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Tag: National Culture Day

National Culture Day 2025

Since 2011, Romania has celebrated, every year, the National Culture Day, which marks the date of birth of the national poet Mihai Eminescu. This day is dedicated to Romanian culture, art and academic effort, emphasizing the role of Mihai Eminescu in shaping the national cultural identity, through his contributions in literature, journalism, philosophy and theater. This year marks 175 years since the birth of the one who is considered the greatest Romanian poet. The National Culture Day was initiated by the former president of the Romanian Academy, Eugen Simion, and enacted by the Romanian Parliament in 2010.

Adrian Cioroianu, director of the National Library of Romania, believes that this day should be celebrated every day of the year, not just on January 15. “In my opinion, it is a very good idea to establish a National Culture Day, given that culture remains, I think, the main piece of identity in any society, including the Romanian society”, Adrian Cioroianu pointed out. He added that the simple establishment of a National Culture Day keeps the cultural leaders alert and manifestations take place all over the country, many of them quite successful and which, in a way, could turn into an example of good practices.

Now in its 15^th edition, the National Culture Day is celebrated in all communities inhabited by Romanians, inside or outside the country’s borders. In Bucharest and across the country, numerous events have been scheduled: conferences, debates, concerts and exhibitions, and entry to many museums is free. Among the events organized in Bucharest are book and photography launches, creative workshops, debates and performances. The “Carol I” Central University Library has scheduled an “Eminescu Evening” dedicated to the National Culture Day, the event featuring the soprano Arlinda Morava, the actor Claudiu Bleonţ and the pianist Adriana Alexandru.

The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation also marks the National Culture Day. The stations Radio Romania Regional, Radio Romania Village Antenna (Antena Satelor), Radio Romania International, the Minorities Department and Radio Romania Radio 3Net have prepared special programs dedicated to this celebration and the main theme of this year: facilitating access to culture for the general public. In November 2024, the National Institute for Cultural Research and Training launched the “Cultural Consumption Barometer 2023. Consumption communities in the context of societal changes”. According to the research, the frequency of visiting the culturally relevant objectives increased rapidly. Thus, 67% of the respondents visited historical monuments and archaeological sites at least once a year in 2023, compared to 59% in 2022, and 45% visited a museum, exhibition or art gallery at least once a year in 2023, compared to 30% in 2022. (LS)

15 January 2025
January 14, 2025

MEETING – Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is today meeting James O’Brien, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. On Monday, the US official visited Moldova, where he said that the development of transport infrastructure of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine will create development opportunities for the three states. On the sidelines of the QUINT ministerial meeting, Secretary O’Brien said that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine were designed to “devastate the economy of the region”. Attending the event in Chișinău were also the deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in Moldova, Vladimir Bolea, Romania’s Transport Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, deputy Minister for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, Serhiy Derkach, as well as the head of the EU Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, Magda Kopczynska.

INFLATION – The annual inflation rate went up to 5.14% in December 2024 from 5.11% the previous month, amidst a 5.09% increase in the price of foodstuffs, 4.38% in the price for non-food products and 7.10% in the cost of services, according to National Statistics Institute data made public today. Compared to 2023, the annual inflation rate in December last year stood at 5.5%. The National Bank of Romania upgraded its inflation forecast for the end of 2024, from 4% previously to 4.9%, and estimates the inflation rate will go down to 3.5% at the end of 2025.

SPENDING – Household spending went up in the third quarter of 2024. From the average income of roughly 1,650 EUR of a household, over three quarters are spent on taxes, food and utilities. Conversely, spending for education and investments remains really low.

CONVICTION – US president elect Donald Trump would have been convicted for his attempt to influence the result of the 2020 presidential election had he not won the 2024 ballot, a report drawn by Special Counsel Jack Smith made public by the Justice Department shows. According to the report, Trump was involved in an “unprecedented criminal effort” “to overturn the legitimate results of the election in order to retain power” in 2020. Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on January 20, was the target of a criminal investigation into the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol, when a crowd of supporters of Trump protested in Washington against Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election. Special Counsel Jack Smith left the Justice Department last week, a few days after submitting his final report. Trump and another two individuals were suspected of having tried to prevent the report from being published, but the court ruled against their request.

NATO – Europe cannot afford to suspend its defense cooperation with the United States, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said. He explained that, without the United States, the EU would have to increase its defense spending four times, while military security would only be achieved some 15 years later. The NATO official urged EU lawmakers to stop considering the autonomy of the community bloc and instead come up with ways of cooperating more closely with the US on military spending and avoid a media war regarding the introduction of new taxes. To increase the share of national arms industries on global markets, Mark Rutte wants to increase defense spending, considering that the current reference level, 2% of the GDP, seems insufficient in the context of the war in Ukraine.

CULTURE DAY – Employees of cultural institutions in Romania are expected to stay protests tomorrow on National Culture Day, demanding the payment of extra hours and a bonus for working weekends, equal pay for all employees in the sector as well as lifting the hiring freeze. National Culture Day will be celebrated in Romania, the Republic of Moldova as well as in Romanian communities abroad, this year marking 175 years since the birth of Romania’s greatest poet, Mihai Eminescu.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse ousted another Romanian player, Irina Begu, 6-4, 6-0 in the opening round at the Australian Open on Tuesday. In the next round, Ruse will take on Madison Keys of the United States, who knocked out Ann Li of the USA in the first round. This is the second time Gabriela Ruse reaches the main draw in Melbourne after 2022. Another Romanian player, Jaqueline Cristian, is playing Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in the second round. (VP)

14 January 2025
January 14, 2023

Culture Day. On
Friday, President Klaus Iohannis decorated artists, personalities and important
cultural institutions on the occasion of the National Culture Day, marked
annually on January 15. The distinctions were awarded as a sign of appreciation
for the work done and the major impact on the cultural space in the country and
abroad. Among those decorated are the well-known film critic Irina Margareta
Nistor, the Peles National Museum, the Hungarian State Theater in Timisoara
(west), the National Theater in Târgu Mureş (center) and the Moldova
Philharmonic in Iași (east). In the last two centuries, the cultural elites
have inspired Romanian society to step on the road to Western modernization and
democratization – said President Klaus Iohannis, who added that Romanians are
proud of personalities whose works have enriched national and universal
heritage and spirituality.

