“Literature is the expression of a nation” (Alecu Russo)

Representative figures of Romanian culture

Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889)

Poet, novelist and journalist he is considered by the critics as the most important poetic voice of Romanian literature.

He was born in Botosani on January 15, 1850.

“Eminescu is not only the greatest Romanian writer. He is almost an unexplained appearance in our literature. He has fallen into our poor literature in 1870 as a meteor from other worlds. As chance would have it one of the greatest lyric poet of the nineteenth century, a century so plentiful, the richest in lyrics, to be born here in one corner of Moldavia.

(Garabet Ibrăileanu – Literary Studies)

Among his poems we mention:

“Evening Star”, “The lake”, “In the middle of the forest”, ”So tender”, “The desire”, etc.

I.L.Caragiale (1852-1912)

Born in the Haimanale village from Prahova, Caragiale was a Romanian playwriter, novelist, pamphleteer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist.

He was one of the greatest classics of the Romanian literature alongside Eminescu, Creangă şi Slavici.

Although he wrote only nine plays, Caragiale is considered to be the greatest Romanian playwriter.

Among his plays we should mention the comedies “A Stormy Night”, “Of the Carnival”, “A Lost Letter”, “Conu 'Leonidas versus Reaction”, but also the drama “The injustice”.

Mircea Eliade (1907-1986)He was a historian of

religions, fiction writer, philosopher and professor at the University of Chicago.

He is the author of 30 scientific volumes, literary and essays which were translated in 18 languages.

The complete works of Mircea Eliade contains 80 volumes.

Among his literary works we mention: “The novel of the myope teenager”,” Gaudeamus”, “Isabel and the devil’s waters”, “Maitreyi”, “Wedding in Heaven”, “Midsummer Night”, etc.

Eugen Ionescu (1909-1994)

He was born in Slatina on November 26, 1909 and he is known abroad as Eugène Ionesco. It was a French language writer, originally from Romania.

When we talk about the absurd theater, Ionesco's name comes first in our mind.

“The lesson”, “The Rhinoceros”,“The king dying”, “The chairs” or “The Bald Soprano” are plays which are played all over the world and which are a challenge for many directors.

Nichita Stănescu (1833-1983)

„N. Stănescu is the most important Romanian poet after the Second World War. Along with him, through him, the logos of the Romanian language is even with his poets.”

(Ştefan Augustin Doinaş)

Romanian poet, writer and essayist, Nichita Stănescu is considered, by the critics, but also by the audience, one of the greatest writers of the Romanian language.

He was awarded the Herder Prize.

In 1979 was nominated by the Swedish Academy to the Nobel Prize for Literature.

some remarcable figures that influenced the cultural area of

galati

Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu(December 8,1876, Ivești, Galați County – March5,

1955, Bucharest)

She was a great prose writer and novelist from interwar era.

She made her literary debut in 1919, at 43 years old, with a volume of short prose, titled “Deep waters”.

In 1936, she received Romanian Writers' Society Prize, and in 1946, the National Prize for prose.

Among his writings we mention the novels:

“Disheveled virgins”, “The Bach Concert”, “The hidden pathway”, “Roots”.

Dimitrie Cuclin(March 24, 1885, Galați – February 7, 1978)

He was a Romanian composer, musicologist, philosopher, writer and translator.

His literary work includes plays, musical librettos and poems.

As a poet he created mostly sonnets.

He is the author of a tragedy in a prologue and three acts: “Sofonisba”

He left Romania for America 1922. There he will became a violin and musical theory teacher at City Conservatory of Music and at Brooklin College of Music from New York.

Returned at Bucharest Conservatory he taught harmony, counterpoint and composition, until 1948 and he was one of the beloved teacher. He was also a prolific author of books and treaties music theory.

Nina Cassian (November 27 1924, Galați – April 1

2014, New York)

She was a Romanian poet, essayist and translator, Jewish origin.

She made her editorial debut in 1947, with the poetry “ Scale 1/1“.

She published over 50 books of poetry, essays and prose.

In 1969 she recived Romanian Writers’ Union Prize.

In 1994 New York Library grants her The Literary Lion.

Her poems were published in American magazines such as The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, New England Review American Poetry Review.

Some poetry volumes were translated and published in England (Call Yourself Alive) and USA (Life Sentence)

Victor CilincăJanuary 16, 1958

Member of Romanian Writers’ Union, of Romanian Professional Journalists’ Union and of History Teacher’s Association of “Dunărea de Jos”, Galaţi, engineer, painter, navigator, diver, author of 21 books of short novel, novel, drama, stories, poetry, with stories published in magazine in the UK, Canada and USA.In 2007 he was nominated for UNITER Prize, for the best Romanian play of the 2006 (the play«Belongings» or «Fany»).He wrote 32 play. Among these we mention: “Girl with the lighter”, “Paparazzi”, “Polonius”, “The cats revolution”, “The mystery the invisible city”, etc.For his literary work he was distinguished with several prizes.

Victor Ion Popa( 29 July 2, 1895, Călmățui Village- March 30, 1946,

Bucharest)

Prose writer, poet, journalist, complex man of theatre – author, director, scenographer, animator, Victor Ion Popa was a pioneer in the theatrical art and stage management.

He had a prodigious career in theater. He was the stage manager at the Popular Theatre, the initiator of a theater for children. He was the stage manage at the National Theatre of Craiova(1926), the stage manager at the National Theatre of Cernăuţi (1927-1929), director at Ventura Theatre (1930), stage manager at „Labor and Good Vibe” Theatre (1938-1944; from 1941 the theatre was named „Labor and Light”). He was a professor at The Department of drama, comedy and stage director of the Conservatory in Bucharest, manager of the National Cinema Office(1943).

Among his plays we should mention: “ The Hind “,“ The Windows Stork’s Bill “, “ Tache, Ianche and Cadar”, “The Soul Revenge” , “ The Smartest in The World “ , etc.

The Smartest in The World

“The Smartest in The World” is the play that we’ve choosen for The International Drama Festival from The Comenius Project. It is a play that familiarizes us with Romanian traditions and customs. It is the story of a poor girl, Neaga, wich comes home to the boy she loves, Ion, and she convinces his parents that she is the boy’s wife. The boy’s parents are very upset because they want Ion to marry a very rich girl, Casandra.

Neaga is a very good and hard working girl, but she is also clever and she convinces Ion that she is the proper girl for him.