Costache or Kostake Aristia (Romanian pronunciation: [kosˈtake
arisˈti.a]; born Constantin Chiriacos Aristia; Greek:
Κωνσταντίνος ÎšÏ…Ï Î¹Î¬ÎºÎ¿Ï‚ Î'Ï Î¹ÏƒÏ„Î¯Î±Ï‚,
Konstantinos Kyriakos Aristias; transitional Cyrillic:
ÐšÐ¾â²›Ñ Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ‚iⲛꙋ AÑ€iÑ Ñ‚ia, ConstantinÅ Aristia; 1800 â€" 18
April 1880) was a Wallachian-born poet, actor and translator, also
noted for his activities as a soldier, schoolteacher, and
philanthropist. A member of the Greek colony, his adolescence and
early youth coincided with the peak of Hellenization in both Danubian
Principalities. He first appeared on stage at Cișmeaua Roșie in
Bucharest, and became a protege of Lady Rallou. She sponsored his
voyage to France, where Aristia became an imitator of François-Joseph
Talma.Upon his return, Aristia took up the cause of Greek nationalism,
joining the Filiki Eteria and flying the "flag of liberty" for the
Sacred Band. He fought on the Wallachian front during the Greek War of
Independence, and was probably present for the defeat at Drăgășani.
He escaped the country and moved between various European countries,
earning protection from the Earl of Guilford, before returning to
Bucharest as a private tutor for the Ghica family. Aristia used this
opportunity to teach drama and direct plays, and thus became one of
the earliest contributors to Romanian theater. A trendsetter in art
and fashion, he preserved his reputation even as Wallachians came to
reject Greek domination. He adapted himself to their cultural
Francization, publishing textbooks for learning French, and teaching
both French and Demotic Greek at Saint Sava College.Under the
Regulamentul Organic regime, Aristia blended Eterist tropes and
Romanian nationalism. He became a follower of Ion Heliade Rădulescu,
and helped set up the Philharmonic Society, which produced a new
generation of Wallachian actorsâ€"including Costache Caragiale and
Ioan Curie. He contributed to the effort of modernizing the language,
though his own proposals in this field were widely criticized and
ultimately rejected. Aristia was made popular by his translation of
Vittorio Alfieri's Saul, which doubled as a nationalist manifesto, and
earned accolades for his rendition of the Iliad; however, he was
derided for eulogizing Prince Gheorghe Bibescu. He also contributed to
cultural life in the Kingdom of Greece, where, in 1840, he published
his only work of drama.Aristia participated in the Wallachian
Revolution of 1848, when, as leader of the National Guard, he arrested
rival conservatives. During the backlash, he was himself a prisoner of
the Ottoman Empire, and was finally expelled from Wallachia. He
returned in 1851, having reconciled with the conservative regime of
Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, and remained a citizen of the United
Principalities. He kept out of politics for the remainder of his life,
concentrating on his work at Saint Sava, and then at the University of
Bucharest, and on producing another version of the Iliad. Among his
last published works are Bible translations, published under contract
with the British and Foreign Bible Society.
arisˈti.a]; born Constantin Chiriacos Aristia; Greek:
Κωνσταντίνος ÎšÏ…Ï Î¹Î¬ÎºÎ¿Ï‚ Î'Ï Î¹ÏƒÏ„Î¯Î±Ï‚,
Konstantinos Kyriakos Aristias; transitional Cyrillic:
ÐšÐ¾â²›Ñ Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ‚iⲛꙋ AÑ€iÑ Ñ‚ia, ConstantinÅ Aristia; 1800 â€" 18
April 1880) was a Wallachian-born poet, actor and translator, also
noted for his activities as a soldier, schoolteacher, and
philanthropist. A member of the Greek colony, his adolescence and
early youth coincided with the peak of Hellenization in both Danubian
Principalities. He first appeared on stage at Cișmeaua Roșie in
Bucharest, and became a protege of Lady Rallou. She sponsored his
voyage to France, where Aristia became an imitator of François-Joseph
Talma.Upon his return, Aristia took up the cause of Greek nationalism,
joining the Filiki Eteria and flying the "flag of liberty" for the
Sacred Band. He fought on the Wallachian front during the Greek War of
Independence, and was probably present for the defeat at Drăgășani.
He escaped the country and moved between various European countries,
earning protection from the Earl of Guilford, before returning to
Bucharest as a private tutor for the Ghica family. Aristia used this
opportunity to teach drama and direct plays, and thus became one of
the earliest contributors to Romanian theater. A trendsetter in art
and fashion, he preserved his reputation even as Wallachians came to
reject Greek domination. He adapted himself to their cultural
Francization, publishing textbooks for learning French, and teaching
both French and Demotic Greek at Saint Sava College.Under the
Regulamentul Organic regime, Aristia blended Eterist tropes and
Romanian nationalism. He became a follower of Ion Heliade Rădulescu,
and helped set up the Philharmonic Society, which produced a new
generation of Wallachian actorsâ€"including Costache Caragiale and
Ioan Curie. He contributed to the effort of modernizing the language,
though his own proposals in this field were widely criticized and
ultimately rejected. Aristia was made popular by his translation of
Vittorio Alfieri's Saul, which doubled as a nationalist manifesto, and
earned accolades for his rendition of the Iliad; however, he was
derided for eulogizing Prince Gheorghe Bibescu. He also contributed to
cultural life in the Kingdom of Greece, where, in 1840, he published
his only work of drama.Aristia participated in the Wallachian
Revolution of 1848, when, as leader of the National Guard, he arrested
rival conservatives. During the backlash, he was himself a prisoner of
the Ottoman Empire, and was finally expelled from Wallachia. He
returned in 1851, having reconciled with the conservative regime of
Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, and remained a citizen of the United
Principalities. He kept out of politics for the remainder of his life,
concentrating on his work at Saint Sava, and then at the University of
Bucharest, and on producing another version of the Iliad. Among his
last published works are Bible translations, published under contract
with the British and Foreign Bible Society.
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