Demostene Botez (July 2, 1893 – March 18, 1973) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n poet and prose writer. Born in

Trușești Trușești is a commune in Botoșani County, Western Moldavia, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hung ...

(then called ''Hulub''),

Botoșani County Botoșani County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia (encompassing a few villages in neighbouring Suceava County from Bukovina to the west as well), with the county seat at Botoșani. Demographics As of 1st of December 20 ...

, his parents were Anghel Botez, a

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priest, and his wife Ecaterina (''née'' Chirica), the daughter of a priest. After attending the first two grades of school in his native village, in 1900 he was sent to learn at

Botoșani Botoșani () is the capital city of Botoșani County, in the northern part of Moldavia, Romania. Today, it is best known as the birthplace of many celebrated Romanians, including Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga and Grigore Antipa. Origin of the ...

and later at

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

. There he was first a student at a private high school and then at the Boarding High School, from which he graduated in 1912. In 1915, he obtained a law degree from the

University of Iași The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...

. He made his published debut in 1911, in the Iași-based ''Arhiva'' magazine. After seeing frontline action during World War I, he published the short poetry book ''Munții'' (1918), which was prefaced by

Garabet Ibrăileanu Garabet Ibrăileanu (; May 23, 1871 – March 11, 1936) was a Romanian-Armenian literary critic and theorist, writer, translator, sociologist, University of Iași professor (1908–1934), and, together with Paul Bujor and Constantin Stere, fo ...

and received the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

's Adamache literary prize. He practiced law in Iași and in

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for several decades, which allowed him to write in relaxed fashion without material cares. While still a high school student, Botez entered the literary circle surrounding ''

Viața Românească ''Viața Românească'' (, "The Romanian Life") is a monthly literary magazine published in Romania. Formerly the platform of the left-wing traditionalist trend known as poporanism, it is now one of the Writers' Union of Romania's main venues. ...

''. In 1919, he briefly edited ''Însemnări literare'' magazine. During the interwar period, he wrote for the left-wing press on a consistent basis. The poems from his early books (''Floarea pământului'', 1920; ''Povestea omului'', 1922; ''Zilele vieții'', 1927; ''Cuvinte de dincolo'', 1934; ''Pământ și om'', 1942) combine idyllic, traditionalist touches with psychic states and

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

motifs. They are significant representatives of the sentimental side to Romania's Symbolist movement. His novels (''Ghiocul'', 1931; ''Înălțarea la cer'', 1937) were written in a traditional style partly influenced by

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian literature, Russian and world literature, and many of his works are consider ...

. After the rise of the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

, his themes fit the new authorities' line (''Oameni în lumină'', 1956; ''Bucuria tinereții'', 1957; ''Carnet'', 1961). His 1956 poetry book ''Curcubeu peste Dunăre'' reflected on Romanian-Bulgarian friendship,Alex Drace-Francis, ''The Traditions of Invention: Romanian Ethnic and Social Stereotypes in Historical Context'', p. 253-54. Leiden:

Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers () is a Dutch international academic publisher of books, academic journals, and Bibliographic database, databases founded in 1683, making it one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands. Founded in the South ...

, 2013. and the 1958 ''Prin ani'' included additional poems about Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. ''Prin U.R.S.S.'' is a 1962 account of his Soviet travels. As a senior cultural figure, he was able to publish his late-1920s impressions of Marseille in a French review, and the verses in ''Carnet'' were inspired by a trip to Paris. His translations include ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' (; ), commonly known as simply ''Madame Bovary'', is the début novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, originally published in 1856 and 1857. The eponymous character, Emma Bovary, lives beyond he ...

''; during his vacations, he wrote memoir-type articles and children's literature. Botez was a member of the Assembly of Deputies and of the Great National Assembly, Alex. Ștefănescu
"Demostene Botez"
in ''România Literară'', nr. 10/2003 and from 1963 a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy.Membrii Academiei Române din 1866 până în prezent
at the Romanian Academy site He served as editor-in-chief and later director of ''Viața Româneascăs new series. From 1964 to 1965, he was interim president of the

Romanian Writers' Union The Writers' Union of Romania (), founded in March 1949, is a professional association of writers in Romania. It also has a subsidiary in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The Writers' Union of Romania was created by the communist regime by taking ...

.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. I, p. 196-97. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Botez, Demostene 1893 births 1973 deaths People from Botoșani County Alexandru Ioan Cuza University alumni Symbolist poets Romanian magazine editors Romanian opinion journalists Romanian travel writers Romanian military personnel of World War I Corresponding members of the Romanian Academy Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Members of the Great National Assembly 20th-century Romanian poets 20th-century Romanian novelists 20th-century Romanian translators 20th-century Romanian lawyers