Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube .
Titu Liviu Maiorescu ' onMouseout='HidePop("29880")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Craiova">Craiova
Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
- June 18, 1917,
BucharestBucharest is the capital city, industrial and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River....
) was a
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
n literary critic and politician, founder of the
JunimeaJunimea was a Romanian literary society founded in Iaşi in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi...
Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of
Romanian cultureRomania's culture is the product of its geographical position and of its distinct historical evolution. It is fundamentally defined as the meeting point of three regions: Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, but cannot be truly included in any of them. The Romanian identity formed on a...
in the second half of the 19th century.
A member of the
Conservative PartyThe Conservative Party was between 1880 and 1918 one of Romania's two most important parties, the other one being the Liberal Party...
, he was Foreign Minister between 1910 and 1914 and Prime Minister of Romania from 1913 to 1914. He represented Romania at the
Peace ConferenceThe Treaty of Bucharest was concluded on August 10, 1913, by the delegates of Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece.As Bulgaria had been completely isolated in the Second Balkan War , and as it was closely invested on its northern boundary by Romania and on its western frontier by the...
in Bucharest that ended the
Second Balkan WarThe Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912–1913. The First Balkan War broke out on 8 October 1912 when Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia , having large parts of their ethnic populations under Ottoman sovereignty, attacked the Ottoman Empire, terminating its five-century...
. In politics as in culture he favoured
GermanyThe German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871 to 1918, when it became a German republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II .The term Second Reich...
over
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. He opposed Romania's entry in
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
against Germany, but he nevertheless refused to collaborate with the German army after it had occupied Bucharest.
Biography
Titu Maiorescu (his complete name was Titu Liviu Maiorescu) was born in
CraiovaCraiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
, on February 15 1840. Titu Maiorescu's mother, born Maria Popazu, was the sister of the bookman bishop of Caransebeş, Ioan Popazu. The family Popazu came from
Vălenii de MunteVălenii de Munte is a town in Prahova County, southern Romania , with a population of about 13,309. It lies on the Teleajen River valley, 28 km north of the county seat of Ploieşti....
and it had Aromanian origins. His father, Ioan Maiorescu, was the son of a Transylvanian peasant from Bucerdea Grânoasă and his name was actually
Trifu, but he adopted the name
Maiorescu in order to emphasize his kindred with
Petru MaiorPetru Maior was a Romanian writer who is considered one of the most influential personalities of the Age of Enlightenment in Transylvania...
. Being a theologian by trade (having studied in Blaj, Budapest, Vienna), Ioan Maiorescu proved to be a free thinker. He worked at a teacher in Cernăuţi, Craiova, Iaşi, Bucharest and he remained a bright personality of that epoch of formation for the Romanian modern educational system. Ioan Maiorescu became an inspector for the schools of
OlteniaOltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia...
, then he worked as a teacher at the Central School of Craiova. During the Revolution of 1848 he strengthened the link between the Walachian and Transylvanian revolutionaries and he activated as an agent of the Interim Govern, near the German Dieta from
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2008 population of 670,000. The urban area had an estimated population of 2.26 million in 2001...
. Meanwhile, his family, consisting of his wife, Maria, born Popasu and his two children, Emilia and Titu, travelled to
BucharestBucharest is the capital city, industrial and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River....
,
BraşovBraşov is a city in Romania and the capital of Braşov County, with a population of 284,596, according to the 2002 census, is the 8th largest Romanian city....
,
SibiuSibiu or Hermannstadt is an important city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. It straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt. It is the capital of Sibiu County and is located some 282 km NW of Bucharest...
and
BlajBlaj is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,758 inhabitants.The landmark of the city is the fact that was the principal religious and cultural center of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church in Transylvania.- Administration :The municipality of Blaj is made up of...
, staying in
BraşovBraşov is a city in Romania and the capital of Braşov County, with a population of 284,596, according to the 2002 census, is the 8th largest Romanian city....
for a long while and there, the future critic attended grade fifth at the Romanian gymnasium. Settling in
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
, Ioan Maiorescu wrote articles in the Austrian newspapers concerning Romanian and Romanians. Returning to Romania after the Union, he became president of the
Obşteasca Epitropie (The Public Trusteeship), then he worked as director of the Central Commission of the United Principalities, then he worked as a teacher at the Saint Sava National College, as director of Public Instruction
EforieEforie is a town and a holiday resort on the Black Sea shore, in Constanţa County, Romania. It is located about 14 kilometers south of Constanţa...
and then as a teacher at the Superior School of Letters in
BucharestBucharest is the capital city, industrial and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River....
