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Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
Romantic
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
, and
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
from
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
. Eminescu was an active member of the
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personali ...
literary society and worked as an editor for the newspaper ''
Timpul ''Timpul'' (Romanian for "The Time") is a literary magazine published in Romania. Originally a political newspaper, it was the official platform of the Conservative Party between 1876 and 1914. The publication is still active (2018) and publish ...
'' ("The Time"), the official newspaper of the Conservative Party (1880–1918). His poetry was first published when he was 16 and he went to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
to study when he was 19. The poet's
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
s, containing 46 volumes and approximately 14,000 pages, were offered by
Titu Maiorescu Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
as a gift to 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 ...
during the meeting that was held on 25 January 1902. Notable works include '' Luceafărul'', ''Odă în metru antic'' (''Ode in Ancient Meter''), and the five ''Letters'' (''Epistles/Satires''). In his poems, he frequently used metaphysical, mythological and historical subjects. His father was Gheorghe Eminovici, an aristocrat from
Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
, which was then part of the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
(while his grandfather came from
Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
). He crossed the border into Moldavia, settling in Ipotești, near the town of
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 ...
. He married Raluca Iurașcu, an heiress of an old noble family. In a
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personali ...
register, Eminescu wrote down his birth date as 22 December 1849, while in the documents of
Cernăuți Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...
Gymnasium, where Eminescu studied, his birth date is 15 January 1850. Nevertheless,
Titu Maiorescu Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
, in his work ''Eminescu and His Poems'' (1889), quoted N. D. Giurescu's research and adopted his conclusion regarding the date and place of Mihai Eminescu's birth, as being 15 January 1850, in
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 ...
. This date resulted from several sources, among which there was a file of notes on christenings from the archives of the Uspenia (Princely) Church of Botoșani; inside this file, the date of birth was "15 January 1850" and the date of christening was the 21st of the same month. The date of his birth was confirmed by the poet's elder sister, Aglae Drogli, who affirmed that the place of birth was the village of Ipotești,
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 ...
.


Family

The most accepted theory is that Mihail's paternal ancestors came from a Romanian family from
Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
. In 1675, a child was born with the name Iminul. The son of Iminul was Iovul lui Iminul, born in 1705, who was ordained a priest under the Serbianized name of Iovul Iminovici, in accordance with the use of
Church Slavonic Church Slavonic is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. The ...
of the
Metropolitanate of Karlovci The Metropolitanate of Karlovci () was a metropolitanate of the Eastern Orthodox Church that existed in the Habsburg monarchy between 1708 and 1848. Between 1708 and 1713, it was known as the Metropolitanate of Krušedol Monastery, Krušedol, ...
. The priest Iovul Iminovici left Banat for
Blaj Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Blußendref'') is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 17,816 inhabitants as of 2021. The city administers eight villages: Deleni-Obârșie ('' ...
between 1738 and 1740, attracted by civil liberties, agricultural land for a fee and free education in the
Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spelling: Roumanian; , or , ) is the official and main language of Romania and Moldova. Romanian is part of the Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance sub-branch of Romance languages, a linguistic group that evolved fr ...
for his children, but on the condition of becoming an
Eastern-Rite Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
. Iovul Iminovici had two sons, Iosif and Petrea Iminovici. Petrea Eminovici, the poet's great-grandfather, was probably born in 1735 and from his marriage with Agafia Șerban (1736–1818), several descendants appeared, known with certainty being only the existence of their middle child, Vasile, the grandfather of the poet. Vasile Iminovici (1778–1844) attended the normal school in Blaj and married Ioana Sărghei. After a while, the spouses Petrea and Agafia divorced. Petrea died in Blaj in 1811, and Agafia accompanied the family of her son, Vasile, to
Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
. Agafia died in 1818 in Călinești,
Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...
. Vasile Iminovici, attracted by the economic and social conditions settled in Bukovina, moved with his family to Călinești in 1804, where he received a position as a church teacher as well as land. He had four daughters and three sons. Vasile Iminovici died in 1844. The eldest of his sons, Gheorghe, born in 1812 was the father of Mihai Eminescu.Călinescu, ''The Life of Mihai Eminescu'', p. 16''Dictionary of literature...'', p. 321 Gheorghe Eminovici was in the service of the boyar Ioan Ienacaki Cârstea from Costâna, Suceava, then – writer for baron Jean Mustață from Bukovina, and later in the service of the boyar Alexandru Balș from Moldova. After the death of Alexandru Balș, his son, Costache, appointed Gheorghe Eminovici as administrator of the Dumbrăveni estate. Later, Gheorghe Eminovici obtained the title of
sluger Sluger (plural ''slugeri''; , ; sometimes also sulger ) was a historical rank traditionally held by boyars in Moldavia and Wallachia, roughly corresponding to a sort of Intendant or Master of the Larder. It originated in the Slavic Slavic, Slav o ...
from Costache Balș. Another theory from the historian
George Călinescu George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899 – 12 March 1965) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the most important Romani ...
says that Mihai's paternal great-grandfather might have been a cavalry officer from the army of
Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...
, who settled in Moldavia after the
battle of Poltava The Battle of Poltava took place 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. The Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated the Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would l ...
(1709). Raluca, the poet's mother, was the fourth daughter of Vasile and Paraschiva Jurașcu. The ancestors from his mother's side, the Jurăscești family, came from
Hotin Khotyn (, ; , ; see other names) is a city in Dnistrovskyi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine, located south-west of Kamianets-Podilskyi. It hosts the administration of Khotyn urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. According ...
(part of
Greater Romania Greater Romania () is the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union or the related pan-nationalist ideal of a nation-state which would incorporate all Romanian speakers.Irina LivezeanuCultural Politics in Greate ...
from 1918–1940, present-day
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, near the border with
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 ...
). The
boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...
Vasile Jurașcu from Joldești,
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 ...
married Paraschiva, the daughter of Donțu, a
Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...
, who had settled on the banks of the
Siret Siret (; ; ; ; ) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...
, not far from the village of Sarafinești, Botoșani County. Donțu married Catrina, the daughter of the Romanian peasant Ion Brehuescu. Gheorghe Eminovici married Raluca Jurașcu in 1840, receiving a substantial dowry, and in 1841 he received the title of căminar (a type of
boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...
) from the prince ruler of
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
,
Mihail Sturdza Prince Mihail Sturdza (24 April 1794 – 8 May 1884), sometimes anglicized as Michael Stourdza, was prince ruler of Moldavia from 1834 to 1849. He was cousin of Princess Roxandra Sturdza and Prince Alexandru Sturdza. Early life He was born a ...
.


