What is Romanian literature?

Romanian literature is a body of writings in the Romanian language accompanied by a rich folklore—lyric, epic, dramatic, and didactic—that has continued into modern times. Rooted in the traditions of the 19th century, 20th-century Romanian literature saw important figures, literary groups, and genres continue to develop. After World War I, the novel began to compete with lyrical poetry, with writers drawing inspiration from society and recent events, such as Liviu Rebreanu, who wrote about the need for land redistribution. Lyrical poetry became a leading genre after World War I, with Tudor Arghezi bringing rejuvenation to Romanian lyric poetry.

What language is most Romanian literature written in?

Most Romanian literature is written in the Romanian language, a Romance language primarily spoken in Romania and Moldova. The standard language is based on the Walachian variety of Dacoromanian and was developed mainly by religious writers of the Orthodox church in the 17th century. Literature in Romanian began to flourish in the 19th century as the country turned to other Romance countries, especially France, for cultural inspiration. This led to the re-Romanization of Romanian. The Romanian alphabet officially replaced the Cyrillic alphabet in 1859.

When did Romanian literature begin to develop?

Romanian literature began to develop with the earliest translations into Romanian from Slavonic, consisting of verses in 15th-century religious texts. The first book printed in Walachia was a Slavonic liturgical book in 1508. A certain Deacon Coresi printed Romanian translations of religious texts that encouraged the use of Romanian. Literature in Romanian began to flourish in the 19th century, when the emerging nation turned toward other Romance countries, especially France, for cultural inspiration, triggering the re-Romanization of Romanian. In the second half of the 19th century, serious literary criticism inaugurated modern Romanian literature.

Who are some famous Romanian writers?

Some famous Romanian writers include Mihail Eminescu , a poet who transformed Romanian poetry, and Eugène Ionesco , a Romanian-born French dramatist who inspired a revolution in dramatic techniques and inaugurated the Theatre of the Absurd. Other notable writers are Vasile Alecsandri , known for his poetry, prose, and plays, and Mircea Eliade , a historian of religions and author of novels and short stories. George Călinescu was a critic and prose writer, who wrote the most comprehensive history of Romanian literature.

What types of writing or genres are common in Romanian literature?

Romanian literature includes diverse genres with roots in the 19th century traditions . The 20th century saw the continuation of genres, literary groups, and methods of criticism established earlier, such as social comedy by Ion Luca Caragiale and historical national drama by Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea. After World War I, the novel began to compete with lyrical poetry, with writers drawing inspiration from society and recent events, especially the war. Lyrical poetry became a leading genre, showcasing stylistic variety through figures like Tudor Arghezi, who brought exceptional expressiveness to the language. Other genres include satirical sketches , social and political novels, and plays set in mines and factories.

How has Romanian literature influenced or been influenced by other world literatures?

Romanian literature has both influenced and been influenced by other world literatures. Literary movements from Eastern and Western Europe were mirrored in Romania during the 20th century. The social and political ideology of Viața Românească was similar to the Russian Narodniki movement. While Constantin Dobrogeanu Gherea's theories followed Karl Marx, Western Modernism also impacted Romanian writers. French writers primarily influenced Grigore Alexandrescu's fables and satires. Eminescu, a philosophical lyric poet, was influenced by Hindu thought and German philosophy, yet remained rooted in tradition. After World War II, many Romanian writers were forced out of literary life, while others thrived under the communist regime. Some writers who began on the far right, like Emil Cioran and Eugène Ionesco, later established reputations as writers in France.

Romanian literature

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Romanian literature

Also known as: Rumanian literature

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Laszlo Csiki

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History

The old period

The earliest translations into Romanian were from Slavonic and consisted of interlinear verses or interpolations in 15th-century religious texts. From the same period date the so-called rhotacizing texts, preserved in 16th-century copies, which were written in Maramureş, in northern Transylvania, probably under the impetus of the Hussite movement. These include the Psalter of Şcheia and the Codex of Voroneƫ, which contains the Acts of the Apostles and the Psalter of Voroneƫ.

The first book printed in Walachia in 1508 was a Slavonic liturgical book. A certain Deacon Coresi printed Romanian translations of the Acts of the Apostles (1563). Other publications of his that survive are the Tîlcul evangheliilor şi molitvenic (“Sermons and Book of Prayers”) and Evanghelia cu învăƫătură (1581; “Commentary on the Gospels”); they all encouraged the use of Romanian. In this period some secular literature was also produced, but it consisted mainly of translations from Greek, Slavonic, Byzantine, and Asian books.

