The genius of Romanian literature, Mihai Eminescu, honoured in Chisinau on the National Day of Culture
On January 15, the birthday of the great poet Mihai Eminescu, a personality who defines the essential values of our national culture, on both banks of the Prut the Day of National Culture is celebrated. 173 years after the birth of the Light of Romanian poetry, the series of events organised on this occasion debuted on the Alley of the Classics in the Ștefan cel Mare Public Garden in the capital.
The poetry of Mihai Eminescu echoed around the bust of the great poet on the Alley of the Classics in the Ștefan cel Mare Public Garden in the capital.
"Eminescu is a universal genius. Eminescu is an absolute Romanian. Eminescu is a miracle of millennia, he will last.";
"He was besides a poet, a great philosopher, a great politician, and a patriot."
The evocation of the poet, the communications of the writers offer the reader to know new valences of Mihai Eminescu's creation.
"Mihai Eminescu is the model of culture, of science, of national consciousness and when we come here, it's as if we are closer to the work of his reign," says the president of the Writers' Union, Teo Chiriac.
"Every year a genius of our culture gathers us in Cluj, Chisinau, Bucharest, Craiova, Timișoara to make us aware of our importance as a nation in this world. This genius is called Eminescu", mentioned Boris Cremene, head of department at the Ministry of Culture.
"Today it's about feeling, about who we are as a people, it's about what defines us as a nation. We celebrate together what has been built, shaped and handed down from generation to generation for centuries", says the director of the "Mihai Eminescu" Institute, Narcis Afrăsinei.
"We grew up with him, he formed us, he saved us and today we come with a flower, but we have the flower for Eminescu in our souls", says writer Eugenia Bulat.
And deputies from the 90th Parliament recited verses.
"From the Dniester to the Tisza, all Romanians cried... He spoke about our national and territorial unity", mentions former deputy Alexandru Arseni.
"What do I wish for you, sweet Romania! My country of glory, my country of longing... It's a pity that Eminescu is not here today to wake us up, because the wave that started in 88-89 has somewhat subsided", says the politician Mihai Ghimpu.
The writers urge us to discover the Eminescian treasure.
"The most beautiful form of tribute to a creator is to read him, and if Eminescu's work is alive today, it means that the poet carries us with him", emphasises the director of the National Museum of Literature, Maria Șleahtițchi.
"There are still voices saying that they are bored with Eminescu. My advice would be to re-read, to dive into that world full of philosophical, economic, state administration ideas", urges the writer Val Butnaru.
Mihai Eminescu was born on January 15, 1850, in Botoșani. After a life marked by the effervescence of creation, but also by much suffering, the poet passed away at the age of 39. The manuscripts, 46 volumes, of almost 14 thousand pages, were donated to the Romanian Academy. Postmortem, the famous work "Luceafărul" was named the longest love poem in the world.