Early years

Mihail (as he appears in baptismal records) or Mihai (the more common form of the name that he used) was born in
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 ...
,
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
. Mihai Eminescu was the seventh of the eleven children of Gheorghe Eminovici and Raluca Jurașcu.Călinescu, Istoria literaturii..., p. 25 He spent his early childhood in Botoșani and Ipotești, in his parents family home. From 1858 to 1866 he attended school in
Cernăuți Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...
. He finished 4th grade as the 5th of 82 students, after which he attended two years of '' gymnasium''. The first evidence of Eminescu as a writer is in 1866. In January of that year
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
teacher Aron Pumnul died and his students in
Cernăuţi Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...
published a pamphlet, ''Lăcrămioarele învățăceilor gimnaziaști'' (''The Tears of the Gymnasium Students'') in which a poem entitled ''La mormântul lui Aron Pumnul'' (''At the Grave of Aron Pumnul'') appears, signed "M. Eminovici". On 25 February his poem ''De-aș avea'' (''If I Had'') was published in
Iosif Vulcan Iosif Vulcan (March 31, 1841 – September 8, 1907) was an ethnic Romanian Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian magazine editor, poet, playwright, novelist and cultural figure. He founded the literary magazine ''Familia (literary magazine), Famil ...
's literary magazine '' Familia'' in Pest. This began a steady series of published poems (and the occasional translation from German). Also, it was Iosif Vulcan, who disliked the Slavic source suffix "''-ici''" of the young poet's last name, that chose for him the more apparent Romanian "
nom de plume A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
" ''Mihai Eminescu''. In 1867, he joined Iorgu Caragiale's troupe as a clerk and prompter; the next year he transferred to Mihai Pascaly's troupe. Both of these were among the leading Romanian theatrical troupes of their day, the latter including
Matei Millo Matei Millo (; November 24/25, 1814 – September 9, 1896) was a Moldavian, later Romanian stage actor and playwright. Born in Stolniceni-Prăjescu, Iași County, his grandfather was the poet Matei Milu; his parents were Vasile Millo and Zamfira ...
and . He soon settled in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, where at the end of November he became a clerk and copyist for the National Theater. Throughout this period, he continued to write and publish poems. He also paid his rent by translating hundreds of pages of a book by Heinrich Theodor Rötscher, although this never resulted in a completed work. Also at this time he began his novel ''Geniu pustiu'' (''Wasted Genius''), published posthumously in 1904 in an unfinished form. On 1 April 1869, he was one of the co-founders of the "Orient" literary circle, whose interests included the gathering of Romanian folklore and documents relating to Romanian literary history. On 29 June, various members of the "Orient" group were commissioned to go to different provinces. Eminescu was assigned
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
. That summer, he quite by chance ran into his brother Iorgu, a military officer, in
Cișmigiu Gardens The Cișmigiu Gardens or Cișmigiu Park () are a public park in the center of Bucharest, Romania, spanning areas on all sides of an artificial lake. The gardens' creation was an important moment in the history of Bucharest. They form the oldes ...
, but firmly rebuffed Iorgu's attempt to get him to renew his ties to his family. Still in the summer of 1869, he left Pascaly's troupe and traveled to Cernăuţi and Iaşi. He renewed ties to his family; his father promised him a regular allowance to pursue studies in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
in the fall. As always, he continued to write and publish poetry; notably, on the occasion of the death of the former ruler of
Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
,
Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei (), also written as ''Stirbey'', (17 August 1799 – April 13, 1869), a member of the Bibescu boyar family, was a hospodar (Prince of Wallachia) on two occasions, between 1848 and 1853, and between 1854 and 1856. ...
, he published a leaflet, ''La moartea principelui Știrbei'' ("On the Death of Prince Știrbei").


