Romanian literature facts for kids

Romanian literature (Romanian: Literatura română) is writing created by Romanian authors. It can also mean all literature written in the Romanian language or by any authors from Romania.

History of Romanian Writing

Romanian literature grew alongside a rich Romanian folklore. This includes songs, stories, and poems passed down through generations. This oral tradition is still important today.

Romanian oral literature features:

• Doine (lyric songs)
• Balade (ballads)
• Hore (dance songs)
• Colinde (carols)
• Basme (fairy tales)
• Snoave (anecdotes)
• Vorbe (proverbs)
• Ghicitori (riddles)

Early Slavonic Writings

The Old Church Slavonic script was used in the lands of modern-day Romania as early as the 10th century. The oldest surviving writings are from the 12th century. Early Slavonic texts from Wallachia and Moldavia include religious songs and a text about saints. These date back to the late 1300s. By the 15th century, many copies of medieval Slavonic texts were made by scribes in these areas.

Icon of Neagoe Basarab and his son Teodosie

Many translated medieval adventure stories were also popular. These included tales like the Alexander Romance and Barlaam and Josaphat.

A very important work is "The Teachings of Neagoe Basarab to his son Theodosie." This book, written around 1519-1521, offers advice on morals and politics. It was written by Neagoe Basarab, a ruler of Wallachia. This work is seen as one of the first great pieces of literature in South-Eastern Europe from the Renaissance period.

First Romanian Books

The oldest surviving document written in Romanian is Neacșu's Letter. It was written in 1521 to the mayor of Brașov, Hans Benkner.

The first books in Romanian were translations of Slavonic religious texts. These appeared in the 15th century. Examples include the Psalter of Șchei (1482) and the Voroneț Codex.

The first book printed in the Romanian lands was a Slavonic religious book in 1508. It was printed at Dealu Monastery. The very first book printed in the Romanian language was a Protestant catechism by Deacon Coresi in 1559. Many other translations from Greek and Slavonic followed in the 16th century. In 1673, Dosoftei, a Moldavian Bishop, published the first Romanian book of poems.

Stamp with the Romanian Literature Museum in Chișinău

Early efforts to print the Bible in Romanian began in 1582. The Palia de la Orăștie was printed in Orăștie. This book contained translations of the first books of the Old Testament. It was translated from Latin and checked against Hungarian Bible translations.

The complete Bible in Romanian was not published until 1688. This was the "Biblia de la București" compiled by the Greceanu Brothers.

In Transylvania, the first Romanian dictionary appeared around 1650. It was called Dictionarium Valachico-Latinum. The first grammar book for the Romanian language was written in Latin around 1770.

Humanism in Romanian Lands

Humanism first appeared in Moldavia and Wallachia in the 16th century. Important figures included Luca Stroici and Petru Cercel. However, it took another century for humanism to fully develop there. This might be because the Romanian lands had strong ties to Byzantine culture.

Original Manuscript of Hieroglyphic History by Dimitrie Cantemir

During the 17th century, humanism grew through Poland and its Jesuit Schools. Key writers like Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin, and Ion Neculce wrote chronicles about the history of Moldavia. Following the example of schools in Kyiv, rulers Matei Basarab and Vasile Lupu set up Neoclassical schools.

The most important Romanian Humanist was Dimitrie Cantemir. He wrote histories of Wallachia, Moldavia, and the Ottoman Empire. He also wrote philosophical and religious books. In 1705, he wrote "A Hieroglyphic History," a novel where characters are disguised.

National Awakening and Modern Literature

Vasile Alecsandri

Mihai Eminescu

Ion Luca Caragiale

Ion Creangă

As ideas of nationalism spread in Europe, Romanians also wanted their own country. Many writers joined this national movement. They took part in the revolutions of 1821 and 1848. People began discussing the Origin of the Romanians. In Transylvania, a group called Școala Ardeleană studied the Roman origins of the Romanian language. They also opened Romanian language schools.

Romanians studied in France, Italy, and Germany. German philosophy and French culture became part of modern Romanian literature. This slowly reduced the influence of Ancient Greece and the Orient. In Wallachia, Ion Heliade Rădulescu was a key figure. He started the first Romanian-language newspaper and the Philharmonic Society. This society later created the National Theatre of Bucharest.

