The exhibition “Vasile Alecsandri, poet and diplomat of the Unification of Romanian Principalities”, hosted by the “La Rond” Gallery in the Square of Stephen the Great in Chisinau, commemorates 125 years since the death of one the Unification Generation's most important authors and politicians, IPN report.
The exhibition is organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute “Mihai Eminescu” (ICR) in Chisinau and is part of the series of events marking the Romanian Language Day in Moldova. ICR director Valeriu Matei said during the exhibition's opening that Vasile Alecsandri had dedicated his whole life to serving the Romanian people. Visitors will be able to learn his biography through photos, letters, documents, etc.
Academician Mihai Cimpoi said that Vasile Alecsandri “laid the foundation for the coming of Mihai Eminescu, promoted national cultural values and was the diplomat who engineered the creation of modern Romania, promoting abroad the unification of Romanian principalities and their international recognition”. Cimpoi thinks Vasile Alecsandri could have become the ruler of the principalities, but offered the chair to Alexandru Ioan Cuza. However, he can be rightfully called “the prince of Romanian literature”. According to the scholar, one hypothesis states that Alecsandri was born in Basarabia and thus, ICR's exhibition brought the writer back home on the eve of our national holidays.
Vitalie Ciobanu, editor-in-chief of Contrafort magazine, said that the displayed information will help people learn about Vasile Alecsandri beyond the his image as a poet, as taught in schools. He was a truly talented man, an excellent diplomat, who helped the United Principalities gain international legitimacy.
Most scholars think that Vasile Alecsandri was born on June 21, 1821, in Bacau, and died on August 22, 1890, in Mircesti. He was a poet, playwright, prose writer, translator, folklore collector, a first rank figure in Romanian culture. Moreover, he was an important politician and diplomat, one of the leaders of the 1848 revolution. He militated for the unification of the principalities and was elected to represent Bacau in Moldova's Ad-hoc Divan (temporary legislative assembly) in 1857. Next year, he became member of the Central Committee for Unification in Iasi and of Moldova's Elective Assembly. As a writer, he published poetry, plays, memoirs and epistolary prose. He is considered to have laid the foundation of Romanian comedy and historical drama.
The exhibition is open until September 24.