1870s

From October 1869 to 1872 Eminescu studied at the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
. Not fulfilling the requirements to become a university student (as he did not have a baccalaureate degree), he attended lectures as a so-called "extraordinary auditor" at the Faculty of Philosophy and Law. He was active in student life, befriended
Ioan Slavici Ioan Slavici (; 18 January 1848 – 17 August 1925) was a Romanian writer and journalist from Austria-Hungary, later Romania. He made his debut in ''Convorbiri literare'' ("Literary Conversations") (1871), with the comedy ''Fata de birău'' ("Th ...
, and came to know Vienna through
Veronica Micle Veronica Micle (born Ana Câmpeanu; 22 April 1850 – 3 August 1889) was an Austrian Empire-born Romanian poet, whose work was influenced by Romanticism. She is best known for her love affair with the poet Mihai Eminescu, one of the most import ...
; he became a contributor to ''
Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' () is a Romanian literary magazine published in Romania. It is among the most important journals of the nineteenth-century Romania. History and profile ''Convorbiri Literare'' was founded by Titu Maiorescu in 1867. The ma ...
'' (''Literary Conversations''), edited by ''
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personali ...
'' (''The Youth''). The leaders of this cultural organisation,
Petre P. Carp Petre P. Carp (; also Petrache Carp, Francization, Francized ''Pierre Carp'', Ioana Pârvulescu"O adresă high-life", in ''România Literară'', Nr. 25/2010 occasionally ''Comte Carpe''; 28 Mircea Dumitriu"Petre P. Carp – un suflet, un caracter, ...
,
Vasile Pogor Vasile V. Pogor (Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Cyrillic: Вaciлe Пoгop; Francization, Francized ''Basile Pogor''; August 20, 1833 – March 20, 1906) was a Moldavian, later Romanian poet, philosopher, translator and Liberal conservatism, libera ...
,
Theodor Rosetti Prince Theodor Rosetti (; 5 May 1837 – 17 July 1923) was a Romanian writer, journalist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania between 23 March 1888 and 22 March 1889, with two cabinets formed. Over his life, he also served seve ...
,
Iacob Negruzzi Iacob C. Negruzzi (December 31, 1842 – January 6, 1932) was a Moldavian, later Romanian poet and prose writer. Born in Iași, he was the son of Constantin Negruzzi and his wife Maria (''née'' Gane). Living in Berlin between 1853 and 1863, he a ...
and
Titu Maiorescu Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
, exercised their political and cultural influence over Eminescu for the rest of his life. Impressed by one of Eminescu's poems, ''Venere și Madonă'' (''Venus and Madonna''),
Iacob Negruzzi Iacob C. Negruzzi (December 31, 1842 – January 6, 1932) was a Moldavian, later Romanian poet and prose writer. Born in Iași, he was the son of Constantin Negruzzi and his wife Maria (''née'' Gane). Living in Berlin between 1853 and 1863, he a ...
, the editor of ''Convorbiri Literare'', traveled to Vienna to meet him. Negruzzi would later write how he could pick Eminescu out of a crowd of young people in a Viennese café by his "romantic" appearance: long hair and gaze lost in thoughts. In 1870 Eminescu wrote three articles under the pseudonym "Varro" in ''Federațiunea'' in Pest, on the situation of Romanians and other minorities in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
. He then became a journalist for the newspaper '' Albina'' (''The Bee'') in Pest. From 1872 to 1874 he continued as a student in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, thanks to a stipend offered by ''Junimea''. From 1874 to 1877, he worked as director of the Central Library in
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 ...
, substitute teacher, school inspector for the counties of Iași and
Vaslui Vaslui (), a city in eastern Romania, is the seat of Vaslui County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia. The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu, and Viișoara. History Archaeological surveys indicate t ...
, and editor of the newspaper ''Curierul de Iași'' (''The Courier of Iași''), all thanks to his friendship with
Titu Maiorescu Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
, the leader of
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personali ...
and rector of 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 continued to publish in ''Convorbiri Literare''. He also was a good friend of Ion Creangă, a writer, whom he convinced to become a writer and introduced to the ''Junimea'' literary club. In 1877 he moved to
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, where until 1883 he was first journalist, then (1880) editor-in-chief of the newspaper ''
Timpul ''Timpul'' (Romanian for "The Time") is a literary magazine published in Romania. Originally a political newspaper, it was the official platform of the Conservative Party between 1876 and 1914. The publication is still active (2018) and publish ...
'' (''The Time''). During this time he wrote ''Scrisorile'', ''Luceafărul'', ''Odă în metru antic'' etc. Most of his notable editorial pieces belong to this period, when Romania was fighting the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and throughout the diplomatic race that eventually brought about the international recognition of Romanian independence, but under the condition of bestowing Romanian citizenship to all subjects of Jewish faith. Eminescu opposed this and another clause of the Treaty of Berlin: Romania's having to give southern
Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
to Russia in exchange for Northern
Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...
, a former Ottoman province on the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
.