NATO. NATO
is moving to Romania some of the AWACS radar jets, currently stationed in
Germany, to watch more closely the war started by Russia in Ukraine. The planes
are scheduled to land on Tuesday at the Otopeni military base, near Bucharest.
NATO and the Ministry of Defense announced that they will carry out
surveillance flights exclusively on the
territory of the Alliance, will strengthen the presence of allied forces in the
Black Sea region, but they will also monitor Russian military activity. AWACS
aircraft can fly at altitudes of 12,000 meters and detect enemy aircraft, ships
or ground vehicles from 400 kilometers away. They can transmit information to
all NATO combat aircraft, which means they can theoretically be used as flying
command posts.

Schengen. The
Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi, has recently presented
in Austria, an initiative to support the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to
the Schengen area, and will visit the two countries next week – according to a press release from the Greek line ministry. Notis Mitarachi met in Vienna with the
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and the Minister of the Interior, Gerhard
Karner. In Athens’ view, the extension of Schengen through the accession of
Romania and Bulgaria will be directly beneficial for Greece, as it will be
connected by road with other EU member states. At the same time, Greece claims that
the enlargement of the Schengen area will help boost economic activities. The
Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum recalls that, while Croatia’s
application for Schengen accession was accepted in the JHA Council in Brussels,
on December 8 last year, Romania and Bulgaria were faced with the opposition of
Austria and the Netherlands, although they successfully completed the
evaluation procedures for joining the free movement area as early as 2011.

Ukraine. The
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), already present at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear
power plant occupied by the Russian army, will, in the coming days, send
experts to other Ukrainian nuclear sites, including Chernobyl – according to a
press release . IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will personally travel to
Ukraine next week to launch the new mission. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal
had announced, in December, after a meeting with Rafael Grossi, the
organization of missions aimed at securing the country’s five power plants,
without, however, giving details about the size of the missions or the timing
of their deployment. In another
development, key infrastructure points in the capital Kyiv were targeted, this morning, by a new Russian attack.

Refugees. More
than 3 million Ukrainian citizens have crossed the border to Romania since the
outbreak of the war in the neighboring country in February last year. Also,
over 100,000 have temporarily settled in Romania, and 4,000 have applied for
asylum – according to a report made public in the presence of Prime Minister
Nicolae Ciucă. At Government level, six working groups were set up by fields of
activity, which, together with the UN partners and civil society, allowed a
good management of the situation arising from the Russian aggression. At the
same time, they facilitated the accommodation of the Ukrainians in a very short
time. To manage the humanitarian crisis, so far, the Romanian Government has allocated
565 million euros, of which 200 million euros came from international partners.
The aid materialized in free transport, food, clothing, shelter, long-term
accommodation, free medical and social interventions and services, access to
the labor market and schools. (MI)

14 January 2023
National Culture Day

Romania’s National Culture Day was celebrated for the first time on January 15th, 2011. Since then, the birthday of poet Mihai Eminescu – January 15, 1850 – has also been the day when culture as a whole is celebrated in this country.

Academician Eugen Simion was among those who, 13 years ago, supported the setting up of this day. He spoke on Radio Romania about the role of culture in the contemporary world:

Let’s remember culture, let’s talk about the shortcomings of the Romanian culture, especially the written culture, the printed culture. It’s no secret that books are hard to sell today. A strange phenomenon is happening everywhere: television, the internet, all these forms of higher technology have confiscated literature and writing. To my dismay, the Romanian Culture Day is not only the day of literature or the arts, it is also the day of science. Science is part of culture, science today is perhaps the spearhead, the vanguard of culture all over the world. The scientist is the forma mentis of our time.

The world-renowned panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir and the State Theatre in Constanta were among those that the president of the country, Klaus Iohannis, decorated during a special ceremony devoted to this day. It was an opportunity for the head of state to stress the importance of culture in Romania’s history:

On the National Culture Day, we recognize the role of the Romanian cultural personalities in the modernization and democratization of Romania, in getting in line with the European values. The exemplary involvement of thinkers, artists, promoters and founders of cultural institutions in asserting the identity, statehood and national unity of Romania will remain inscribed in capital letters in the chronicles. This day of celebration is also an opportunity to express our society’s gratitude for the contribution of contemporary artists to enhancing our cultural heritage.

Messages of congratulations on National Culture Day have been conveyed by politicians, religious denominations, trade unions or ordinary people. The string of events dedicated to this day includes a special session in the Hall of the Romanian Academy, concerts, recitals, exhibitions, open doors to museums.

Radio Romania too has prepared a special weekend to mark this day. All stations of the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation have scheduled special shows. Also, Radio Romania has invited private radio stations to join this awareness-raising process on the importance and value of the national cultural heritage, by broadcasting two songs from the Golden Tape Library of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, as a symbolic gesture, a gesture of unity, celebration and reflection. (MI)

14 January 2022
National Culture Day

Romania’s National Culture Day was celebrated for the first time on January 15th, 2011. Since then, the birthday of poet Mihai Eminescu – January 15, 1850 – has also been the day when culture as a whole is celebrated in this country.

Academician Eugen Simion was among those who, 13 years ago, supported the setting up of this day. He spoke on Radio Romania about the role of culture in the contemporary world:

Let’s remember culture, let’s talk about the shortcomings of the Romanian culture, especially the written culture, the printed culture. It’s no secret that books are hard to sell today. A strange phenomenon is happening everywhere: television, the internet, all these forms of higher technology have confiscated literature and writing. To my dismay, the Romanian Culture Day is not only the day of literature or the arts, it is also the day of science. Science is part of culture, science today is perhaps the spearhead, the vanguard of culture all over the world. The scientist is the forma mentis of our time.

