Radu D. Rosetti or Rossetti (December 13[1] or December 18,[2] 1874
â€" 1964) was a Romanian poet, playwright, and short story writer,
also distinguished as an attorney and activist. The son of
playwright-aristocrat Dimitrie Rosetti-Max and nephew of Titu
Maiorescu, he had a troubled and rebellious youth, but kept company
with senior literary figures such as Ion Luca Caragiale. Graduating
from the University of Bucharest at age 26, he was already a
successful poet of neoromantic sensibilities, a published translator
of plays and novels, and also famous for his unhappy marriage to the
literary critic Elena Bacaloglu. He then switched to writing
social-themed plays and stories of his professional life, earning a
high profile as a defender of left-wing causes. From ca. 1913, Rosetti
was also the public face of cremation activism, engaged in public
polemics with the Romanian Orthodox Church.Although an artillery
officer stationed in Chitila, Rosetti was mostly active during World
War I as a patriotic orator and propagandist, later returning to his
work at the Ilfov County bar association. During the interwar, he
maintained contact with both the socialists and the "cremationists",
but grew more conservative and passeistic. This attitude consolidated
his success as the author of memoirs. Largely forgotten in his old
age, he withdrew to a garret.The future poet was born in Bucharest
into the boyar Rosetti family.[1] His grandfather was a Wallachian
statesman, Aga Radu Rosetti, who headed the National Theater Bucharest
under Prince Gheorghe Bibescu.[1] In 1847, he was Prefect of Gorj
County, noted for establishing obligatory medical examinations for the
local prostitutes.[3] Radu Sr was also Prefect of Bucharest police
during the reign of Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, who kept him as a
Paharnic.[4] He was nevertheless sacked in 1855 for his alleged
mistreatment of foreigners.[5] The Paharnic's son was Dimitrie
Rosetti-Max, the author of light comedies that appeared in Convorbiri
Literare. He was also National Theater chairman, replacing the
playwright Ion Luca Caragiale for a time.[1] "Max" was a collaborator
of poet-satirist Iacob Negruzzi,[6] who married his sister Maria;
another one of Radu's paternal aunts, Ana, was the second wife of
culture critic Titu Maiorescu.[1] Radu D. Rosetti, who described
himself as Maiorescu's nephew "by marriage",[7] was born to Dimitrie
and to Natalia Gheorghiu when the couple was unmarried; however, they
did marry during the child's infancy.[1]The couple divorced some time
after, and, as literary historian George Călinescu suggests, this
event imposed a "rough life" on Radu, explaining why he, an
aristocrat, maintained "quasi-proletarian" customs and sympathies.[2]
The same was noted by his younger friend Victor Eftimiu: "A boy of
select birth, [Rosetti] did not linger in that scornful Olympus of his
caste, but rather gave himself, spent himself, a troubadour and
proletarian, wherever he found impetus, suffering, elation."[8]
Unusually, Rosetti was a contemporary of his homonymous relative,
General Radu R. Rosetti (1877â€"1949). Since the latter was also
engaged in writing, Radu D. joked to his readers: "If you liked my
little work, know that I'm me [...], Radu D. Rosetti. If not, then I
wasn't me, [...] but my homonym, General Radu Rosetti. Phone him at
his house and call him names."[9] Repeatedly confused with the general
by reviewers such as George Panu, he adopted the initial "D."
(signaling his patronymic) as a distinguishing mark.[10]
â€" 1964) was a Romanian poet, playwright, and short story writer,
also distinguished as an attorney and activist. The son of
playwright-aristocrat Dimitrie Rosetti-Max and nephew of Titu
Maiorescu, he had a troubled and rebellious youth, but kept company
with senior literary figures such as Ion Luca Caragiale. Graduating
from the University of Bucharest at age 26, he was already a
successful poet of neoromantic sensibilities, a published translator
of plays and novels, and also famous for his unhappy marriage to the
literary critic Elena Bacaloglu. He then switched to writing
social-themed plays and stories of his professional life, earning a
high profile as a defender of left-wing causes. From ca. 1913, Rosetti
was also the public face of cremation activism, engaged in public
polemics with the Romanian Orthodox Church.Although an artillery
officer stationed in Chitila, Rosetti was mostly active during World
War I as a patriotic orator and propagandist, later returning to his
work at the Ilfov County bar association. During the interwar, he
maintained contact with both the socialists and the "cremationists",
but grew more conservative and passeistic. This attitude consolidated
his success as the author of memoirs. Largely forgotten in his old
age, he withdrew to a garret.The future poet was born in Bucharest
into the boyar Rosetti family.[1] His grandfather was a Wallachian
statesman, Aga Radu Rosetti, who headed the National Theater Bucharest
under Prince Gheorghe Bibescu.[1] In 1847, he was Prefect of Gorj
County, noted for establishing obligatory medical examinations for the
local prostitutes.[3] Radu Sr was also Prefect of Bucharest police
during the reign of Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, who kept him as a
Paharnic.[4] He was nevertheless sacked in 1855 for his alleged
mistreatment of foreigners.[5] The Paharnic's son was Dimitrie
Rosetti-Max, the author of light comedies that appeared in Convorbiri
Literare. He was also National Theater chairman, replacing the
playwright Ion Luca Caragiale for a time.[1] "Max" was a collaborator
of poet-satirist Iacob Negruzzi,[6] who married his sister Maria;
another one of Radu's paternal aunts, Ana, was the second wife of
culture critic Titu Maiorescu.[1] Radu D. Rosetti, who described
himself as Maiorescu's nephew "by marriage",[7] was born to Dimitrie
and to Natalia Gheorghiu when the couple was unmarried; however, they
did marry during the child's infancy.[1]The couple divorced some time
after, and, as literary historian George Călinescu suggests, this
event imposed a "rough life" on Radu, explaining why he, an
aristocrat, maintained "quasi-proletarian" customs and sympathies.[2]
The same was noted by his younger friend Victor Eftimiu: "A boy of
select birth, [Rosetti] did not linger in that scornful Olympus of his
caste, but rather gave himself, spent himself, a troubadour and
proletarian, wherever he found impetus, suffering, elation."[8]
Unusually, Rosetti was a contemporary of his homonymous relative,
General Radu R. Rosetti (1877â€"1949). Since the latter was also
engaged in writing, Radu D. joked to his readers: "If you liked my
little work, know that I'm me [...], Radu D. Rosetti. If not, then I
wasn't me, [...] but my homonym, General Radu Rosetti. Phone him at
his house and call him names."[9] Repeatedly confused with the general
by reviewers such as George Panu, he adopted the initial "D."
(signaling his patronymic) as a distinguishing mark.[10]
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