.
His childhood
Between 1846 and 1848 Titu Maiorescu attended the primary school in
CraiovaCraiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
. During the days of the
revolutionThe Wallachian Revolution of 1848 was a Romanian liberal and Romantic nationalist uprising in the principality of Wallachia. Part of the Revolutions of 1848, and closely connected with the unsuccessful revolt in Moldavia, it sought to overturn the administration imposed by Imperial Russian...
, Ioan Maiorescu was sent on a mission to Frankfurt am Main, while Maria Maiorescu and their children travelled to Bucharest, Braşov and Sibiu. In December 1848, under the leadership of
Avram IancuAvram Iancu was a Transylvanian Romanian lawyer who played an important role in the local chapter of the Austrian Empire Revolutions of 1848–1849. He was especially active in the Ţara Moţilor region and the Apuseni Mountains...
, Ioan Maiorescu's family arrived in
BlajBlaj is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,758 inhabitants.The landmark of the city is the fact that was the principal religious and cultural center of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church in Transylvania.- Administration :The municipality of Blaj is made up of...
and then in Braşov. Titu Maiorescu continued primary school between 1848 and 1850 at Protodeacon Iosif Barac's School.
Between 1850 and 1851, after finishing primary school, Titu Maiorescu was enlisted at the Romanian Gymnasium from Schei-Braşov, a gymnasium founded in 1850 through his uncle Ioan Popazu's endeavour. He attended grade fifth at the Romanian gymnazium from
BraşovBraşov is a city in Romania and the capital of Braşov County, with a population of 284,596, according to the 2002 census, is the 8th largest Romanian city....
and met
Anton PannAnton Pann , was an Ottoman-born Wallachian composer, musicologist, and Romanian-language poet, also noted for his activities as a printer, translator, and schoolteacher...
, who left him an ineffaceable impression.
At Theresianum Academy
In September 1851 the Maiorescu family settles in
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
, where his father was working within the Ministry of Justice. Later in October Titu Maiorescu attended the first grade at the Academic Gymnazium, which was an addendum of the Theresianum Academy for foreigners. A month later, they equated his results from the gymnasiu from Braşov and he passed to the next grade.
While attending the academy in Vienna, Maiorescu a began to write his
Însemnărilor zilnice (Daily Journal) (which he kept until July 1917, in 42 notebooks that belong today to the fund of manuscripts from the Romanian Academy Library) and he will continue writing his journal until the end of his life. His notes will be a good source of knowing Maiorescu's personality. His success from 1858, when he graduated first in his class at the Theresianum Academy, was a guerdon of all his efforts and strong will.
His University Studies
He was very eager to obtain his university (after only one year of studies in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
he obtained his PhD at Giessen with
„magna cum laude“, then after an year, he got his licence at the Philology and Philosophy University of Sorbona and one year later, after he studied at the University of
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he took his licence in Law), but his eagerness did not affect his demureness in his studies; the foundations of Maiorescu's extremely solid culture were established during that period of time.
On January 3 1857, he sent an essay signed with the name Aureliu to the
Transylvania Gazette in order to publish some of his translations from
Jean PaulJean Paul , born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories.-Life and work:...
's works. In the following number he intended to publish the translation of a short story written by
Jean PaulJean Paul , born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories.-Life and work:...
and entitled "New Year's Eve Night". Although the translation was not published at that date, the letter that Aurel A. Mureşianu edited later in the Gazette of books, no 1, in 1934 is still considered „the first publishing attempt“ of T. Maiorescu and it was republished under the same title. In 1858, beside his academic activitity, he worked as a teacher of
PsychologyPsychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the systematic, and sometimes scientific, study of human or animal mental functions and behavior...
in private boarding schools and as a
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
teacher in the house of
KremnitzKremnitz:* German name of Slovak town Kremnica* Georg Kremnitz* Mite Kremnitz, a German-Romanian writer* Mordechai Kremnitzer, an Israeli professor...
.
As a preparatory for French language for the Kremnitz family, Titu Maiorescu taught the four children of the family: Klara (his future wife), Helene, Wilhelm (future Dr. W. Kremnitz,
Mite KremnitzMite Kremnitz , born Marie von Bardeleben , was a German writer.-Biography:...
