23 Facts About Duiliu Zamfirescu

Duiliu Zamfirescu later studied at the Matei Basarab High School in Bucharest, before entering the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Law.

Duiliu Zamfirescu made his debut with a series of poems in Ghimpele review, and, later in the same year, became an enthusiastic supporter of the Romanian war effort during the Independence War, an experience which placed its mark on his later works and choice of subjects.

Duiliu Zamfirescu contributed articles in which he declared his dislike for naturalism, as well as distancing himself from the Realism of his contemporaries Ion Luca Caragiale and Ioan Slavici.

In 1882, after briefly serving as a prosecutor in Targoviste and resigning, Duiliu Zamfirescu moved back to Focsani, where he practiced law and was a French language substitute teacher.

Duiliu Zamfirescu began associating with the Junimea circle and began writing for its magazine, Convorbiri Literare, bringing his writings to the attention of Titu Maiorescu, while becoming a regular in the literary circle formed around the restaurant Casa Capsa.

Duiliu Zamfirescu is considered one of the most important writers to have been associated with Junimea during the final stage of its existence.

Duiliu Zamfirescu nonetheless maintained some distance to the society, and reportedly irritated Titu Maiorescu by collaborating with the newly established anti-Junimist magazines Literatura si Arta Romana.

Ultimately, in May 1885, Duiliu Zamfirescu was dispatched to Italy, as legation secretary in Rome, a position which he filled until 1906, with a hiatus during which he was assigned to Greece and later Belgium.

Duiliu Zamfirescu was a colleague of Dimitrie Ghyka, and remembered for welcoming the ethnic Romanian Transylvanian activist Badea Cartan during the latter's celebrated trip to the Italian capital.

Duiliu Zamfirescu married an Italian woman, Henrietta Allievi, who died in 1920.

In 1899, Duiliu Zamfirescu wrote a poem about Bukovina that was inspired by Mihai Eminescu's Doina.

In 1909, Duiliu Zamfirescu was accepted to the Academy, and delivered a much-discussed speech on the influence of Poporanism and traditionalism in literature, showing his disapproval for both currents.

Duiliu Zamfirescu thus attacked the use of folklore for direct inspiration, which saw Maiorescu, among others, defending folk literature and its supporters.

Duiliu Zamfirescu's last published works were his poetry volume Pe Marea Neagra and a collection of autobiographical pieces and short stories, O muza.

Duiliu Zamfirescu died at Agapia in 1922, and was buried in Focsani's southern cemetery.

Duiliu Zamfirescu's creations were original in style, blending a series of contrasting influences.

An opponent of both strict Realism and rural traditionalism, Duiliu Zamfirescu ridiculed the works of Junimist novelist Ioan Slavici as "sentimental mawkishness".

In many ways Duiliu Zamfirescu was a Realist, notably using the guidelines imposed by Junimea as a means to give an accurate portrayal of his characters' speech.

Researcher Zigu Ornea argued that the main disagreement between him and the literary society was over Maiorescu's view that the national values of Romania were mostly embodied by the peasants, with Duiliu Zamfirescu arguing that these had been preserved by the cultured groups of low-ranking boyars.

In parallel, Duiliu Zamfirescu introduced socialist agitators as negative characters, and, in Lume noua si lume veche, one of his less known novels, gave them the central stage as a means to satirize them.

Duiliu Zamfirescu remained a maverick throughout his life, and his publicized outbursts against various trends has probably contributed to the decline in interests among his public and critics.

Criticism of Duiliu Zamfirescu was especially acute after his 1909 speech, when both competing traditionalist currents, Poporanism and Samanatorul, attacked his work in its entirety.

However, according to Ornea, Duiliu Zamfirescu's novels serve as a bridge between Junimea and 20th century traditionalism.