Later life and death

The 1880s were a time of crisis and deterioration in the poet's life, culminating with his death in 1889. The details of this are still debated. From 1883 – when Eminescu's personal crisis and his more problematic health issues became evident – until 1886, the poet was treated in Austria and Italy, by specialists that managed to get him on his feet, as testified by his good friend, writer
Ioan Slavici Ioan Slavici (; 18 January 1848 – 17 August 1925) was a Romanian writer and journalist from Austria-Hungary, later Romania. He made his debut in ''Convorbiri literare'' ("Literary Conversations") (1871), with the comedy ''Fata de birău'' ("Th ...
. In 1886, Eminescu suffered a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
and was treated by Romanian doctors, in particular Julian Bogdan and Panait Zosin. Immediately diagnosed with syphilis, after being hospitalized in a nervous diseases hospice within the
Neamț Monastery The Neamț Monastery () is a Romanian Orthodox Church, Romanian Orthodox religious settlement, one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Romania. It was built in the 15th century, and it is an example of medieval Moldavian architectur ...
, the poet was treated with mercury. Firstly, massages in
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 ...
, applied by Dr. Itszak, and then in Bucharest at Dr. Alexandru A. Suțu's sanatorium, where between February–June 1889 he was injected with
mercuric chloride Mercury(II) chloride (mercury bichloride, mercury dichloride, mercuric chloride), historically also sulema or corrosive sublimate, is the inorganic chemical compound of mercury and chlorine with the formula HgCl2, used as a laboratory reagent. ...
. Professor Doctor Irinel Popescu, corresponding member of 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 ...
and president of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Romania, states that Eminescu died because of mercury poisoning. He also says that the poet was "treated" by a group of incompetent doctors and held in misery, which also shortened his life. Mercury was prohibited as treatment of syphilis in Western Europe in the 19th century, because of its adverse effects. Mihai Eminescu died at 4 am, on 15 June 1889 at the Caritas Institute, a
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...
run by Dr. Suțu and located on Plantelor Street
Sector 2 Sector 2 () is an administrative unit of Bucharest. Demographics Sector 2 is the city's most multicultural sector. In particular, it contains Romania's largest community of Chinese people, who mainly live in the districts of Colentina and Obo ...
,
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
. Eminescu's last wish was a glass of milk, which the attending doctor slipped through the metallic peephole of the "cell" where he spent the last hours of his life. In response to this favour he was said to have whispered, "I'm crumbled". The next day, on 16 June 1889 he was officially declared deceased and legal papers to that effect were prepared by doctors Suțu and Petrescu, who submitted the official report. This paperwork is seen as ambiguous, because the poet's
cause of death In law, medicine, and statistics, cause of death is an official determination of the conditions resulting in a human's death, which may be recorded on a death certificate. A cause of death is determined by a medical examiner. In rare cases, an ...
is not clearly stated and there was no indication of any other underlying condition that may have so suddenly resulted in his death. In fact both the poet's medical file and autopsy report indicate symptoms of a mental and not physical disorder. Moreover, at the
autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...
performed by Dr. Tomescu and then by Dr. Marinescu from the laboratory at
Babeș-Bolyai University The Babeș-Bolyai University ( , , commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Established in 1581 as Academia Claudiopolitana, it underwent several reorganizations over the centuries, eventually taking ...
, the brain could not be studied, because a nurse inadvertently forgot it on an open window, where it quickly decomposed. One of the first hypotheses that disagreed with the
post mortem An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death; ...
findings for Eminescu's cause of death was printed on 28 June 1926 in an article from the newspaper ''
Universul ''Universul'' was a mass-circulation newspaper in Romania. It existed from 1884 to 1953, and was run by Stelian Popescu from 1914 to 1943 (with a two-year break during World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 No ...
''. This article forwards the hypothesis that Eminescu died after another patient, Petre Poenaru, former headmaster in
Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...
, hit him in the head with a board. Dr. Vineș, the physician assigned to Eminescu at Caritas argued at that time that the poet's death was the result of an infection secondary to his head injury. Specifically, he says that the head wound was infected, turning into an
erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright- red rash, ...
, which then spread to the face,
neck The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...
,
upper limb The upper Limb (anatomy), limbs or upper extremities are the forelimbs of an upright posture, upright-postured tetrapod vertebrate, extending from the scapulae and clavicles down to and including the digit (anatomy), digits, including all the musc ...
s,
thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...
, and
abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...
. In the same report, cited by Nicolae Georgescu in his work, Eminescu târziu, Vineș states that "Eminescu's death was not due to head trauma occurred 25 days earlier and which had healed completely, but was the consequence of an older
endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, o ...
(diagnosed by late professor N. Tomescu)". Contemporary specialists, primarily physicians who have dealt with the Eminescu case, reject both hypotheses on the cause of death of the poet. According to them, the poet died of cardio-respiratory arrest caused by
mercury poisoning Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashe ...
. Eminescu was wrongly diagnosed and treated, aiming his removal from public life, as some eminescologists claim. Eminescu was diagnosed since 1886 by Dr. Julian Bogdan from
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 ...
as syphilitic, paralytic and on the verge of
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
due to
alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse. This spectrum can range from being mild, moderate, or severe. This can look like consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per ...
and syphilitic gummas emerged on the brain. The same diagnosis is given by Dr. Panait Zosin, who consulted Eminescu on 6 November 1886 and wrote that patient Eminescu suffered from a "mental alienation", caused by the emergence of
syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...
and worsened by alcoholism. Further research showed that the poet was not suffering from syphilis.


