Demostene Botez (July 2, 1893 – March 18, 1973) was a Romanian poet and prose writer. Born in

Trușești Trușești is a communes of Romania, commune in Botoșani County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Buhăceni, Ciritei, Drislea, Ionășeni, Păsăteni and Trușești. Natives * Demostene Botez References

Commun ...

(then called ''Hulub''), Botoșani County, his parents were Anghel Botez, a Romanian Orthodox 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 Western Moldavia, Moldavia, Romania. Today, it is best known as the birthplace of many celebrated Romanians, including Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga and Grigore Antipa. ...

and later at

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

. There he was first a student at a private high school and then at the

Boarding High School A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

, from which he graduated in 1912. In 1915, he obtained a law degree from the University of Iași. 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 and received the Romanian Academy's Adamache literary prize. He practiced law in Iași and in Bucharest 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''. 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 was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

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. After the rise of the communist regime, 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 (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, Netherlands. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn and Singapore, Brill today publishes 27 ...

, 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''; 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.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 translators 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 translators 20th-century Romanian lawyers