Vasile Alecsandri

Vasile Alecsandri, (21 July 1821-22 August 1890) was a Romanian poet, playwright, politician, and diplomat. He collected Romanian folk songs and was one of the principal animators of the 19th century movement for Romanian cultural identity and union of Moldavia and Wallachia. Image File history File links Vasile_Alecsandri_-_Foto02. ... Image File history File links Vasile_Alecsandri_-_Foto02. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... The coronation banquet for George IV 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... This article on Romanian mythology covers both the mythology traditional to the Romanian people and to certain earlier civilizations that occupied the same geographic area, and whom the ethnic Romanians tend to claim either as spiritual or as more literal ancestors. ...

Early life

Origins & childhood

He was born in the Moldavian town of Bacău, to a family of small landowners. His parents, Vasile and Elena Cozoni, who was the daughter of a Greek Romanian merchant, had seven children, of which three survived: one daughter, Catinca, and two sons, Iancu - a future army colonel - and Vasile. Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... County Bacău County Status County capital Mayor Romeo Stavarache, National Liberal Party, since 2004 Area 41 km² Population (2002) 210,469 Density 5133 inh/km² Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...

The family prospered in the lucrative business of salt and cereals trade. In 1828, they purchased a large estate in Mirceşti, a village near Siret River. The young Vasile spent time there studying with a devout monk from Maramureş, Gherman Vida, and playing with Vasile Porojan, a Gypsy boy who became a dear friend. Both characters would later appear in his work. A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) A salt, in chemistry, is any ionic compound composed of cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negative ions) so that the product is neutral (without a net charge). ... Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a grain, technically a caryopsis). ... A fruit stand at a market. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Siret River is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of the Ukraine, flows southward into Romania for 470 km before it joins Danube. ... A monk is a person who practices asceticism, the conditioning of mind and body in favor of the spirit. ... MaramureÅŸ (Hungarian: Máramaros) is a county (judeÅ£) in the MaramureÅŸ region, northern Romania, in the North of Transylvania with the capital city at Baia Mare (population: 149,735). ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Adolescence and youth

Between 1828 and 1834, he studied at the Victor Cuenim 'pensionnat', an elite boarding school for boys in Iaşi. He moved to Paris in 1834, where he dabbled in chemistry, medicine and law, but soon abandoned all in favor of what he called his "lifelong passion", literature. He penned his first literary essays in 1838 in French, which he had mastered to perfection during his stay in Paris. After a brief return home, he left for Western Europe again, visiting Italy, Spain, and southern France. County IaÅŸi County Status Municipality Mayor Gheorghe Nichita, Social Democratic Party, since 2003 Area 93. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Chemistry (from Greek χημεία khemeia[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as molecules, crystals, and metals. ... Medicine is a branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, treatment and possible prevention of disease and injury. ... // Balancing scales are symbolic of how law mediates peoples interests For other senses of this word, see Law (disambiguation). ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1840, he became director of the National Theatre of Iaşi. He wrote his first play, "Farmazonul din Hârlău", and, in 1844, his second, "Iorgu de la Sadagura", a comedy. Both saw the stage to mild acclaim. He contributed to Dacia literară, the first Romanian language literary magazine, founded by Mihail Kogălniceanu, as well as to Albina Românească, the first Romanian language newspaper in Moldavia. 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. ... Mihail Kogălniceanu Mihail Kogălniceanu (September 6, 1817, Iasi - July 1, 1891, Paris) was a Romanian statesman, historian and publicist, he became the first Prime minister of Romania October 11, 1863, after the union of Moldavian and Wallachian principalities. ...

Romantic interest

A year later, Vasile attended a party celebrating the name day of Costache Negri, a family friend. He there fell in love with Negri's sister. The 21-year old and not long divorced Elena Negri responded enthusiastically to the 24-year old youngster's love declarations. Alecsandri began writing love poems until a sudden illness forced Elena to head abroad to Venice. He met her there, where they shared two torrid months. Venice, (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venexia) is the capital of the region of Veneto and the province of the same name in Italy. ...