The world-renowned panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir and the State Theatre in Constanta were among those that the president of the country, Klaus Iohannis, decorated during a special ceremony devoted to this day. It was an opportunity for the head of state to stress the importance of culture in Romania’s history:

On the National Culture Day, we recognize the role of the Romanian cultural personalities in the modernization and democratization of Romania, in getting in line with the European values. The exemplary involvement of thinkers, artists, promoters and founders of cultural institutions in asserting the identity, statehood and national unity of Romania will remain inscribed in capital letters in the chronicles. This day of celebration is also an opportunity to express our society’s gratitude for the contribution of contemporary artists to enhancing our cultural heritage.

Messages of congratulations on National Culture Day have been conveyed by politicians, religious denominations, trade unions or ordinary people. The string of events dedicated to this day includes a special session in the Hall of the Romanian Academy, concerts, recitals, exhibitions, open doors to museums.

Radio Romania too has prepared a special weekend to mark this day. All stations of the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation have scheduled special shows. Also, Radio Romania has invited private radio stations to join this awareness-raising process on the importance and value of the national cultural heritage, by broadcasting two songs from the Golden Tape Library of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, as a symbolic gesture, a gesture of unity, celebration and reflection. (MI)

14 January 2022
Romanian Culture Day 2019

The event hosted by the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest brought together cultural figures and politicians, all of whom discussed the role of arts and culture beyond the national dimension.

The President of the Romanian Academy Ioan-Aurel Pop underlined that Romanian culture is first and foremost a culture that forms part of the big European culture: “The idea of a national culture can only be discussed in a universal context. In our case a European context, on which this culture has always had a pulse of and within those movements it has always been part of constantly, at least starting with the Renaissance. Secondly, the national culture also has an essential historical dimension without which it cannot function, without which it loses its status and becomes dissipated within other cultures or simply dies with the people that created it.”

In his address, the President of the Romanian Academy Ioan-Aurel Pop also mentioned the great Romanian cultural institutions without which it would have been impossible to make culture known to the public: “Since the Romantic era, European movements have become increasingly numerous, increasingly intense, and some of them, increasingly eccentric, but all of them, and sometimes without a chronological delay, have had a counterpart in Romanian culture. The synchronisation of Romanian civilisation with western civilisation […] has been mostly achieved through culture. European cultural production was accompanied by the creation of cultural institutions that were more in tune with modernisation, from libraries and museums to high schools and universities, from the Transylvanian Association for the Literature and Culture of the Romanian People to the Romanian Academy. However, the good running of these institutions was achieved through the great monument represented by our language. This language has played the role of a catalyst, a coagulator, as is also the case today.”

The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis went up on the stage of the Athenaeum to talk about cultural values, recalling great Romanian figures whose cultural output was acknowledged at European level: “When we speak about Romanian culture we have to speak about its essential role in our country’s evolution to modernity. This process has led to the affirmation of the great figures of Romanian literature, music and fine arts on the world stage. The works of George Enescu, Constantin Brancusi, Eugen Ionesco, Emil Cioran and Tristan Tzara have demonstrated the compatibility between tradition and modernity and are proof of the encounter between our culture and the European spirit and international artistic values. It is commendable that the new generations of creators in literature, film, the visual arts and the performing arts have the capacity to continue to take advantage of this dialogue between the national and the universal, with exceptional results.”

The national dimension of the Romanian culture is naturally manifested, like in any other example in history, mainly through the language, which has often represented the most powerful instrument of national aspirations in the past as well as today.

Klaus Iohannis: “2019, the year of the Romania-France cultural season, of the Enescu Festival and the Europalia Festival, great international cultural projects held under the high patronage of the president’s office, are a unique opportunity to reaffirm Romania as a space of artistic achievement. We celebrate the arts and culture on the anniversary of Mihai Eminescu’s birthday also because the Romanian language has represented, beginning with the Enlightenment, the argument and foundation of our aspirations of national unity and social progress. Before being the manifestation of a political vision and the result of people’s commitment, national unity was achieved through the Romanian language.”

The literary critic Eugen Simion, the President of the Philology and Literature Department of the Romanian Academy has given a talk entitled “Culture — an estate of the realm?”

Eugen Simion: “I think this is the true power of culture: a weapon that gives a people the strength to survive throughout history. A silent weapon, manifested along historical generations, to ensure the future of the identity of a nation, in a history full of unknowns. A culture is however a power that is marginalised, always put to the test and sometimes challenged in its identity and its symbols, and also a phenomenon that battles with the laws of the market economy. Will Romanian culture, which has been through so much, resist, survive? As long as the Romanian language exists, and as long as we have poets like Eminescu, Arghezi, Blaga and Nichita Stanescu, historians like Nicolae Iorga and literary critics and historians like Eugen Lovinescu and George Calinescu, the Romanian culture will continue to be a silent, secret power, our finest and most efficient form of diplomacy. It will remain our best form of defence in history.”

The foyer of the Romanian Athenaeum also hosted a photo-documentary exhibition initiated by the Romanian Academy Library in partnership with the National Museum of Romanian Literature. Visitors were able to admire one of the most valuable manuscripts by Eminescu from the collection of the Romanian Academy Library, the so-called manuscript no. 2261, which contains the “Legend of the Morning Star”, as well as a facsimile edition of “The Manuscripts of Mihai Eminescu” in 38 volumes. The project was carried out under the coordination of Eugen Simion.