The printing of Romanian religious books continued in the 17th century and was given new impetus in Transylvania, Walachia, and Moldavia by the controversy resulting from the Protestant Reformation. A Moldavian metropolitan, Dosoftei, a great scholar and theologian, fled to Poland during the fighting between Poland and Turkey and in 1673 published there the first Romanian metrical psalter, which was also the first poetry to be written in Romanian. He returned to Moldavia in 1675 and in 1679 translated the liturgy from the Greek. His other outstanding contribution to Romanian literature was his Viaƫa şi petrecerea sfinƫilor (1682–86; “Lives of the Saints”), in which he introduced popular idioms and encouraged the development of a more flexible prose style.

Toward the end of the 17th century, the monastery of Snagov, near Bucharest, became a centre of literary activity, and books were printed in Romanian, Greek, Slavonic, and Arabic. Religious literature reached its climax with a translation of the Bible (1688) that became the basis for all later translations.

4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul

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Historiography was at its height with the humanist historiographers of 17th-century Moldavia, whose leader was Miron Costin. He wrote a chronicle of Moldavia in Romanian and a poem on the history of his country in Polish. The chronicle was continued by his son Nicolae, who also pioneered the collection of folklore and legends. Dmitry Kantemir (Dimitrie Cantemir), prince of Moldavia, a great linguist and historiographer, wrote Latin histories of Romania, Moldavia, and the Ottoman Empire. A special place among Moldavian historians is occupied by Nicolae Milescu, who wrote theological, historical, and travel works.

The 18th century

Most Romanian literature of the 18th century presents a picture of social oppression and decadence under Ottoman rule. A rich secular and apocryphal literature circulated in manuscript, but there was no progress in comparison with that of the past. In Moldavia a new cultural centre arose at Rădăuƫi. The principal achievements of the century were the Minei (“Lives of the Saints”) of 1776–80 and 1807–15 (each in 12 volumes, published in Râmnicu Vâlcea and in the monastery of Neamƫ, respectively), whose rich and lucid language put them alongside the Bible of 1688.

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Lyric poetry was cultivated toward the end of the century in love songs (1769–99), in the tradition of the ancient Greek poet Anacreon, by Alecu Văcărescu. Alecu’s father, Ienăchiƫă, a moralist poet, also wrote the first Romanian grammar, while his son Iancu, the father of Romanian poetry, overshadowed his predecessors with his poems. The fourth poet of the Văcărescu family was Nicolae. The lyric tradition was carried on in Walachia by B.P. Mumuleanu.

The national renaissance

The first landmark of this period was the uprising of Tudor Vladimirescu (1821) in Walachia against the Ottoman Turks and the return of the national rulers. Romanticism carried forward the falling wave of the Latinist movement. In the second half of the 19th century, a serious literary criticism, which originated in German philosophy and French culture, inaugurated modern Romanian literature.

Transylvanian Latinism crossed the Carpathians and had beneficial effects on the Greek-inspired culture of Walachia. Ion Heliade Rădulescu, who came under this influence, founded the first Romanian newspaper in Walachia and the Societatea Filarmonică (1833), which later created a national theatre in Bucharest. He was a pioneer of Italian influence, which was taken up in Moldavia by Gheorghe Asachi, who introduced the historical short story, wrote verses in Romanian and Italian, and founded a periodical, Albina Românească. The outstanding literary personality among a galaxy of minor poets and translators who enriched the Romantic heritage was Grigore Alexandrescu. Alexandrescu wrote Poezii (1832, 1838, and 1839) and Meditaƫii (1863), fables and satires influenced mostly by French writers. A literary magazine, Dacia Literară, edited by Mihail Kogălniceanu, a leading statesman and father of modern Romanian historiography (1840), marked a beginning of the traditionalist trend in literature. Alecu Russo, another leader of 1848, enriched literature with a biblical prose poem, Cântarea României.

Leading writers of the second half of the century were Vasile Alecsandri and Mihail Eminescu. Alecsandri’s rich output comprised poetry (Doine şi lăcrimioare [1853] and Suvenire si Mărgăritărele [1856]), prose (Buchetiera din Florenƫa [“A Bouquet from Florence”] and Călătorii în Africa), and plays (Fîntîna Blanduziei, Ovidiu, and Despot Vodă). He also revealed treasures of Romanian folklore in Balade (1852–53) and Poezii populare (1866). Eminescu, a philosophical lyric poet, created modern Romanian poetry. He was influenced by Hindu thought and German philosophy but remained rooted in tradition. He raised Romanian poetry to new heights and was the guiding star in every aspect of cultural life. His writings include short stories and political and philosophical essays.

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Romanian literature

The old period

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The 18th century

The national renaissance