They cruised to Austria, Germany, and to Vasile's former romping grounds, France. Elena's chest illness aggravated in Paris, and after a brief stint in Italy, they both boarded a French ship to return home 25 April 1847. Tragedy struck on the ship, when Elena died in her lover's arms. Alecsandri channeled his mourning into a poem, "Steluţa" (Little Star). Later, he dedicated his "Lăcrimioare" (Little Tears) collection of poems to her. April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Midlife

Political involvement

In 1848, he became one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement based in Iaşi. He wrote a widely read poem urging the public to join the cause, "Către Români" (To Romanians), later renamed "Deşteptarea României" (Romania's Awakening). Together with Mihail Kogălniceanu and Costache Negri, he wrote a manifesto of the revolutionary movement in Moldavia, "Dorinţele partidei naţionale din Moldova" (Wishes of the National Party of Moldavia). 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

However, as revolution failed, he fled Moldavia through Transylvania and Austria, moving on to Paris, where he continued to write political poems. Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... Map of Romania with Transylvania in yellow Transylvania (Romanian: or Transilvania; Hungarian: ; German: ; Serbian: or Erdelj / Ердељ) is a historical region in the center of Romania. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land...

Literary achievements

After two years, he returned to a triumphant staging of his new comedy, "Chiriţa în Iaşi". He toured the Moldavian countryside, collecting, reworking, and arranging a vast array of Romanian folklore, which he published in two installments, in 1852 and 1853. The poems included in these two enormously popular collections become the cornerstone of the emerging Romanian identity, especially the ballads of "Mioriţa", "Toma Alimoş", "Mânăstirea Argeşului", and "Novac şi Corbul." His volume of original poetry, "Doine şi Lăcrămioare", further cemented his reputation. This article on Romanian mythology covers both the mythology traditional to the Romanian people and to certain earlier civilizations that occupied the same geographic area, and whom the ethnic Romanians tend to claim either as spiritual or as more literal ancestors. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... MioriÅ£a (The Little Ewe) is an old Romanian pastoral balad and considered one of the most important pieces of the Romanian folklore. ...

Broadly revered in Romanian cultural circles, he oversaw the establishment of "România Literară", to which contributed writers from both Moldavia and Wallachia. He was one of the most vocal unionists, supporting of the union the two Romanian provinces, Moldavia and Wallachia. In 1856, he published in Mihail kogalniceanu's newspaper, Steaua Dunării, the poem "Hora Unirii", which became the anthem of the unification movement. Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ...

New romantic interest

The end of 1855 saw Alecsandri pursuing a new romantic interest, in spite of promises made to Elena Negri on her deathbed. At 35 years, the now renowned poet and public figure fell in love with the young Paulina Lucasievici, the daughter of an innkeeper. The romance moved at a lightning pace: they moved in together to Alecsandri's estate at Mirceşti and, in1857, their daughter Maria was born. 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Political fulfilment

Alecsandri found satisfaction in the advancement of those political causes he had long championed. The two Romanian provinces united and he was appointed minister of External Affairs by Alexandru Ioan Cuza. He toured the West, pleading to some of his friends and acquaintances in Paris to acknowledge the newly formed nation and support its emergence in the turbulent Balkan area. Alexander John (Alexandru Ioan) Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (March 20, 1820, Galaţi - May 15, 1873, Heidelberg), known more commonly in English as Alexander John Cuza, was the ruler (1859-1866) of the United Principalites of Romania. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land...

Retreat at Mirceşti

The diplomatic tours tired him. In 1860, he settled in Mirceşti for what would be the rest of his life. He married Paulina more than a decade and a half later, in1876. 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Between 1862 and 1875, Alecsandri wrote 40 lyrical poems, including "Miezul Iernii," "Serile la Mirceşti, "Iarna," "La Gura Sobei", "Oaspeţii Primăverii", and "Malul Siretului." He also dabbled in epic poems, collected in the volume "Legende" , and he dedicated a series of poems to the soldiers who participated in the Romanian War of Independence. The Romanian War of Independence was fought in 1877 against the Ottoman Empire. ...

In 1879, his "Despot-Vodă" drama received the award of the Romanian Academy. He continued to be a prolific writer, finishing a fantastic comedy, "Sânziana şi Pepelea," (1881) and two dramas, "Fântâna Blanduziei" (1883) and "Ovidiu" (1884). 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Romanian Academy (Romanian: Academia Română) is a cultural forum founded in Romania in 1866. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

In 1881, he wrote Trăiască Regele (Long Live the King), which became the national anthem of the Kingdom of Romania until the abolition of monarchy in 1947. Trăiască Regele (Long live the King) was the national anthem of the Principality of Romania and later Kingdom of Romania between 1866 and 1947. ... From 1859 to 1877, Romania evolved from a personal union of two vassal principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia) under a single prince to a full-fledged independent kingdom with a Hohenzollern monarchy. ...

Long suffering from cancer, Alecsandri died in 1890 at his estate in Mirceşti. 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ...

References

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Vasile Alecsandri (original works in Romanian)

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Further reading

• G. C. Nicolescu, "Viaţa lui Vasile Alecsandri" Bucharest, 1975