Romanian literature

People in Romania love stories.

They tell fairy tales and sing songs. They also share riddles and proverbs. Long ago, people wrote in an old way. Then, they began to write in Romanian. The first book in Romanian was made in 1544.

Later, many famous writers became known around the world. One writer even won a big prize in 2009. These stories are a special part of life.

Romanian literature is a rich world of stories and songs.

Long ago, people wrote in a language called Old Church Slavonic. They wrote religious texts and history books. Over time, writers began to use the Romanian language. The first book in Romanian was printed in 1544.

Romania also has a deep tradition of folk stories. People share fairy tales, riddles, and proverbs. They also sing special songs called doine. One famous folk song is called Miorița.

Many writers became famous in the 20th century. Authors like Mircea Eliade gained world fame. In 2009, Herta Müller won the Nobel Prize for Literature. During the communist era, the state controlled what people could write. Still, many classic stories were made into films. Today, these stories help people feel proud of their culture. They connect the past to the present through art and words.

Romanian literature is a vast collection of written works. It includes everything written by Romanian authors. It also covers books written in the Romanian language. This tradition is very important to the people of Romania. It helps them share their history and their unique culture. People find great meaning in these stories and songs.

Writing in Romania has changed many times over the years. At first, many religious and history texts used Old Church Slavonic. Later, writers began to use the Romanian language instead. The first book printed in Romanian was a religious book. It was called Catehismul românesc and was published in 1544. The first whole Bible in Romanian arrived much later. It was printed in Bucharest in 1688 by the Greceanu Brothers.

Romania also has a very old tradition of folk literature. This is part of the country's rich folklore. It includes many different kinds of oral stories. People share basme, which are fairy tales, and snoave, which are short anecdotes. They also use ghicitori, or riddles, and vorbe, which are proverbs.

There are also special songs like doine, which are lyric songs. One of the most famous folk examples is the pastoral ballad called Miorița. Writers like Petre Ispirescu helped by collecting these folk tales.

New ideas from Europe shaped how Romanians wrote. In the 16th century, humanism began to appear in the land. A very important humanist was Dimitrie Cantemir. He wrote many histories and even a book called A Hieroglyphic History in 1705. Later, the Enlightenment movement grew in Transylvania. This movement included the Școala Ardeleană, or the Transylvanian School. These scholars studied the history and origins of the Romanian language. They used their studies to help people feel proud of their identity.

In the 1800s, many writers wanted to celebrate their nation. These writers are sometimes called Pașoptists. This name comes from the revolution in 1848. Vasile Alecsandri was a very busy writer from this time. He wrote many poems and plays.

Later, a group called Junimea helped connect Romanian writing to Europe. They published a famous magazine called Convorbiri Literare. Many great authors gained fame during the 20th century. In 2009, Herta Müller won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Romanian literature encompasses the entire body of written work by Romanian authors. It also includes all literature composed in the Romanian language. This tradition serves as a vital vessel for the nation's history and cultural identity. It is shaped by both local geopolitical shifts and international European movements. These movements include Humanism and the Enlightenment. The literature also exists alongside a deep tradition of folk literature. This folk tradition is a core part of Romanian folklore and remains active in modern times.

Romanian folk literature is primarily an oral tradition. It consists of several distinct forms, such as doine, which are lyric songs. Other forms include balade (ballads), hore (dance songs), and colinde (carols). It also features basme (fairy tales), snoave (anecdotes), vorbe (proverbs), and ghicitori (riddles). One of the most famous examples is the pastoral ballad titled Miorița. Authors like Petre Ispirescu have worked to preserve this heritage by transcribing these folk tales into written form.

Early written history in the region relied on Old Church Slavonic. This script was used in current Romanian territories as early as the 10th century. The oldest surviving manuscripts date back to the 12th century. Between 1385 and 1391, religious songs by Nicodim and Filotei were written in Slavonic. A notable work from the 16th century is The Teachings of Neagoe Basarab to his son Theodosie. Written between 1519 and 1521 by the Wallachian Lord Neagoe Basarab, it addresses morality and politics. This work is considered one of the oldest great works of Southeastern European literature.

The transition to writing in the Romanian language occurred through translation and printing. The Hurmuzaki Psalter, dated between 1491 and 1504, is the oldest preserved manuscript in Romanian. It is a Romanian copy of a bilingual Church Slavonic-Romanian text. The first book printed in the Romanian language was Catehismul românesc by Filip Moldoveanul in 1544. Later, in 1673, the Bishop Dosoftei published the first Romanian metrical psalter. This was the earliest collection of poems written in the language. The complete Bible was not published in Romanian until 1688 by the Greceanu Brothers.

European intellectual movements significantly altered the literary landscape. Humanism appeared in the 16th century but flourished more fully a century later. Dimitrie Cantemir was a major humanist scholar. He wrote histories of Wallachia, Moldavia, and the Ottoman Empire. He also authored the Roman à clef titled A Hieroglyphic History in 1705.

In the 18th century, the Școala Ardeleană, or Transylvanian School, emerged in Transylvania. This was a Latinist and Enlightenment movement. Scholars like Samuil Micu-Klein, Gheorghe Șincai, and Petru Maior conducted philological studies. They investigated the Romantic origins of the Romanian language. In the 1800s, nationalist ideas led to the revolutions of 1821 and 1848. Writers associated with the 1848 revolution are known as Pașoptists. Vasile Alecsandri was a prolific Pașoptist who wrote poetry, plays, and collected folklore.

The literary circle Junimea was founded in Iași in 1863 by Titu Maiorescu and others. They published the magazine Convorbiri Literare starting in 1867. This became the most important Romanian literary publication for many decades. The circle helped synchronize Romanian literature with European movements. During the 20th century, many authors gained international fame. This includes Mircea Eliade and Emil Cioran. In 2009, Herta Müller was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.