26 January 2019
January 15, 2019

EUROPEAN AGENDA – PM Viorica Dancila is today presenting the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in a plenary session of the Romanian Parliament. Of the files to be managed by Romania, Brexit is a very important one, and the Romanian PM has repeatedly said that Bucharest is interested in protecting the rights of the Romanian citizens working in Great Britain after the UK leaves the community bloc. The future budget of the EU is another delicate file, and PM Viorica Dăncilă is intent on taking huge steps forward towards building this budget, the more so as in the future, too, it will have to finance importance common European policies, such as the agricultural and cohesion ones. According to a press release issued by the Romanian Government, the PM and the members of her cabinet on Monday attended an official dinner in Strasbourg, offered by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. Also on Monday, the minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, had a meeting in Strasbourg with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Sylvie Guillaume. The minister delegate has reiterated Romanias commitment to work closely with the EP, during its 6-month tenure, in an effort to get positive and concrete results for the European citizens.

SCHENGEN ACCESSION – “If Romania wants to be part of the Schengen area, it should meet some criteria, but Slovenia considers that all states should meet the same criteria. I really want Romania to be part of this area, the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, has today said in a meeting with the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. President Iohannis has said Romanias Schengen accession is impossible without consensus. He has underlined that his country should make some progress to convince some states that it is ready to join the free movement area. Romanias Schengen accession was scheduled for March 2011, but it has been repeated postponed, on grounds related to the field of justice.

NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE – The Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciucă, is attending today and tomorrow the 180th NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defense Session, held in Brussels. The agenda of the meeting includes military issues of topical interest regarding NATOs present and future strategic challenges, NATOs military strategy, the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan, seeking reconciliation and peace for Afghanistan, and involving assistance, conciliation and the training of Afghan national defence and security forces, and of Afghan institutions, as well as the regional security situation. Talks will also include issues related to the development of capabilities funded by common funds, the NATO – Georgia partnership, as well as the security situation in the Western Balkans and the Kosovo Force mission.

NATIONAL CULTURE DAY – The National Culture Day is celebrated today, on the birthday of the national poet of the Romanians, Mihai Eminescu, for the ninth year in a row. A host of events are organised on this occasion both in Romania and in the European capital cities. A festive session is held at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. On this occasion, the Romanian Academy launches the app “Mihai Eminescu, complete works, which is available free of charge on smart-phones. The National Culture Day is also celebrated in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population as well as in the Romanian communities abroad.

MARCH – Thousands of Poles marched in the streets of Warsaw on Monday evening, protesting against hatred and violence, after the death of mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz, who was stabbed on Sunday evening. Similar events were held in several cities and towns across Poland. The authorities in Warsaw have decreed three days of mourning in memory of the mayor of Gdańsk. Paweł Adamowicz, 53, died on Monday in hospital, after having been stabbed by a former convict, during a charity concert. The attacker, arrested on the spot by policemen is a former convict released from prison in late 2018.

TENNIS– No.1 WTA Romanian Simona Halep
has defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in three sets,6-7, 6-4, 6-2, today in Melbourne, in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam
tournament of the year. Also today, Mihaela Buzărnescu, 25th seed, has
been defeated by the US player Venus Williams in three sets, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2. Another Romanian,
Ana Bogdan has lost to Poland’s Iga Swiatek, also in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6. In the men’s competition, Romanian
tennis player Marius Copil has qualified for the second round of the Australian
Open, after having defeated Spaniard Marcel Granollers in three sets,6-3, 6-4, 6-4. He will meet in the second round Belgian David
Goffin.

CURRENCY – The Romanian national
currency, the leu, has today reached a record low as against the European
single currency, the Euro. According to the exchange rate set by the National Bank
of Romania, 1 Euro stands at 4.6822. The
leu has also lost ground against the USD, 1 dollar being traded for 4.0973 lei.

15 January 2019
National Culture Day 2019

A bill passed in 2010 by the Chamber of Deputies established January 15, the birthday of the greatest Romanian poet, Mihai Eminescu, as the National Culture Day. Mihai Eminescu, born on January 15, 1850, left us an impressive literary heritage that includes poetry, translations from foreign languages, theatre plays and fiction. Part of the late Romantic movement, Eminescu’s poetry was influenced by the systems of thought specific to Romanticism and also by the philosophic currents of his time. According to the World Records Academy, the poem The Evening Star, by Mihai Eminescu, is the longest love poem. Here is how the World Records Academy presents it: The poem can be simply described (for today’s YouTube generation…) as a combination between Gone with the Wind (it is a romantic drama), Star Trek (it contains science fiction entertainment) and Love Story (the poem is one of the most romantic poems and it also ends in a drama)-all together, which means it is a romantic poem but also a third millennium modern poem.

In an attempt to keep it in the attention of the young generation, in order to perpetuate its value, Eminescu’s work has become, as of today, an app for mobile phones, following a project conducted by the Romanian Academy and launched at the Romanian Athenaeum. Mihai Eminescu’s work will be available for free in a format compatible with smart phones, in the App Store and Google Play stores. The application Mihai Eminescu – the complete work for smart-phones is the second re-launch of Eminescu’s work after the printed edition released by the Romanian Academy in the last 100 years. Alongside a number of events marking on January 15 the birthday of Romania’s national poet at home and abroad, a number of events celebrating Romanian culture are also held.

The Ion L. Caragiale National Theatre in Bucharest has scheduled three guided tours of the institution, free of charge. Thousands of kilometers away, in Madrid, a new Romanian-language lecturer’s department was set up, Spain being alongside Italy and Germany the country where the number of such departments is on the increase. Operating in universities abroad and financed by the Romanian state, the lecturer’s departments, through the Romanian language, literature, culture and civilization classes it offers, promotes the Romanian cultural heritage in the host countries. The interest of the universities abroad in the introduction of the Romanian-language courses has been on the increase after the country’s EU accession.