's husband, born Bardeleben) and Hermann. Titu Maiorescu got his PhD in Phylosophy at Giessen with
magna cum laude. The Giessen University considered in ordered to allow him to get a PhD, that the last two years at Theresianum were University studies. When he returned to Romania, he published the article „
The Measure of Height through a Barometer” in the review
Isis or Nature.
His PhD
In
DecemberDecember is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days....
1860 he got his licence in Philology and Philosophy at
SorbonneThe name Sorbonne is commonly used to refer to the historic University of Paris in Paris, France or one of its successor institutions , but this is a recent usage, and "Sorbonne" has actually been used with different meanings over the centuries...
due to the acknowledgment of his doctorate from Giessen. The following year, he published his Philosophy essay entitled
Einiges Philosophische in gemeinfasslicher Form („Phylosophical Considerations for Everybody's Understanding”) in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
, obviously under the influence of Herbart's and
FeuerbachFeuerbach may refer to:a surname* Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach , German legal scholar* Karl Wilhelm Feuerbach , German mathematician* Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach , German philosopher and anthropologist...
's ideas.
On December 17, after they considered the value of the essay
Einiges Philosophische in gemeinfasslicher Form (
Some Philosophy at Everybody's Understanding) and after „a verbal defense in front of the academic committee, brilliantly held for original opinions“, the Sorbonne committee „granted him the title of licencé ès lettres“ (Philology Licenced). Afterwards, Titu Maiorescu prepared his doctorate on the tesis: „
La relation. Essai d’un nouveau fondement de la philosophie” (The Relation. Essay on a new foundation of philosophy), until the end of the year 1861, when he left
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
His Career as a University Teacher
In the summer of 1862 he was assigned as a substitute lawyer at the Law Court, then he became an attorney. He married his pupil, Clara Kremnitz. In November/December, he became a teacher at the
University of IaşiThe Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi is the first modern university in Romania...
and principal of the Central Gymnasium from the same town.
In 1863 he was assigned to teach a University course of
historyHistory is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
, on the subject „
About the History of the Roman Republic from the Introduction of Plebeian Tribunes until the Death of Julius Caesar Especially Regarding the Economical and Political Progress”. From
FebruaryFebruary is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 29 days in leap years, when the year number is divisible by four...
until
SeptemberSeptember is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days.In Latin, septem means "seven" and septimus means "seventh"; September was in fact the seventh month of the Roman calendar until 153 BC, when the first month changed from Kalendas...
he was the Dean of the Philosophy Faculty of the
University of IaşiThe Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi is the first modern university in Romania...
. On September 18 1863 he was elected as rector of the University of Iaşi for a perioad of four years. In
OctoberOctober is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name after July and August, after Julius and Augustus Caesar respectively; when the calendar was originally...
he was assigned as principal of the School „Vasile Lupu“ from
IaşiIaşi , is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania...
. He taught Pedagogy, Romanian Grammar, Psychology and Composition there. For the first time in Romania, he initiated the Pedagogic Practice for pupils and one of these pupils was
Ion CreangăIon Creangă was a Moldavian-born Romanian writer, raconteur and schoolteacher...
.
In 1863 Titu Maiorescu published in
IaşiIaşi , is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania...
the "Yearbook of the Gymnasium and the Boarding School from Iaşi for the School Year 1862—1863"; the yearbook was preceded by his thesis: „
Why Should the Latin Language be Studied in Gymnasium as Part of the Foundation of Moral Education?” On march 28 Titu Maiorescu's daughter, Livia, was born. She later married mister Dymsza and then she died in 1946. On October 8 Titu Maiorescu is elected to lead the Institute Vasilian from
IaşiIaşi , is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania...
, which needed to be „fundamentally reorganized“. In order to complete this mission, commissioned by the Minister of Public Directions from back then,
Alexandru OdobescuAlexandru Ioan Odobescu , Romanian author, archaeologist and politician, was born in Bucharest, the second child of General Ioan Odobescu and his wife Ecaterina...
, he travelled on a documentary journey to
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
and later he returned to
IaşiIaşi , is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania...
on January 4 1864.
Between 1863—1864 Titu Maiorescu taught Philosophy at the Philology University of
IaşiIaşi , is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania...
