Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea | |
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| Born | Barbu Ștefan (1858-04-11)April 11, 1858 |
| Died | April 29, 1918(1918-04-29) (aged 60) |
| Resting place | Eternitatea Cemetery, Iași |
| Alma mater | University of Bucharest |
| Occupations | Writer, orator, lawyer |
| Years active | 1878–1914 |
| Notable work | The Troubadour,Mr. Vucea,Hagi Tudose,Sunset,The Storm |
| Style | Poporanism |
| Spouse | Ana Delavrancea |
| Children | Cella Delavrancea Henrieta Delavrancea Niculina Delavrancea "Bebs" Delavrancea |
| Parent(s) | Ștefan Tudorică Albu (father) Iana (Ioana) (mother) |
| Mayor of Bucharest | |
| In office June 1899 – February 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Nicolae Filipescu |
| Succeeded by | Emil Costinescu |
| Minister of Public Works | |
| In office 29 December 1910 – 27 March 1912 | |
| Prime Minister | Petre P. Carp |
| Preceded by | Vasile Morțun |
| Succeeded by | Ermil Pangrati |
| Minister of Industry and Commerce | |
| In office 10 July 1917 – 28 January 1918 | |
| Prime Minister | Ion I. C. Brătianu |
| Preceded by | Constantin Istrati |
| Succeeded by | Ion Luca-Niculescu |
| Signature | |
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Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea; pen name ofBarbu Ștefan; April 11, 1858 – April 29, 1918) was aRomanian writer and poet, considered one of the greatest figures in the National awakening of Romania.
He was born on April 11, 1858, in Delea Nouă, then a village inIlfov County, now a suburb ofBucharest.[1] He was the ninth child of Ștefan Tudorică Albu and Iana (Ioana). His father originated fromVrancea County.[2] Assigned toSohatu,Ilfov County, he left Vrancea forBucharest and became guildmaster of carters transporting grain from the scaffolds ofGiurgiu andOltenița. Barbu's mother was the daughter of widow Stana from Postovari, on the Filipescu estate.[2]
Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea spent the first years of life with his father, then learned to read and write with deacon Ion Pestreanu fromNew St. George Church.[3] In 1866, he enrolled in the Boys' School no. 4 directly in the second grade. Educator Spirache Dănilescu added the father's surname suffix "-escu", and thus the future writer bore the name Barbu Ștefănescu.[4] In 1867 he transferred to the Royal School, where he followed the third and fourth classes. He attended the first class of high school atGheorghe Lazăr, and the other seven classes atSaint Sava.[5] In 1878 he enrolled in the Faculty of Law of theUniversity of Bucharest. After graduating in 1882, he went for specialization inParis, but failed to obtain his doctorate.[4]
In 1912 Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea became a titular member of theRomanian Academy. He worked as a substitute teacher at the Faculty of Letters of theUniversity of Bucharest, journalist, lawyer (notable is theCaion trial, filed toIon Luca Caragiale in conjunction with the paternity ofdramaThe Scourge, when in the courtroom, to listen to the arguments of lawyers, was entered only upon invitation[clarification needed]), and writer (novelist and playwright).[6]
His publicistic activity consisted in collaboration with several newspapers, includingRomânia Liberă andEpoca (from 1884), whose editor he was.[7] In 1887 he led, for a short period,Lupta Literară, and the following year he became editor ofBogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu's magazineRevista Nouă and a collaborator toDemocrația andVoința națională. In 1893 he started working withLiteratura și știința ofConstantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea. Other publications to which he contributed were:Revista Literară,Familia, andRomânul.[6]
His literary debut occurred in 1877 with the patriotic poemStante, part of the volumePoiana lungă, signed Barbu. In 1883 he debuted as a novelist withSultănica, followed byBunicul,Bunica,Domnul Vucea, and especially,Hagi Tudose (1903). In the following year he published under the pseudonym "Delavrancea". Drawing onRomanian folklore, he published several tales:Neghiniță,Palatul de cleștar,Dăparte, dăparte,Moș Crăciun, etc.[6]
Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea is widely known especially for his historical trilogy,Apus de soare (1909),Viforul (1910), andLuceafărul (1910), works full ofromantic breath.
As a politician, he held the following offices:[8]
He married Maria Delavrancea, with whom he had four children, includingCella Delavrancea andHenrieta Delavrancea. He died in 1918 inIași and was buried in the city'sEternitatea Cemetery.
Media related toBarbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea at Wikimedia Commons