(Translated by E. Enache)

15 January 2019
Eminescu Today

Beyond the tribute-paying and celebratory events, we have tried to find out to what extent Romanians are still willing today to read his work and discover who Mihai Eminescu actually was, keeping in mind that school books still reduce his personality to a handful of stereotypes and that there has been hardly any notable progress in the critical approach to his works for half a century.

The critic Luminita Corneanu, who has also been teaching Romanian literature in high-school and college, says that it is essential for readers to understand the context in which Mihai Eminescu lived, if they are to understand his work. “The biographical approach, introducing Eminescu as a passionate man, as an outstanding journalist, in spite of his fierceness and excesses, as a man involved in a great love story with a woman named Veronica Micle, is the most effective method of bringing the young generations close to a body of work written one and a half centuries ago,” says Luminita Corneanu:

Luminita Corneanu: “Much as we admire Mihai Eminescu’s poetry, and I have great admiration for it, we must acknowledge that we are talking about poetry written with the poetic instruments of the 19th Century, which obviously reflect a type of worldview that was specific to that era. If we look, for instance, at the poem ‘The Lake’, which our kids study in the 8th grade, we have there a young man and a young woman trying to get together, in a forest, on the shores of a lake. So imagine the extent to which today’s young people, who meet over Facebook and get together in nightclubs, can actually relate to this poem. So Mihai Eminescu’s poetry is not easily accessible for kids, they often fail to understand what a particular poem is about.”

Before and after Eminescu, is how we could summarise Eminescu’s impact on the Romanian literature.

Luminita Corneanu: “Opening poetry up to ideas, to philosophy, integrating the Romanticism, bringing Romanian poetry in tune with Western poetry, with the European literary movements, we owe all of this to Mihai Eminescu. Moreover, Mihai Eminescu is the one who created the Romanian literary language, a truly poetic language. The Eminescu moment was decisive for the Romanian literature. As I have already said, if we study his life we will understand his works more easily, but I believe there are also poems that today’s young people, today’s public in general, can appreciate even without biographical data. And these are the poems that make up the ‘plutonic’ part of Eminescu’s work, as the critic Ion Negoitescu called it in a 1968 essay, talking about Eminescu’s posthumous poems, his dark poems, so to say.”

Before being the Romanians’ national poet, Mihai Eminescu was first of all an outstanding poet, says Carmen Muşat, editor-in-chief of the Cultural Observer journal. She believes that people should read Mihai Eminescu’s poems once again before paying homage to his work.

Carmen Musat: “I think that without Mihai Eminescu the Romanian literature would have looked different today, and the evolution, the transformation of the Romanian literature and language would have been delayed. Mihai Eminescu has the merit of having created a literary language and a work with very many nuances, open to interpretations. If we read his work attentively, we discover that Eminescu was not just a Romantic poet. Indeed, his prose is typically Romantic but his poetry goes beyond Romanticism, announcing many of the subsequent guidelines and developments in the Romanian literature. Eminescu’s poems include, besides melodiousness, rhythm, rhyme, and a typically Romantic imagination and rhetoric, the modernism of the late 19th Century and of the early 20th Century.”

Because Mihai Eminescu’s work was excessively used to create ideologies and myths, writer Simona Popescu did not feel the need to pay more attention to Eminescu’s poetry during school. It was only later that she discovered, on her own, the true meaning of Eminescu’s work:

Simona Popescu: “I re-discovered my own Eminescu, the humane Eminescu, the wonderful Eminescu in faculty, when I read and re-read his complete works. I even read all the versions of his poems included in the critical edition compiled by literary historian Dumitru Murăraşu. As a student I was able to come up with my personal approach of Eminescu’s poetry. I discovered a playful, ironical Eminescu, who also used parody and self-parody. At the time, I used to attend the Mihai Eminescu colloquiums in Iasi, in north-eastern Romania, and I remember having shocked the audience with my paper on a poem by Eminescu, which I had not heard of in school. Even today this poem is not paid the deserved attention, as it is considered a problematic poem. It’s called ‘Anthropomorphism’, it’s a kind of parody of ‘Luceafarul’ — The Evening Star which Eminescu wrote before ‘The Evening Star’. ‘Anthropomorphism’ also tells a love story, but between a cock and a hen, unlike ‘The Evening Star’ which tells the love story between a mortal woman and the Evening Star. It is a poem in which Eminescu makes a parody of his own themes and ideas that he used in his more serious, profound poems. This is an exercise that only a great poet can afford to make, given that we are speaking of a self-parody signed by Minunescu, a play upon words from Eminescu. I was very happy to discover that Minunescu, which made me love Eminescu even more.”

27 January 2018
Mihai Eminescu

Mihai Eminescu, Gheorghe and Raluca Eminovici’s seventh
of eleven children, was born in Botosani on January 15, 1850. He started school
in 1858 in Cernauti, in the Austro-Hungarian Duchy of Bukovina. Even though he
was an outstanding student, in 1863 he dropped out, and joined the Fanny
Tardini-Vladicescu theater troupe, which he developed a fascination for. He
worked for a while as a clerk in Botosani, at the court and city hall.

Eminescu made his debut in 1866. He was in Bukovina, as
a tenant of his teacher Aron Pumnul, when the latter passed away. In memory of
their teacher of Romanian, a few students put out a brochure where we can find
a poem entitled At Aron Pumnul’s Tomb, signed M. Eminovici. One month
later, the magazine Family in Budapest, published his poem Were I to Have.
Iosif Vulcan, the magazine director, changed his name from Eminovici to
Eminescu, a name he kept for the rest of his life. This was only the beginning
of his collaboration with the magazine, which published five more of his poems
that year.

In 1867 he joined Iorgu Caragiale’s theater troupe as a
prompter and copyist. That year the magazine Family published his poem What
I Wish for You, Sweet Romania’.