The most important writers of the second half of the 19th century were Vasile Alecsandri and later Mihai Eminescu. Alecsandri wrote a lot of poetry, prose, plays, and collected Romanian folklore. Eminescu is seen as the most important Romanian poet. His poems were inspired by Romanian traditions, German philosophy, and Hindu ideas.

The Junimea literary group, started by Titu Maiorescu in 1863, was very important. Many Romanian writers met there. Famous writers like Ion Luca Caragiale, who wrote great comedies, and Ion Creangă, who wrote traditional Romanian stories, published their works during this time. George Coșbuc was a poet known for describing rural life. Many other writers also contributed to literature during this period.

Literature Between the World Wars

Mihail Sadoveanu

Tudor Arghezi

Lucian Blaga

After Romania became united in 1918, Romanian literature entered a "golden age." This period saw the growth of the Romanian novel. Traditional society and recent political events influenced many works. For example, Liviu Rebreanu's Răscoala ("The Uprising," 1932) was inspired by the 1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt. His book Pădurea Spânzuraților ("Forest of the Hanged", 1922) was about Romanians in World War I.

Modern novels began with writers like Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (Concert din muzică de Bach) and Camil Petrescu (Ultima noapte de dragoste, întâia noapte de război). George Călinescu was a complex writer. He was a novelist, playwright, poet, critic, and historian. He wrote important books about Eminescu and Creangă. He also wrote a huge history of Romanian literature.

Mihail Sadoveanu was an important realist writer. He mainly wrote novels set in different times in Moldova's history. But perhaps the most important writers were Tudor Arghezi, Lucian Blaga, and Mircea Eliade. Arghezi changed Romanian poetry 50 years after Eminescu. Blaga developed a complex philosophical system through his writings. Eliade is known as a great historian of religions. His novels show mystical, pre-Christian ideas.

Tristan Tzara, born in Romania, was a poet and essayist. He was a main founder of Dada, a revolutionary art movement. He later moved from Dada to Surrealism and Marxism. For the first time, Romanian culture was fully connected to Western culture. Dadaism was the first Romanian art movement to become international. Dadaism and Surrealism are key parts of the avant-garde, a very revolutionary form of modernism.

Other important writers of this time include George Bacovia, a symbolist poet. His poetry later became a start for Romanian Modernism. Some writers were also active in other fields. Vasile Voiculescu was a poet and a physician. Ion Barbu was a poet and an important mathematician.

Cezar Petrescu was a journalist, novelist, and children's writer. He is remembered for his children's book Fram, ursul polar ("Fram, the polar bear"). Elena Farago also wrote for children.

Ion Agârbiceanu was a writer, politician, and priest. Gala Galaction was another writer who was also an Eastern Orthodox clergyman.

Other literary figures from this time include Ionel Teodoreanu, Panait Istrati, Gib Mihăescu, Otilia Cazimir, and George Topîrceanu.

Literature During the Communist Era

Marin Preda

Marin Preda is often seen as the most important Romanian novelist after World War II. His novel, Moromeții ("The Moromete Family"), describes the life of a peasant family before and during the start of Communism in Romania. His most important book is Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni ("The Most Beloved of Earthlings"). This book gives a harsh look at communist society. Zaharia Stancu published his first important novel, Desculț (Barefoot), in 1948.

Some of the most important poets of this time are Nichita Stănescu, Marin Sorescu, Ana Blandiana, Leonid Dimov, and Ștefan Augustin Doinaș. Radu Tudoran was an important novelist.

Outside Romania, Eugène Ionesco and Emil Cioran became very famous. Ionesco is a leading playwright of the Theatre of the Absurd. His plays show how lonely people can feel and how small one's life can seem. Cioran was a writer and philosopher.

Contemporary Romanian Literature

Herta Müller

Claudiu Komartin

Gabriela Adameșteanu

Here are some Romanian writers from today:

Timeline of Romanian Literature: 19th Century to Today

Romanian Literature in Other Languages

Many Romanian literary works have been translated into other languages. This helps people around the world discover Romanian authors.

Some examples of translated works include:

• "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 book has a wide selection of Romanian poetry from 1850 to after 2010. It includes 56 poets and over 75 poems. You can find classics like Vasile Alecsandri and Mihai Eminescu, as well as modern poets like Nichita Stănescu and Mircea Cărtărescu.
• "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). This collection includes poems from avant-garde writers like Tristan Tzara and Gellu Naum.

See also

• List of Romanian novelists
• List of Romanian writers