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Elena Văcărescu | |
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 Young Elena Văcărescu | |
| Native name | Elena Văcărescu |
| Born | Elena Văcărescu (1864-10-03)October 3, 1864 |
| Died | February 17, 1947(1947-02-17) (aged 82) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Bellu Cemetery, Bucharest |
| Occupation | Poet, writer, memoirist, novelist, playwright, translator |
| Language | French |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Genres | Memoir, poetry |
| Notable works | Chants d'Aurore,Le Rhapsode de la Dâmbovița |
| Notable awards | French Academy Award |
| Relatives | Ioan Văcărescu (father) Eufrosina Fălcoianu (mother) Iancu Văcărescu (grandfather) Claymoor (uncle) |
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Elena Văcărescu, orHélène Vacaresco (September 21, 1864 inBucharest – February 17, 1947 inParis), was aRomanian-French aristocrat writer, twice a laureate of theAcadémie Française.
Through her father, Ioan Văcărescu, she descended from a long line ofboyars ofWallachia (theVăcărescu family[1]), includingIenăchiță Văcărescu, the poet who wrote the firstRomanian grammar.[2][3] She was also a granddaughter of Romanian poetIancu Văcărescu. Through her mother, Eufrosina Fălcoianu, she descended from theFălcoianu family, a prominent clan in the times ofPrinceMichael the Brave.[4]
She spent most of her youth on the Văcărescu estate nearTârgoviște. Elena first got acquainted withEnglish literature through her English governess, Miss Allan. She also studiedFrench literature in Paris, where she metVictor Hugo, whom she later mentioned in her memoirs. She attended courses of philosophy, aesthetics and history and also studied poetry under the guidance ofSully Prudhomme.
Another influence on her early life was theRusso-Turkish War of 1877–1878, known in Romania as theWar of Independence; the country declared independence from theOttoman Empire and joined the camp ofImperial Russia. Elena's father fought in the war; the experience influenced her first book, which was published in 1886.[5]
The meeting that changed her life was that withElisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania. The wife ofKingCarol I, she invited her to the palace in 1888. Interested in Văcărescu's literary achievements, Elisabeth became much more interested in the person of the poet. Having not yet recovered from the death of her only daughter in 1874, Elisabeth transferred all her maternal love to Elena.
In 1889, the lack of heirs to the Romanian throne made Carol adopt his nephewFerdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, whose loneliness in a strange country made him close to Elena, fall in love with her, and eventually express the desire to marry her. However, according to the1866 Constitution of Romania, the heir to the throne was not allowed to marry a Romanian. The result of the affair was that Elisabeth, who had encouraged the romance, was exiled toNeuwied for two years, Elena was exiled to Paris for life, and Ferdinand was sent off in search of a new bride, which he eventually found inMarie of Edinburgh.
Văcărescu was the Substitute Delegate to theLeague of Nations from 1921 to 1924. She was a permanent delegate from 1925 to 1926.[5] She was again a Substitute Delegate to the League of Nations from 1926 to 1938. She was the only woman to serve with the rank of ambassador (permanent delegate) in the history of the League of Nations.
In 1925, she was welcomed as a foreign honorary member of theRomanian Academy. She translated into French, works ofRomanian poets such asMihai Eminescu,Lucian Blaga,Octavian Goga,George Topîrceanu,Ion Minulescu, andIon Vinea.[5]
Just before her death, Văcărescu was a member of the Romanian delegation, headed byGheorghe Tătărescu, to theParis Peace Conference, afterWorld War II. She is interred in the Văcărescu family crypt in theBellu Cemetery, in Bucharest.
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