Romanian literature - Wikipedia Romanian literature From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Part of a series on the Culture of Romania History People Languages Traditions Dress Humour Mythology and folklore Mythology folklore Characteristics Characters Cuisine Dishes Salads Cheeses Desserts Drinks Festivals Music festivals Religion Eastern Orthodox Roman Catholic Greek Catholic Islam Art Architecture Painters Sculptors Literature History Examples Poets Writers Music and performing arts Music Music by region Composers Theatre Actors Media Television Cinema Sport Monuments World Heritage Sites National Register Castles Monasteries Symbols Flag Coat of arms Organisations Romanian Cultural Institute Museums  Romania portal v t e Romanian literature is literature written by Romanian authors, although the term may also be used to refer to all literature written in the Romanian language. Contents 1 History 1.1 Beginnings 1.2 Ottoman Decadence and Phanariotes 1.3 National awakening 1.4 Interbellum literature 1.5 Communist Era 1.6 Contemporary literature 2 Chronology: 19th century-present day 2.1 Translations of Romanian literature 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History[edit] Beginnings[edit] Reformation era literature Overview 16th century Renaissance humanism Reformation era Propaganda 16th century in poetry 16th century in literature British Elizabethan Welsh Scottish Anglo-Irish Metaphysical poets English Renaissance theatre Pastoral Morality History Tragedy Revenge Continental Czech German Swiss Slovak Sorbian Romanian Bohorič alphabet Dutch Renaissance and Golden Age Folklore of the Low Countries Scandinavian Danish Faroese Norwegian Swedish Finnish Icelandic v t e The earliest surviving document in Romanian is Neacșu's Letter written in 1521, to the jude ("judge and mayor") of Brașov, Hans Benkner. Romanian culture was heavily influenced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the official stance of the Romanian Church being that Orthodoxy was brought to the Romanian land by the Apostle Andrew. According to some modern Romanian scholars, the idea of early Christianisation is unsustainable, being used for propaganda purposes in the totalitarian era as part of the ideology of protochronism, which purports that the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for its entire history. The earliest translated books into Romanian were Slavonic religious texts from the 15th century. The Psalter of Șchei (Psaltirea Șcheiană) of 1482 and the Voroneț Codex (Codicele Voronețean) are religious texts that were written in Maramureș. Stamp with the Romanian Literature Museum in Chișinău The first book printed in Romania was a Slavonic religious book in 1508. The first book printed in the Romanian language was a Protestant catechism of Deacon Coresi in 1559, printed by Filip Moldoveanul. Other translations from Greek and Slavonic books were printed later in the 16th century. Dosoftei, a Moldavian published in Poland in 1673, was the first Romanian metrical psalter, producing the earliest known poetry written in Romanian. Early efforts to publish the Bible in Romanian started with the 1582 printing in the small town of Orăștie of the so-called Palia de la Orăștie – a translation of the first books of the Old Testament - by Deacon Șerban (a son of the above-mentioned Deacon Coresi) and Marien Diacul (Marien the Scribe). Palia was translated from Latin by Bishop Mihail Tordaș et al., the translation being checked for accuracy using Hungarian translations of the Bible. The entire Bible was not published in Romanian until the end of the 17th century, when monks at the monastery of Snagov, near Bucharest, translated and printed "Biblia de la București – "The Bucharest Bible" in 1688. European humanism came to Moldavia in the 17th century via Poland with its representative, Miron Costin, writing a chronicle on the history of Moldavia. Another humanist was Dimitrie Cantemir, who wrote histories of Wallachia and Moldavia. Ottoman Decadence and Phanariotes[edit] The 18th century in the Romanian lands was dominated by the Ottoman Empire, which decided not to allow Romanian rulers in Wallachia and Moldavia and ruled, instead, through Greek merchants of Istanbul, called phanariotes. Thus, Greek culture influenced the developments of Romanian literature. For example, one of the greatest poets of this century was Alecu Văcărescu, who wrote love songs in the tradition of the ancient Greek poet Anacreon. His father, Ienăchiță, was a