Works

Nicolae Iorga Nicolae Iorga (17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet and playwright. Co-founder (in 1910) of the Democratic Nationalist Party (PND), he served as a member of Parliament ...
, the Romanian historian, considers Eminescu the godfather of the modern Romanian language, in the same way that Shakespeare is seen to have directly influenced the English language. He is unanimously celebrated as the greatest and most representative Romanian poet. ''Poems and Prose of Mihai Eminescu'' (editor: , publisher: The Center for Romanian Studies, Iași, Oxford, and Portland, 2000, ) contains a selection of English-language renditions of Eminescu's poems and prose.


Poetry

His poems span a large range of themes, from nature and love to hate and social commentary. His childhood years were evoked in his later poetry with deep nostalgia. Eminescu's poems have been translated in over 60 languages. His life, work and poetry strongly influenced the
Romanian culture The culture of Romania is an umbrella term used to encapsulate the ideas, customs and social behaviours of the people of Romania that developed due to the country's distinct geopolitical history and evolution. It is theorized that Romanians an ...
and his poems are widely studied in Romanian public schools. His most notable poems are: * ', first poem of Mihai Eminescu * '' Ce-ți doresc eu ție, dulce Românie'' * '' Somnoroase păsărele'' * ''
Pe lângă plopii fără soț Pe may refer to: Language, and letters * Pe language * Pe (Cyrillic), a letter (П) in the Cyrillic alphabet * Pe (Semitic), a letter (פ ,ف, etc.) in several Semitic alphabets ** Pe (Persian), a letter (پ) in the Arabic alphabet * Pe (Armeni ...
'' * ''
Doina The doina () is a Romanians, Romanian musical tune style, possibly with Middle Eastern roots, customary in Romanian peasant music, as well as in lăutărească music. It was also adopted into klezmer music. Similar tunes are found throughout Eas ...
'' (the name is a traditional type of Romanian song), 1884 * ''Lacul'' (''The Lake''), 1876 * '' Luceafărul'' (''The Vesper''), 1883 * ''Floare albastră'' (''Blue Flower''), 1884 * ''Dorința'' (''Desire''), 1884 * ''Sara pe deal'' (''Evening on the Hill''), 1885 * ''O, rămai'' (''Oh, Linger On''), 1884 * ''Epigonii'' (''Epigones''), 1884 * ''Scrisori'' (''Letters'' or "Epistles-Satires") * ''Și dacă'' (''And if...''), 1883 * ''Odă în metru antic'' (''Ode in Ancient Meter''), 1883 * ''Mai am un singur dor'' (''I Have Yet One Desire''), 1883 * ''Glossă'' (''Gloss''), 1883 * ''La Steaua'' (''To The Star''), 1886 * ''Memento mori'', 1872 * ''Povestea magului călător în stele''