.
Involvement in Social Life
On March 10 1861, Titu Maiorescu held a lecture (
Die alte französische Tragödie und die Wagnersche Musik — „The Old French Tragedy and
WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas...
's Music”) in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
for the benefit of the monument of
LessingLessing is the surname of:* Gotthold Ephraim Lessing , one of the most prominent philosophers of the Enlightenment era* Doris Lessing , British novelist and the 2007 Nobel Prize laureate in literature...
from Kamenz, which he repeated on April 12 in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, at the „
Cercle des sociétés savantes“ (Circle of Academic Societies) and later renewed in the form of a communication, on April 27, in Berlin, at the Philosophy Society.
On November 28 he obtained his Law Licence in Paris, on the thesis "Du régime dotal" ("On Totalitarianism"). On December 10 he began his lecture cycle on „
Education Within the Family”. Afterwards he went back to Romania and settled in Bucharest in
DecemberDecember is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days....
.
When he returned to Romania, at the end of 1861, Titu Maiorescu was eager to contribute to the progress of the recently formed state, after the Union of 1859, of the cultural and political life, of a European level. At that time, when the Union was done and personalities of fresh energies and cultured people were needed, people who were educated in Western Universities, Titu Maiorescu had an early ascent, from his youth, as he was a University professor at 22 years old (in
IaşiIaşi , is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania...
), a dean at 23 and a rector at the same age, then he became an academician (member of the
Romanian Academic SocietyThe Romanian Academic Society is a Bucharest-based think tank and NGO founded in 1996, which seeks "to contribute to good governance and development through policy research and advocacy", among other goals, such as European integration for Romania and enhancement of public dialogue with the...
) at 27, a deputy at 30, then a minister at age 34. But this ascent was not always smooth or without hardships, as he was once sued because of all the calumnies that his political opponents promoted and he was suspended from all his functions in 1864, but the verdict of discharge from the following year proved the baselessness of all the accusation against him.
The Foundation of the Junimea Society
The years 1860 were for Maiorescu the period of „popular prelections“ (lectures on various problemes addressed to a quite large audience) and also the period when the foundation of the
JunimeaJunimea was a Romanian literary society founded in Iaşi in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi...
Society took place. He founded il alongside his friends I. Negruzzi,
Petre P. CarpPetre P. Carp , commonly rendered as P. P. Carp, was a Romanian conservative politician and literary critic who served as a Prime Minister of Romania for two terms...
,
V. PogorVasile Pogor , was a Romanian poet, translator, politician, and founding member of the Junimea literary society....
and Th.Rosetti. He started his work as a lawyer, then he was elected principal of the
School „Vasile Lupu“ from
IaşiIaşi , is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania...
, and then he founded the a review Literary Discussins (Convorbiri literare) in 1867.
Although the perioad that followed after the Union of 1859 represented an epoch of completion of the ideals of the generation of 1848, a few accents still had changed, the conditions were different from the romantic youth of
Heliade RădulescuIon Heliade Rădulescu or Ion Heliade was a Wallachian-born Romanian academic, Romantic and Classicist poet, essayist, memoirist, short story writer, newspaper editor and politician...
,
AlecsandriVasile Alecsandri was a Romanian poet, playwright, politician, and diplomat. He collected Romanian folk songs and was one of the principal animators of the 19th century movement for Romanian cultural identity and union of Moldavia and Wallachia.-Origins and childhood:Alecsandri was born in the...
or
BălcescuNicolae Bălcescu was a Romanian Wallachian soldier, historian, journalist, and leader of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution.-Early life:...
. Maiorescu was representing the new generation, the junimist generation, which had a new conception on social and Romanian cultural life. On the political ideology plan, Maiorescu was a retentionist, an advocate of a natural, organic and well prepared evolution and an adversary of the
„forms without root“, whose indictment he made in his article from 1868,
Against nowadays direction in Romanian culture, in which he criticized the implementation of certain institutions which were imitated after the Western ones and to which no appropriate root corresponded in the mentalitaty, creation and level of culture of the Romanian people.