poet as well, though he also wrote the first Romanian grammar, while his son, Iancu, was probably one of the greatest poets of his generation. A human comedy was developed in the anecdotes of Anton Pann, who tried to illustrate a bit of the Balkanic spirit and folklore which was brought by the Ottomans in the Romanian lands. However, the next generation of Romanian writers headed toward European Illuminism for inspiration, among them Gheorghe Asachi, Ion Budai-Deleanu, and Dinicu Golescu. National awakening[edit] Vasile Alecsandri Mihai Eminescu Ion Luca Caragiale Ion Creangă As the revolutionary ideas of nationalism spread in Europe, they were also used by the Romanians, who desired their own national state, but were living under foreign rule. Many Romanian writers of the time were also part of the national movement and participated in the revolutions of 1821 and 1848. The Origin of the Romanians began to be discussed and in Transylvania, a Latinist movement, Școala Ardeleană, emerged, producing philological studies about the Romanic origin of Romanian and opening Romanian language schools. Romanians studied in France, Italy, and Germany, and German philosophy and French culture were integrated into modern Romanian literature, lessening the influence of Ancient Greece and the Orient over time. In Wallachia an important figure of the time was Ion Heliade Rădulescu, who founded the first Romanian-language journal and the Philharmonic Society, which later created the National Theatre of Bucharest. The most important writers of the second half of the century were Vasile Alecsandri and later Mihai Eminescu. Alecsandri was a prolific writer, contributing to Romanian literature with poetry, prose, several plays, and collections of Romanian folklore. Eminescu is considered by most critics to be the most important and influential Romanian poet. His lyric poetry had many of its roots in Romanian traditions, but was also influenced by German philosophy and Hindu traditions. Titu Maiorescu's Junimea literary circle, founded in 1863 and frequented by many Romanian writers, played an important role in Romanian literature. Many outstanding Romanian writers, including Ion Luca Caragiale, who wrote some of the best Romanian comedies, Ion Creangă, who wrote traditional Romanian stories and Barbu Ştefănescu Delavrancea, published their works during this time. George Coșbuc was a poet, translator, teacher, and journalist, best known for his verses describing, praising and eulogizing rural life. Nicolae Bălcescu, Dimitrie Bolintineanu, Alecu Russo, Nicolae Filimon, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, Alexandru Odobescu, Grigore Alexandrescu, Constantin Negruzzi, Alexandru Vlahuță, Alexandru Macedonski, Petre Ispirescu, Duiliu Zamfirescu, and Ioan Slavici are also important literary personalities of the era. Interbellum literature[edit] Mihail Sadoveanu Tudor Arghezi Lucian Blaga After achieving national unity in 1918, Romanian literature entered what can be called a golden age, characterized by the development of the Romanian novel. Traditional society and recent political events influenced works such as Liviu Rebreanu's Răscoala ("The Uprising"), which, published in 1932, was inspired by the 1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt, and Pădurea Spânzuraților ("Forest of the Hanged"), published in 1922 and inspired by Romanian participation in World War I. The dawn of the modern novel can be seen in Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (Concert din muzică de Bach—"Bach Concert"), Camil Petrescu (Ultima noapte de dragoste, întâia noapte de război—"The Last Night of Love, the First Night of War"). George Călinescu is another complex personality of Romanian literature: novelist, playwright, poet, literary critic and historian, essayist, journalist. He published authoritative monographs about Eminescu and Creangă, and a monumental (almost 1,000 pages in quarto) history of Romanian literature from its origin to the time of his writing (1941). An important realist writer was Mihail Sadoveanu, who wrote mainly novels which took place at various times in the history of Moldova. But probably the most important writers were Tudor Arghezi, Lucian Blaga, and Mircea Eliade. Arghezi revolutionized Romanian poetry 50 years after Eminescu, creating new pillars for the modern Romanian poem. Blaga, one of the country's most important artistic personalities, developed through his writings a complex philosophic system, still not perfectly understood