He moved as a prompter and copyist in Mihai Pascaly’s
troupe. Pascaly was one of the most important promoters of theater in Romania,
as director of the National Theater in Bucharest. During his time with the
troupe, Eminescu met I.L. Caragiale, who had not yet had his debut as a
playwright. Between 1869 and 1872, upon advice from his father, he studied law
and philosophy in Vienna. He was active in student organizations, made friends
with novelist Ioan Slavici, and debuted as a columnist at the Albina (The
Bee) newspaper in Budapest.

He started contributing to the Convorbiri
Literare magazine, the publication of the Junimea Literary Society of Iasi.
In his study on the so-called New Direction, critic Titu Maiorescu praised
Eminescu’s qualities as a poet, saying he was second only to Vasile Alecsandri.
In 1872 he met poetess Veronica Micle, who would inspire him to write most of
his romantic poetry. That same year Convorbiri Literare published one of his
most important pieces of fiction, Poor Dionis, and started writing his major
poems Calin and The Morning Star.

He returned to his country, living in Iasi between 1874
and 1877, working as a director of the Central Library, a substitute teacher,
school inspector for Iasi and Vaslui, as well as editor of the Iasi Courier
newspaper. He continued publishing in Convorbiri Literare. He made good
friends with writer Ion Creanga, whom he brought into Junimea. In 1877 he
moved to Bucharest, where he worked for the Timpul newspaper, first as an
editor, then as an editor-in-chief. He was exceptionally active as a
journalist, and continued to work on some of his most important poems that
highlight his mature stage as a writer, such as his Epistles and The Morning
Star.

However, due to health reasons, his literary activity
went into decline. In June 1883, the poet fell gravely ill, was admitted into
Sutu hospital, then into an institute near Vienna. His volume Poems was
published in December, with a foreword by Titu Maiorescu, who had made the
selection. It was, in fact, the only volume of poetry he published during his
lifetime. He passed away on June 15, 1889, in the Sutu sanatorium, and was
buried in Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest. His pall bearers were four students from
the Teaching College. (Translated by Calin Cotoiu)

20 January 2018
January 14-19, 2018

Change of government in Bucharest

The ruling coalition made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from Romania is preparing the structure of the new cabinet after Social-Democrat MEP Viorica Dancila was designated Prime Minister earlier this week, the first woman to hold this position in Romania. If voted in Parliament, this cabinet will be the third proposed by the ruling coalition within a single year. The change follows the resignation of Mihai Tudose, who stepped down amidst tensions with Social-Democratic leader, Liviu Dragnea, and losing his own partys political support, at the end of a six-month mandate.

In the wake of consultations with parliamentary parties, the countrys President, Klaus Iohannis, accepted the ruling coalitions nomination, entrusting MEP Viorica Dancila with the task of forming a new cabinet, much to the discontent of the opposition and part of civil society. The president was harshly criticized on social media for nominating a Prime Minister who had done little to recommend her for the job. The President motivated his choice, arguing that both the Constitution and coalitions majority in Parliament dictated to accept the nomination. On the other hand, Klaus Iohannis reminded the Social Democrats they needed to start honoring their promises.

Klaus Iohannis: “Romanians have high expectations and so do I. The Social-Democrats have promised a great many things in the election campaign, salaries, pensions, new schools, new textbooks, hospitals, infrastructure, and what they have achieved so far is too little. Its time the Social-Democrats proved they are willing to keep their promises”.

Visibly pleased, the Social Democrats said the president chose stability. The National Liberal Party in opposition is calling for early elections, arguing that the most recent crisis that shook the Social-Democratic Party proves their inability to govern.

Japans Prime Minister visits Bucharest

This week the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, paid a historic visit to Bucharest, the first of a Japanese official since diplomatic ties between the two countries were first established, 100 years ago. Romania and Japan decided to the channel their efforts in order to upgrade their bilateral relation into a Strategic Partnership, President Klaus Iohannis announced at the end of Tuesdays talks with the Japanese Prime Minister. Relations between the two countries have reached the next level, which boost cooperation in all fields, the President went on to say.

Klaus Iohannis: “We have agreed that we share the same values and strategic objectives, we have similar assessments in terms of security in this highly volatile context, and we also have common economic interests. I have urged Japanese businesspeople to invest more in Romania and have encouraged two-way trade. I am glad Prime Minister Abe came to Romania accompanied by a significant delegation of businesspeople. Weve had a fruitful exchange of opinions on our cooperation in the field of security and we have discussed the security of our regions, with a focus on the latest developments in the Black Sea region and North Korea.”

Romania has a strategic geographic position and is a crucial partner for Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, underlining that the two countries share common values and principles such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The Japanese official also underlined the importance of cooperation in the economic and security fields. Japanese companies are interested in Romania, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, adding that visas for Romanians interested in traveling to Japan would be lifted. The Japanese official canceled his meeting with Prime Minister Mihai Tudose after the latter stepped down.

National Culture Day

Special events were held this week, both at home and abroad, to mark National Culture Day, celebrated on January 15th, the birth of Mihai Eminescu, a Romanian poet, prose writer, playwright and journalist, whom literary critics regard as the greatest poet in Romanian literature. Eight years ago the Romanian Academy proposed that this day be declared National Culture Day. Here is the man behind this proposal, the former president of the Romanian Academy, Eugen Simion:

“With the advent of globalization, losing our culture means losing ourselves as a nation, and eventually we will disappear from the map of history altogether. This is why I proposed this day should coincide with Eminescus birthday, as Romanians regard him as their iconic poet, a symbol, a myth of their existence. Eminescu is hugely indebted to German culture, and in turn Romanian culture was under the influence of the German and French cultures”.

Performances, symposiums and book launches were held to mark National Culture Day, many of which were organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute.