Prose

* '' Sarmanul Dionis'' (''Poor Dionis''), 1872 * ''Cezara'', 1876 * ''Avatarii Faraonului Tla'', postum * '' Geniu pustiu'' (''Deserted genius''), novel, posthumous


Presence in English language anthologies

* ''Testament – Anthology of Modern Romanian Verse / Testament – Antologie de Poezie Română Modernă – Bilingual Edition English & Romanian'' – Daniel Ioniță (editor and translator) with Eva Foster and Daniel Reynaud –
Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...
Publishing 2012 and 2015 (second edition) – *''Testament – Anthology of Romanian Verse – American Edition'' - monolingual English language edition – Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud and Rochelle Bews – Australian-Romanian Academy for Culture – 2017 – *''The Bessarabia of My Soul / Basarabia Sufletului Meu'' ''–'' a collection of poetry from the Republic of Moldova – bilingual English/Romanian – Daniel Ioniță and Maria Tonu (editors), with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud and Rochelle Bews – MediaTon, Toronto, Canada – 2018 – *''Testament – 400 Years of Romanian Poetry – 400 de ani de poezie românească'' – bilingual edition – Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with
Daniel Reynaud Daniel Reynaud (born 27 August 1958) is an Australian historian whose work on Australian war cinema and on Australian World War I soldiers and religion has challenged aspects of the Anzac spirit, Anzac legend, Australia’s most important natio ...
, Adriana Paul & Eva Foster – Editura Minerva, 2019 – *''Romanian Poetry from its Origins to the Present'' – bilingual edition English/Romanian – Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with
Daniel Reynaud Daniel Reynaud (born 27 August 1958) is an Australian historian whose work on Australian war cinema and on Australian World War I soldiers and religion has challenged aspects of the Anzac spirit, Anzac legend, Australia’s most important natio ...
, Adriana Paul and Eva Foster – Australian-Romanian Academy Publishing – 2020 – ;


Romanian culture

Eminescu was only 20 when
Titu Maiorescu Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
, the top literary critic in Romania, dubbed him "a real poet", in an essay where only a handful of the Romanian poets of the time were spared Maiorescu's harsh criticism. In the following decade, Eminescu's notability as a poet grew continually thanks to (1) the way he managed to enrich the literary language with words and phrases from all Romanian regions, from old texts, and with new words that he coined from his wide philosophical readings; (2) the use of bold metaphors, much too rare in earlier Romanian poetry; (3) last but not least, he was arguably the first Romanian writer who published in all Romanian provinces and was constantly interested in the problems of Romanians everywhere. He defined himself as a Romantic, in a poem addressed ''To My Critics'' (''Criticilor mei''), and this designation, his untimely death as well as his bohemian lifestyle (he never pursued a degree, a position, a wife or fortune) had him associated with the Romantic figure of the
genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
. As early as the late 1880s, Eminescu had a group of faithful followers. His 1883 poem ''Luceafărul'' was so notable that a new literary review took its name after it. The most realistic psychological analysis of Eminescu was written by I. L. Caragiale, who, after the poet's death published three short articles on this subject: ''In Nirvana'', ''Irony'' and ''Two notes''.
Caragiale Ion Luca Caragiale (; According to his birth certificate, published and discussed by Constantin Popescu-Cadem in ''Manuscriptum'', Vol. VIII, Nr. 2, 1977, pp. 179–184 – 9 June 1912), commonly referred to as I. L. Caragiale, was a Romanian p ...
stated that Eminescu's characteristic feature was the fact that "he had an excessively unique nature". Eminescu's life was a continuous oscillation between
introvert Extraversion and introversion are a central trait dimension in human personality theory. The terms were introduced into psychology by Carl Jung, though both the popular understanding and current psychological usage are not the same as Jung's o ...
and
extrovert Extraversion and introversion are a central trait dimension in human personality theory. The terms were introduced into psychology by Carl Jung, though both the popular understanding and current psychological usage are not the same as Jung's o ...
attitudes. The portrait that
Titu Maiorescu Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
made in the study ''Eminescu and poems'' emphasizes Eminescu's
introvert Extraversion and introversion are a central trait dimension in human personality theory. The terms were introduced into psychology by Carl Jung, though both the popular understanding and current psychological usage are not the same as Jung's o ...
dominant traits.
Titu Maiorescu Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
promoted the image of a dreamer who was far away from reality, who did not suffer because of the material conditions that he lived in, regardless of all the ironies and eulogies of his neighbour, his main characteristic was "abstract serenity". In reality, just as one can discover from his poems and letters and just as
Caragiale Ion Luca Caragiale (; According to his birth certificate, published and discussed by Constantin Popescu-Cadem in ''Manuscriptum'', Vol. VIII, Nr. 2, 1977, pp. 179–184 – 9 June 1912), commonly referred to as I. L. Caragiale, was a Romanian p ...
remembered, Eminescu was seldom influenced by boisterous
subconscious In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness. The term was already popularized in the early 20th century in areas ranging from psychology, religion and spirituality. The concept was heavily popu ...
motivations. Eminescu's life was but an overlap of different-sized cycles, made of sudden bursts that were nurtured by dreams and crises due to the impact with reality. The cycles could last from a few hours or days to weeks or months, depending on the importance of events, or could even last longer, when they were linked to the events that significantly marked his life, such as his relation with Veronica, his political activity during his years as a student, or the fact that he attended the gatherings at the ''
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personali ...
'' society or the articles he published in the newspaper ''
Timpul ''Timpul'' (Romanian for "The Time") is a literary magazine published in Romania. Originally a political newspaper, it was the official platform of the Conservative Party between 1876 and 1914. The publication is still active (2018) and publish ...
''. He used to have a unique manner of describing his own crisis of jealousy.