Titu Maiorescu's Work as a Literary Critic
The beginnings of Maiorescu's literary critic activity stand apart from the previous generation. Unlike the previous years of the revolution from 1848, when an intense need of original literature determined
Heliade RădulescuIon Heliade Rădulescu or Ion Heliade was a Wallachian-born Romanian academic, Romantic and Classicist poet, essayist, memoirist, short story writer, newspaper editor and politician...
to address enthusiastic appeals for Romanian literary works, the seventh decade of the
19th centuryThe 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Ottoman, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
was marked by a large number of poets and prosemen, who had very limited artistical devices, but high ideals and pretences. It was a time when the selection of true values was needed, on the basis of certain
aesthetic criterions and Maiorescu agreed to accomplish that task. The adversaries of his ideas depreciatively called his action „a judicial criticism“, because his studies and articles did not analysed in detail the literary work that they had discussed and they contain many apothegms on it. These are based on an ample culture, a determined artistic taste and on impressive intuitions. The mentor of Junimea society considered this type of criticism (neatly affirmative or negative) necessary only to that epoch of clutter of values, as its modalities of execution would gradate later, in the literary life, when the great writers would elevate the artistic level and implicitly would have the public's exigency augmented.
This work as a
tutor, as fighter for the assertion of values, will be led by Maiorescu throughout his entire life and will be divided between his political activity (he will become prime minister, but he will lose a friend from his youth,
P.P. CarpPetre P. Carp , commonly rendered as P. P. Carp, was a Romanian conservative politician and literary critic who served as a Prime Minister of Romania for two terms...
), his University activity (as a professor he had and he promoted disciples of great value, like
C. Rădulescu-MotruConstantin Rădulescu-Motru was a Romanian philosopher, psychologist, sociologist, logician, academic, dramatist, as well as centre-left nationalist politician with a noted anti-fascist discourse...
, P.P. Negulescu, Pompiliu Eliade and others), his lawyer activity and his literary critic activity. Maiorescu was seldom reproached for not having spent enough time on writing literary works but his work as a literary critic profoundly marks one of the most lusty epochs in the history of Romanian literature: the perioad of the great classics. The role of Junimea society and of Maiorescu himself is linked to the creation and the assertion in the public's conscience of writers like
EminescuMihai Eminescu was a Romantic poet, novelist and journalist, often regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and he worked as an editor for the newspaper Timpul , the official newspaper of the Conservative Party...
,
CreangăIon Creangă was a Moldavian-born Romanian writer, raconteur and schoolteacher...
,
CaragialeIon Luca Caragiale was a Wallachian-born Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist...
,
SlaviciIoan Slavici was a Transylvanian-born Romanian writer and journalist. He made his debut in Convorbiri literare , with the comedy Fata de birău...
,
Duiliu ZamfirescuDuiliu Zamfirescu was a Romanian novelist, poet, short story writer, lawyer, nationalist politician, journalist, diplomat and memoirist. In 1909, he was elected a member of the Romanian Academy, and, for a while in 1920, he was Foreign Minister of Romania...
and others.
Concerning his conduct, the manner that people reproached Maiorescu for his coldness, his lack of passion, his Olympian attitude, that he seemed to hide a dry soul; for exemplifying this statement, the famous appraisal made by the igneous
N. IorgaNicolae Iorga was a Romanian historian, university professor, literary critic, memorialist, playwright, poet, and politician...
:
„Nobody was warm or cold beside him“. The help that Maiorescu gave to the writers from the circle of
JunimeaJunimea was a Romanian literary society founded in Iaşi in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi...
and to his disciples and even to his adversary, Dobrogeanu-Gherea, in an important moment of his life, unfolded a man of great and at the same time discreet generosity. The lines that Maiorescu wrote to
EminescuMihai Eminescu was a Romantic poet, novelist and journalist, often regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and he worked as an editor for the newspaper Timpul , the official newspaper of the Conservative Party...
when Eminescu was ill and was worried about the fees for his boarding at the sanatorium from Ober-Döbling prove that Maiorescu was endowed with an admirable gentleness of heart:
„Do you want to know where the means to pay your fees come from for now? Well, mister Eminescu, are we such strangers to each other? Don't you know the love (if you allow me to use this exact word, although it is stronger than other words), the often enthusiastic admiration that I and our entire literary circle feels for you, for your poems, for your whole literary and political work? But it was a real explosion of love that we, all your friends (and only these), contributed to support the few material needs that your situation require. And you would have done the same in using the large or small sum you had when any of your friends would have needed, so we cannot forget a friend of your great value“.
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