even today. Eliade is today considered the greatest historian in the field of religions. His novels reveal a mystical, pre-Christian symbolism paving the way for contemporary Romanian art. Born in Romania, Tristan Tzara, a poet and essayist, is the main founder of Dada, a nihilistic revolutionary movement in the arts, and may have been responsible for its name (Romanian for "Yes yes"). Later he abandoned nihilism for Surrealism and Marxism. For the first time in its history, Romanian culture was fully connected to Western culture, while Dadaism is the first Romanian artistic and literary movement to become international. Dadaism and Surrealism are fundamental parts of the avant-garde, the most revolutionary form of modernism. The Romanian avant garde is very well represented by Ion Minulescu, Gherasim Luca, Urmuz, Perpessicius, Tristan Tzara, Grigore Cugler, Geo Bogza, Barbu Fundoianu, Gellu Naum, Ilarie Voronca, and Ion Vinea. Max Blecher was a poet whose life was cut short by health problems. George Bacovia was a symbolist poet. While he initially belonged to the local Symbolist movement, his poetry came to be seen as a precursor of Romanian Modernism. Some important literary figures of this period were also active in other domains. Vasile Voiculescu was a Romanian poet, short-story writer, playwright, and physician. Ion Barbu was a poet, as well as an important mathematician. Cezar Petrescu was a journalist, novelist, and children's writer. He is especially remembered for his children's book Fram, ursul polar ("Fram, the polar bear"; the circus animal character was named after Fram, the ship used by Fridtjof Nansen on his expeditions). Elena Farago was also a children's writer and poet. Ion Agârbiceanu was a writer, as well as a politician, theologian and Greek-Catholic priest. Gala Galaction was another writer, who was also an Orthodox clergyman and theologian. Other literary figures of this era include Ionel Teodoreanu, Panait Istrati, Gib Mihăescu, Otilia Cazimir, and George Topîrceanu. Communist Era[edit] Marin Preda Marin Preda is often considered the most important post-World War II Romanian novelist. His novel, Moromeții ("The Moromete Family"), describes the life and difficulties of an ordinary peasant family in pre-war Romania and later during the advent of Communism in Romania. His most important book remains Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni ("The Most Beloved of Earthlings"), a cruel description of communist society. Zaharia Stancu published his first important novel, Desculț (Barefoot), in 1948. Some of the most important poets are Nichita Stănescu, Marin Sorescu, Ana Blandiana, Leonid Dimov, and Ștefan Augustin Doinaș. An important novelist of this era was Radu Tudoran. Outside Romania, Eugène Ionesco and Emil Cioran represented the national spirit at the highest level. Ionesco is one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd; beyond ridiculing the most banal situations, Ionesco's plays depict in a tangible way the solitude of humans and the insignificance of one's existence. Cioran was a brilliant writer and philosopher. Contemporary literature[edit] Some Romanian contemporary writers: Gabriela Adameșteanu Ștefan Agopian [ro] Radu Aldulescu Nicolae Breban Svetlana Cârstean [ro] Mircea Cărtărescu Traian T. Coșovei Gheorghe Crăciun Alexandru Ecovoiu [ro] Radu Pavel Gheo Ioan Groșan [ro] Florin Iaru [ro] Claudiu Komartin Ion Bogdan Lefter [ro] Norman Manea Dan C. Mihǎilescu [ro] Grid Modorcea [ro] Herta Müller (2009 Nobel Laureate) Ion Mureșan [ro] Mircea Nedelciu Ioana Pârvulescu Dora Pavel Dumitru Radu Popescu Simona Popescu [ro] Sorin Preda [ro] Doina Ruști Tudor Dumitru Savu [ro] Dan Sociu [ro] Cecilia Ștefănescu [ro] Ion Stratan [ro] Bogdan Suceavă Cristian Teodorescu [ro] Dumitru Țepeneag Chronology: 19th century-present day[edit] 1812 Țiganiada Ioan Budai-Deleanu (epic poem) 1847 Povestea vorbii Anton Pann (narrative poem) 1850 Cântarea României Alecu Russo (epic poetry) 1857 Alexandru Lăpușneanul Costache Negruzzi (historical novel) 1861-1863, posthoumously Românii supt Mihai-Voievod Viteazul Nicolae Bălcescu (historical non-fiction) 1867 Răzvan și Vidra Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (play) 1879 Amintiri din copilărie Ion Creangă (autobiographical novel) 1883 Poezii Mihai Eminescu (poetry) 1884 O Scrisoare Pierdută I.L. Caragiale (play) 1894 Mara Ioan Slavici (novel) 1920 Ion Liviu Rebreanu (novel) 1924 În Marea Trecere Lucian Blaga (poetry) 1925 Danton Camil Petrescu (play) 