National poet

Eminescu was soon proclaimed Romania's
national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished ...
, not because he wrote in an age of national revival, but rather because he was received as an author of paramount significance by Romanians in all provinces. Even today, he is considered the national poet of Romania, Moldova, and of the Romanians who live in
Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
(). During a meeting with
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
leader
Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...
in 1976, Romanian leader
Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ;  – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...
claimed that Eminescu was proof that a Moldovan nation nor
language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
does not exist, as Eminescu supported the unification of
Muntenia Muntenia (, also known in English as Greater Wallachia) is a historical region of Romania, part of Wallachia (also, sometimes considered Wallachia proper, as ''Muntenia'', ''Țara Românească'', and the rarely used ''Valahia'' are synonyms in Ro ...
and Moldova, always considered himself Romanian, was the founder of Romanian poetry and did very much for the development of Romanian language and literature, yet Moldavians attempt to claim him as a Moldavian.


Iconography

Eminescu is omnipresent in today's Romania. His statues are everywhere; his face was on the 1000- lei
banknote A banknote or bank notealso called a bill (North American English) or simply a noteis a type of paper money that is made and distributed ("issued") by a bank of issue, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commerc ...
s issued in 1991, 1992, and 1998, and is on the 500-lei banknote issued in 2005 as the highest-denominated Romanian banknote (see
Romanian leu The Romanian leu (, plural lei ; ISO code: RON; numeric code: 946) is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 (, singular: ), a word that also means "money" in the Romanian language. Etymology The name of the currency means "lio ...
);
Eminescu's Linden Tree Eminescu's Linden Tree () is a 500-year-old silver lime (''Tilia tomentosa Moench'') in Copou Park, Iași, Romania. Mihai Eminescu reportedly wrote some of his best works underneath this lime, rendering the tree one of Romania's most important ...
is one of the country's most famous natural landmarks, while many schools and other institutions are named after him. The anniversaries of his birth and death are celebrated each year in many Romanian cities, and they became national celebrations in 1989 (the centennial of his death) and 2000 (150 years after his birth, proclaimed Eminescu's Year in Romania). Several young Romanian writers provoked a huge scandal when they wrote about ''their'' demystified idea of Eminescu and went so far as to reject the "official" interpretation of his work.


International legacy

Romanian composer
Didia Saint Georges Maria Alexandra Saint Georges (24 September 1888 – 1979) was a Romanian composer, accompanist and pianist who was known as Didia Saint Georges. She won the Enescu Prize competition twice and knew George Enescu well. Life Saint Georges was born ...
(1888-1979) used Eminescu’s text for her songs. A monument jointly dedicated to Eminescu and
Allama Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...
was erected in
Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...
, Pakistan on 15 January 2004, commemorating Pakistani-Romanian ties, as well as the dialogue between civilizations which is possible through the cross-cultural appreciation of their poetic legacies. Composer Rodica Sutzu used Eminescu's text for her song “Gazel, opus 15.” In 2004, the Mihai Eminescu Statue was erected in
Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada. On 8 April 2008, a crater on the planet Mercury was named for him. A boulevard passing by the Romanian embassy in
Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
, Bulgaria is named after Eminescu. Academia Internationala presents "Mihai Eminescu" Academy Awards. In 2012, one of the winners, the Japanese artist Shogoro Shogoro hosted a tea ceremony to honor Mihai. In 2021, the Dutch artist Kasper Peters performs a theater show entitled "Eminescu", dedicated to the poet. In May 2024, the first sculpture of Eminescu was inaugurated in
Ashgabat Ashgabat (Turkmen language, Turkmen: ''Aşgabat'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag, Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30  ...
, the capital of Turkmenistan. In Romania, there are at least 133 monuments (statues and busts) dedicated to Mihai Eminescu. Most of these are located in the region of Moldova (42), followed by Transylvania (32). In Muntenia, there are 21 such monuments, while in Oltenia Eminescu is commemorated through 11 busts. The remaining monuments are placed in Crișana (8), Maramureș (7), and Dobrogea (3). File:Statuia lui Mihai Eminescu din Iasi.jpg, Mihai Eminescu statue,
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 ...
File:Tratament Tei Eminescu Iasi 2.jpg,
Eminescu's Linden Tree Eminescu's Linden Tree () is a 500-year-old silver lime (''Tilia tomentosa Moench'') in Copou Park, Iași, Romania. Mihai Eminescu reportedly wrote some of his best works underneath this lime, rendering the tree one of Romania's most important ...
,
Copou Park The Copou Park or Copou Gardens is the oldest public park in Iași, Romania. Its development started in 1834 under the reign of Mihail Sturdza, making the park one of the first public gardens in Romania and a Iași landmark. In its centre lie ...
, Iași File:Mihai Eminescu Chisinau.JPG, Mihai Eminescu statue,
Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...
, Moldova File:Mihai Eminescu, monument in Chisinau, Rep. of Moldova.JPG, Mihai Eminescu, monument by Tudor Cataraga, Chișinău, Moldova File:Mihai Eminescu, Recanati.jpg, Mihai Eminescu plaque,
Recanati Recanati () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Macerata, in the Italian region of Marche. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th c ...
, Italy


