an important writer and in 1881 he finished his fantastic comedy "Sânziana și Pepelea" and two dramas: "Fântâna Blanduziei" and "Ovidiu" in 1883 and 1885.
In 1881 he wrote "Trăiască Regele" (Long Live the King), which remained the hymn of the Kingdom of Romania until the abdication of the monarchy in 1947. In 1890 he finally succumbed to long-term cancer.
Works
- VA: Gypsy soul . Stories. In three Romanian sketches. Series of Colorful Sesame Books, 129. Transl. Anita Dimo-Pavalescu. Sesam, Vienna no year [1931]
- again in Adalbert Keil ed .: Die Prophezeiung. Gypsy stories. Row: Goldmanns Yellow TB # 1622. Munich 1965. (Anthology, first with Kurt Desch, ibid. 1964) pp. 12–17
literature
- Karl Schrattenthal : Vasilie Alecsandri and Romanian literature . Leipzig 1885
Web links
- Literature by and about Vasile Alecsandri in the catalog of the German National Library
- Works by and about Vasile Alecsandri in the German Digital Library
notes
- ^ A b Anne-Marie Thiesse: La création des identités nationales - Europe XVIIIe – XXe siècle . In: Richard Figuier (Ed.): Points Histoire . 2nd Edition. H296. Éditions du Seuil, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-02-034247-2 , pp. 99 .
- ↑ VA: Discurs tinut in sedinta Senatului la 10 oct 1879, cu occasiune revisuirei art. 7 al Constitutiunei. Socec, Bucuresti, 1879, p. 4f. In terms of style, A. therefore loved the superlative. - Numerous documents for As hatred of Jews in Andrei Oişteanu , constructions of the image of the Jews. Romanian and East Central European stereotypes of anti-Semitism. Translated by Larisa Schippel. Frank & Timme, Berlin 2010, ISBN 3-86596-273-4 . Readable online, VA represented with 36 mentions
- ↑ Accompanying stories: Zaharia Barsan, The Terror. among others
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alecsandri, Vasile |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Romanian poet, playwright and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 21, 1821 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bacau |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 22, 1890 |
| Place of death | Mirceşti |