20 January 2018
January 15, UPDATE

Social Democratic Party — The executive committee of the Social Democratic Party, on Monday convened in emergency meeting at the initiative of its leader, Liviu Dragnea, and decided to withdraw the support for PM Mihai Tudose who announced his resignation. Paul Stanescu, deputy prime minister and minister of regional development, public administration and European funds will take over the interim position of PM. Tensions started in the party last week, when PM Tudose asked Interior Minister Carmen Dan to resign, against the backdrop of a pedophilia scandal within the Police. Carmen Dan, seen as one of Liviu Dragnea’s protégées, refused to resign. Also on Monday the National Liberal Party (PNL), the most important party in opposition, presented a report on the Government’s activity, dubbed “The Black Book of the PSD Governing”. The Liberals claim the new crisis proves the Social Democrats’ incapacity to rule, and have asked for early elections. This is the second cabinet made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, after the one installed in January 2017 and dismissed after six months following a no-confidence vote initiated by the same leftist majority. President Klaus Iohannis will again call all parliamentary parties for consultations with a view to designating a new prime minister. The Romanian head of state is not obliged to nominate the candidate of a certain party.

National Culture Day — Romania marked the National Culture Day on January 15, on the same day with the celebration of 168 years since the birth of Romania’s national poet Mihai Eminescu. A number of events took place in Romania and abroad to evoke the great personality of poet Mihai Eminescu and to celebrate the National Culture Day.

NATO — A delegation of the General Staff of the Romanian Armed Forces headed by general Nicolae Ciucă will participate, Tuesday and Wednesday, in Brussels, in the NATO Military Committee conference, which will gather the defense ministers of NATO countries. The conference will tackle topical military issues such as the security challenges on NATO’s eastern flank and NATO’s contribution to stabilizing the security climate, the ways to follow in relation to the mission Resolute Support from Afghanistan, NATO’s role in granting assistance for the reform of the security domain in Iraq and in training the Iraqi security forces in 2018. Other issues to be debated are the proposals regarding the adaptation of NATO’s command structure, the drafting of military recommendations and their harmonization with the political recommendations of the North Atlantic Council.

Statistics – 51% of the Europeans aged between 16 and 74 used Internet banking in 2017, according to the Eurostat. Bulgaria and Romania rank last in the EU in this respect, as only 5% and 7% respectively of their population used Internet banking services last year. Denmark ranks first in Europe, with 90% of its adult population having used Internet services in 2017, followed by the Netherlands with 89%, Finland, with 87% and Sweden with 86%. In the past decade, the number of people using Internet banking has doubled within the EU, rising from 25% to 51%, while the number of Internet banking users in Romania tripled, from 2% in 2007 to 7% in 2017.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player, Irina Begu, ranked 40 in the WTA classification qualified to the 2nd round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after she defeated on Monday the Russian Ekaterina Makarova (33 WTA) and 31st seed, 3-6, 6-4, 8-6. Also on Monday Monica Niculescu (85 WTA) was defeated by the German Mona Barthel (52 WTA) 6-4, 7-5, in the first round. Also in the first round, Mihaela Buzărnescu (44 WTA) lost 6-2, 6-3 to Danish Caroline Wozniacki, world’s no. 2 player. Another three Romanian players are participating in the Australian Open. Simona Halep, world’s no. 1 and main favorite in the competition, will be up against Australian Destanee Aiava, Sorana Cîrstea will take on Zarina Dias of Kazakhstan and Ana Bogdan will play against Kristina Mladenovic from France. The only player in the men’s singles, Marius Copil, was eliminated in the first round by French Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-4, 6-3. (Translation and update by Lacramioara Simion)

15 January 2018
January 15, 2018 UPDATE

UPDATE (22:00)-Romanian PM Mihai Tudose has stepped down.

Social Democratic Party – The executive committee of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main party of the left-of-centre ruling coalition, on Monday convened in emergency meeting at the initiative of its leader, Liviu Dragnea, after some members asked for the party to no longer support the Social Democrat Prime Minister Mihai Tudose. Tension increased in the party last week, when PM Tudose asked Interior Minister Carmen Dan to resign, against the backdrop of a pedophilia scandal within the Police. Carmen Dan, seen as one of Liviu Dragneas protégées, refused to resign. Also on Monday the National Liberal Party (PNL), the most important party in opposition, presented a report on the Governments activity, dubbed “The Black Book of the PSD Governing. The Liberals claim the new crisis proves the Social Democrats incapacity to rule, and have asked for early elections. This is the second cabinet made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, after the one installed in January 2017 and dismissed after six months following a no-confidence vote initiated by the same leftist majority.

National Culture Day – Romania marked the National Culture Day on January 15, on the same day with the celebration of 168 years since the birth of Romanias national poet Mihai Eminescu. A number of events took place in Romania and abroad to evoke the great personality of poet Mihai Eminescu and to celebrate the National Culture Day.

NATO – A delegation of the General Staff of the Romanian Armed Forces headed by general Nicolae Ciucă will participate, Tuesday and Wednesday, in Brussels, in the NATO Military Committee conference, which will gather the defense ministers of NATO countries. The conference will tackle topical military issues such as the security challenges on NATOs eastern flank and NATOs contribution to stabilizing the security climate, the ways to follow in relation to the mission Resolute Support from Afghanistan, NATOs role in granting assistance for the reform of the security domain in Iraq and in training the Iraqi security forces in 2018. Other issues to be debated are the proposals regarding the adaptation of NATOs command structure, the drafting of military recommendations and their harmonization with the political recommendations of the North Atlantic Council.

Statistics – 51% of the Europeans aged between 16 and 74 used Internet banking in 2017, according to the Eurostat. Bulgaria and Romania rank last in the EU in this respect, as only 5% and 7% respectively of their population used Internet banking services last year. Denmark ranks first in Europe, with 90% of its adult population having used Internet services in 2017, followed by the Netherlands with 89%, Finland, with 87% and Sweden with 86%. In the past decade, the number of people using Internet banking has doubled within the EU, rising from 25% to 51%, while the number of Internet banking users in Romania tripled, from 2% in 2007 to 7% in 2017.