Political views

Due to his conservative
nationalistic Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...
views, Eminescu was easily adopted as an icon by the Romanian right. After a decade when Eminescu's works were criticized as "mystic" and "bourgeois", Romanian Communists ended by adopting Eminescu as ''the'' major Romanian poet. What opened the door for this thaw was the poem ''Împărat și proletar'' (''Emperor and
proletarian The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist philo ...
'') that Eminescu wrote under the influence of the 1870–1871 events in France, and which ended in a Schopenhauerian critique of human life. An expurgated version only showed the stanzas that could present Eminescu as a poet interested in the fate of proletarians. It has also been revealed that Eminescu demanded strong anti-Jewish legislation on the German model, saying, among other things, that "the Jew does not deserve any rights anywhere in Europe because he is not working". This was a fairly usual stance in the cultural and literary milieu of his age.


See also

* Mihai Eminescu National Theater


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

*
George Călinescu George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899 – 12 March 1965) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the most important Romani ...
, ''La vie d'Eminescu'', Bucarest: Univers, 1989, 439 p. * Marin Bucur (ed.), ''Caietele Mihai Eminescu'', București, Editura Eminescu, 1972 * Murărașu, Dumitru (1983), ''Mihai Eminescu. Viața și Opera'', Bucharest: Eminescu. * Petrescu, Ioana Em. (1972), ''Eminescu. Modele cosmologice și viziune poetică'', Bucharest: Minerva. * Dumitrescu-Bușulenga, Zoe (1986), ''Eminescu și romantismul german'', Bucharest: Eminescu. * Bhose, Amita (1978), ''Eminescu şi India'', Iași: Junimea. * Ițu, Mircia (1995), ''Indianismul lui Eminescu'', Brașov: Orientul Latin. * Vianu, Tudor (1930), ''Poezia lui Eminescu'', Bucharest: Cartea Românească. * Negoițescu, Ion (1970), ''Poezia lui Eminescu'', Iași: Junimea. * Simion, Eugen (1964), ''Proza lui Eminescu'', Bucharest: Editura pentru literatură.


External links

*
Gabriel's website – Works both in English and original

Translated poems by Peter Mamara

Mihai Eminescu. 10 poems in English translations by Octavian Cocoş (audio)
* * *
Romanian Poetry – Mihai Eminescu (English)Romanian Poetry – Mihai Eminescu (Romanian)Mihai Eminescu Poesii
(bilingual pages English Romanian)
Mihai Eminescu poetry
(with English translations of some of his poems)
Year 2000: "Mihai Eminescu Year"
(includes bio, poems, critiques, etc.)
The Mihai Eminescu Trust
*: A recent collection sparks debate over Romania's "national poet" by Emilia Stere

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061230132248/http://eminescu.petar.ro/opera_completa/index.html Mihai Eminescu: Complete works (in Romanian)br>Mihai Eminescu : poezii biografie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eminescu, Mihai 1850 births 1889 deaths People from Botoșani Romanian male poets Romanian nationalists Romanian folklorists Romanian male short story writers Junimists Romantic poets Romanian-language poets 19th-century Romanian poets Romanian male essayists 19th-century Romanian short story writers 19th-century Romanian male writers 19th-century Romanian essayists Members of the Romanian Academy elected posthumously Burials at Bellu Cemetery