1927 Concert din Muzică de Bach Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (novel) 1927 Cuvinte Potrivite Tudor Arghezi (poetry) 1929 Craii de Curtea-Veche Mateiu Caragiale (novel) 1930 Joc Secund Ion Barbu (poetry) 1933 Patul lui Procust Camil Petrescu (novel) 1934 Ioana Anton Holban (novel) 1936 Întâmplări în Irealitate Imediată Max Blecher (novel) 1938 Enigma Otiliei George Călinescu (novel) 1943 Panopticum Ion Caraion (poetry) 1945 Plantații Constant Tonegaru (poetry) 1946 Stanțe Burgheze George Bacovia (poetry) 1946 Libertatea de a Trage cu Pușca Geo Dumitrescu (poetry) 1947 Don Juana Radu Stanca (play) 1955 Moromeții Marin Preda (novel) 1956 Primele Iubiri Nicolae Labiș (poetry) 1964 Ultimele sonete închipuite ale lui Shakespeare Vasile Voiculescu (poetry) 1965 Iarna Bărbaților Ștefan Bănulescu [ro] (short prose) 1966 Omul cu Compasul Ștefan Augustin Doinaș (poetry) 1966 11 Elegii Nichita Stănescu (poetry) 1968 Iona Marin Sorescu (play) 1969 Carte de Vise Leonid Dimov (poetry) 1969 Dicționar onomastic Mircea Horia Simionescu [ro] (novel) 1970 Matei Iliescu Radu Petrescu (novel) 1973 Vânătoarea Regală Dumitru Radu Popescu (novel) 1975 Lumea în Două Zile George Bălăiță (novel) 1977 Cartea de la Metropolis Ștefan Bănulescu [ro] (novel) 1977 Bunavestire Nicolae Breban (novel) 1980 Faruri, Vitrine, Fotografii Mircea Cărtărescu (poetry) 1983 Dimineață Pierdută Gabriela Adameșteanu (novel) 1983 Poeme de Amor Mircea Cărtărescu (poetry) 1988 versuri vechi, nouă Mircea Ivănescu (poetry) 1989 Și Ieri Va Fi o Zi Mircea Nedelciu (short prose) 1990 Levantul Mircea Cărtărescu (epic poem) 1993 Nostalgia Mircea Cărtărescu (short prose) 1996 Amantul Colivaresei Radu Aldulescu (novel) 1996 Coaja lucrurilor, sau Dansând cu Jupuita Adrian Oțoiu (novel) 1996 Orbitor. Aripa stângă Mircea Cărtărescu (novel) 2004 Pupa Russa Gheorghe Crăciun (novel) 2004 Proorocii Ierusalimului Radu Aldulescu (novel) 2006 Zogru Doina Ruști (novel) 2008 Fantoma din moră Doina Ruști (novel) 2009 Lizoanca la 11 ani Doina Ruști (novel) 2015 Manuscrisul fanariot Doina Ruști (novel) 2017 Mâța Vinerii/The Book of Perilous Dishes Doina Ruști (novel) 2010 Rădăcina de bucsau Ovidiu Nimigean [ro] (novel) 2018 Armaghedon revelat Grid Modorcea [ro] (novel) Translations of Romanian literature[edit] "Testament - Anthology of Modern Romanian Verse - Bilingual Edition - English/Romanian" (Daniel Ioniță, with Eva Foster and Daniel Reynaud; Editura Minerva 2012 - ISBN 978-973-21-0847-5). This presents a comprehensive selection of Romanian poetry from 1850 to the present (post 2010) covering 56 poets and over 75 poems. It includes classics such as Vasile Alecsandri, Mihai Eminescu, Ion Minulescu, George Coșbuc, Tudor Arghezi, Vasile Voiculescu, Nicolae Labiș, as well as contemporaries such as Nichita Stănescu, Ana Blandiana, Marin Sorescu, Nora Iuga, Cezar Ivănescu, Ileana Malancioiu, Adrian Păunescu, George Tarnea, Mircea Cărtărescu, Daniel Banulescu, Lucian Vasilescu, Adrian Munteanu, Ioan Es. Pop [ro], Liliana Ursu, Doina Uricariu, and others. The volume is prefaced by literary critic and historian Alex Ștefănescu. " The Disheveled Maidens" (Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu, Romanian Cultural Institute Publishing House 2004) "Something is still present and isn't, of what's gone. - A Bilingual Anthology of Avant-Garde and Avant-Garde Inspired Rumanian poetry - English/Rumanian" (Victor Pambuccian; Aracne editrice, Rome 2018 - ISBN 978-88-255-1473-5). It includes poems of Tristan Tzara, B. Fundoianu, Ilarie Voronca, Geo Bogza, Max Blecher, Gherasim Luca, Gellu Naum, Geo Dumitrescu, Paul Celan, Ion Caraion, Nora Iuga, Nichita Stănescu, George Almosnino, Constantin Abăluță, Vintilă Ivănceanu, Daniel Turcea, Mariana Marin. The volume is prefaced by literary critic and historian of the Romanian avant-garde Mădălina Lascu. See also[edit] List of Romanian novelists List of Romanian writers References[edit] George Călinescu, Istoria literaturii române de la origini până în prezent ("The History of Romanian Literature from its origins till present day"), 1941 Nicolae Iorga, Istoria literaturii românești ("The History of Romanian Literature"), 1929 Alex Ștefănescu, Istoria literaturii române contemporane, 1941-2000 ("The History of Contemporary Romanian Literature, 1941-2000"), 2005 Dan C Mihăilescu, Literatura română în postceaușism, Vol II, Proza. Prezentul ca dezumanizare, Ed. Polirom, 2006 Vol II, Proza. Prezentul ca dezumanizare, Ed. 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