Mihai Eminescu

Mihai Eminescu as a student in Vienna, 1869 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihai_Eminescu)

Mihai Eminescu was the last great romantic poet in the 19th century in Europe and is considered our national poet.

His poems were a vital element in the Romanian creation at the end of the 19th century. His work is internationally known and gives people outside Romania a glimpse into the Romanian culture. His importance to our country’s literature can be compared to Puskin's poetry in Russian culture. His was born on the 15th of January 1850 in the Moldavian village of Ipotesti, near Botosani, being the seventh of eleven children. He attended grade school in Cernauti and later he studied at University of Vienna and Humboldt University in Berlin. In 1874 he came to Iasi, where the great love of his life, Veronica Micle lived, and became director of the University Library and the editor of the Iasi newspaper "The Time". He was also a member of the literary society "Junimea" ("The Youth"). His first volume of poems was published by Titu Maiorescu, a great Romanian literary critic, who had been a professor in Vienna and later became Prime Minister of Romania. Besides his literary activity Eminescu had a plenty publicistic activity. In his articles, he vehemently attacked the corrupted Romanian political class of that time. Also many of his poems had a political colour. Philosophy, nature and love were also a great source of inspiration for his poems. Some of his most famous poems are: „Evening Star”, „Ode in Ancient Meter”, „The Lake”, „Desire”, „Blue Flower”, „Epigones”, and the five Letters. His most important works in prose are: „Empty genius”, „Wretched Dionis”, „Caesara”. He often used metaphysical, mythological and historical subjects in his masterpieces, sometimes being influenced by the German philosopher Schopenhauer.

The Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga considered Eminescu the godfather of the modern Romanian language and he is considered the most significant and important Romanian poet.

He died on the 15th of June 1889 at the age of 39, leaving through his poems a great treasure to the Romanian literature.

Mihai Eminescu (relaxare.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/mihai-eminescu)