Tennis – The Romanian tennis player, Irina Begu, ranked 40 in the WTA classification qualified to the 2nd round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after she defeated on Monday the Russian Ekaterina Makarova (33 WTA) and 31st seed, 3-6, 6-4, 8-6. Also on Monday Monica Niculescu (85 WTA) was defeated by the German Mona Barthel (52 WTA) 6-4, 7-5, in the first round. Also in the first round, Mihaela Buzărnescu (44 WTA) lost 6-2, 6-3 to Danish Caroline Wozniacki, worlds no. 2 player. Another three Romanian players are participating in the Australian Open. Simona Halep, worlds no. 1 and main favorite in the competition, will be up against Australian Destanee Aiava, Sorana Cîrstea will take on Zarina Dias of Kazakhstan and Ana Bogdan will play against Kristina Mladenovic from France. The only player in the mens singles, Marius Copil, was eliminated in the first round by French Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-4, 6-3. (Translated by Lacramioara Simion, updated by Diana Vijeu)

15 January 2018
National Culture Day

“A people without culture is a people easy to manipulate”, according to the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, whose influence can also be traced in the work of Romania’s national poet Mihai Eminescu. This year, on the 15th of January, we celebrate 168 years since Eminescu’s birth. A poet, prose writer, playwright and journalist, Eminescu is seen by posthumous literary criticism as the most important poetic voice in Romanian literature. “We have to be a cultural state at the mouths of the Danube; this should be the only mission of the Romanian state and whoever tries to waste our strengths in other pursuits will threaten the future of our descendents and tramples on the fruits of our forefathers’ work”, Mihai Eminescu wrote.

Eight years ago, his birth date was declared National Culture Day at the initiative of the Romanian Academy, the proposal belonging to the former president of the Academy, Eugen Simion: “They will ask themselves the same question I ask myself: why doesn’t our political class do anything about culture? Why don’t we have a national cultural project? This is a very grave matter. They don’t realise that the identity of a people is expressed through culture and that a people continues to depend on culture throughout its history. Faced with globalisation, if we lose our culture we lose ourselves as a nation and in the end we disappear from the map of history, so this is why I have proposed that this day is celebrated on the day Eminescu was born, because Romanians regard him as their representative poet, the symbol, the myth of their existence. Eminescu is hugely indebted to German culture and Romanian culture has two points of reference: French and German.”

Performances, conferences, book launches and exhibitions are all part of the programme of events held in Romania and abroad. The programme is coordinated by the Romanian Cultural Institute, whose mission is to export Romanian culture in all its forms, as its vice-president Mirel Talos explains: “For example, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London holds an event called Imago Mundi 100 consisting in a concert that gives a contemporary twist to old Romanian music, both classical music and traditional folk music from all historical regions. The Romanian Cultural Institute in Rome organises an event entitled 100 Years of Romanian Music held at the ‘Santa Cecilia’ Music Conservatory, which forms part of the Centenary programme. In Lisbon, the Romanian Cultural Institute holds an event featuring a contemporary Romanian personality, the actor Ion Caramitru, who gives a recital of poems by Eminescu, an event that is also held in Berlin.”

Cultural events have also been organised by the Romanian communities abroad. This year, Romania celebrates 100 years since the Great Union of 1918, with national identity and union playing an important role in Mihai Eminescu’s journalistic work. (Translated by C. Mateescu, edited by D. Vijeu)

15 January 2018
Events devoted to the National Culture Day

Romanians at home and abroad last weekend took part in manifestations marking 167 years since the birth of Romania’s national poet, Mihai Eminescu, whose works became a landmark of Romanian and universal culture. Declared the National Culture Day in 2010, January 15 this year was also marked in religious celebrations devoted to Romania’s great poet, in a gala of young writers, in concerts and exhibitions. In Rome, Mihai Eminescu’s poems were recited or sung by both children and adults. Our Rome correspondent talked to school teacher Valentina Popa.

“I believe that, wherever we may be, even if we try to integrate into society, we should never renounce our national identity. And our national identity means first and foremost paying heed to our cultural values”.

At the Radio Concert Hall in Bucharest, the National Culture Day was celebrated as part of a concert organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute, devoted not only to the birth of Mihai Eminescu, but also to the birth of the great Romanian pianist Dinu Lipatti.

Here is the director of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Radu Boroianu: “The untimely death of both Eminescu and Lipatti, their high level of professional achievement and the legacy of their genius have inked their names in the Romanian hall of fame, next to iconic figures of Romanian politics, literature and art. (Constantin Brancoveanu, Dimitrie Cantemir, Spataru Milescu, Nicolae Iorga, Constantin Brancusi, Henri Coanda, Gogu Constantinescu, George Enescu, Ioan Luca Caragiale, Lucian Blaga, Anghel Saligny, Ioan Andreescu, Ion Tuculescu, Grigore Moisil, Solomon Marcus, Victor Babes, Ion Cantacuzino, Constantin Noica, Stefan Lupascu or Matilda Ghyka). To preserve their memory, I hereby announce the first major European project of the Romanian Cultural Institute — ‘Latin — the First European Institution’”

One of the people who contributed in making January 15th the National Culture Day, Eugen Simion also referred to the importance of this event: “Today we are celebrating the birth of our poet, Eminescu. A few years ago, following up on the initiative of our Romanian Academy, Parliament voted to celebrate National Culture Day on January 15. It is a most opportune moment bringing together all Romanians who feel that culture is and will remain a fundamental universal value”.

In turn, President Klaus Iohannis posted the following message on a social networking site: “I felt honoured every time I had the chance of bestowing distinctions, on behalf of all Romanians, to those who have devoted a lifetime to culture”. As a sign of friendship, the Embassies of Great Britain and France in Bucharest have also posted videos marking Romania’s National Culture Day.

(Translated by Vlad Palcu)

16 January 2017