Anghel Demetriescu (October 5, 1847 - July 18, 1903) was a
Romanian historian, writer and literary critic, who became a
member of the Romanian Academy in 1902.
Childhood and studies
Anghel Demetriescu was born on October 5, 1847, in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
,
province of Teleorman,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, then under the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. He was the son of Dumitru Simion, a dyer who owned a small dying studio in the city, and Chrysanta Simion (née Velleanu), the latter who hailed from a wealthier family, her brother being a doctor who worked in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. It is speculated that he was unsatisfied with his family name and thereby changed it to Demetriescu. His given name was given to him by his godfather, Anghel Dudrea of Alexandria. Not even his given name satisfied him, as he would often sign his name ''Ang. Demetriescu''.
Being the third of nine children of a modest family, Demetriescu had a rough upbringing. He was nevertheless a brilliant student in primary school, to the extent that his parents were urged to encourage him to continue pursuing his studies. Consequently, they enrolled him at ''Școala Reală'' in Alexandria (which later became the secondary school ''Alexandru Ghica''). Afterwards, he received a scholarship at Bucharest, first enrolling in the courses at ''Matei Basarab'' High School, and then at ''Sf. Sava'' High School.
Without passing the ''baccalaureate'', Demetriescu continued his studies at the College of Letters in Bucharest where he befriended
Dimitrie August Laurian Dimitrie is the Romanian form of a Slavic given name. Notable persons with that name include:
;First name
* Dimitrie Alexandresco (1850–1925), Romanian encyclopedist
* Dimitrie Anghel (1872–1914), Romanian poet
* Dimitri Atanasescu (1836–1907 ...
and
Ștefan C. Michăilescu, forming a group that gained some notoriety in the college, where they were called "''The Three''". To sustain himself financially, Demetriescu worked as an educator at the Macedo-Romanian School, a position which he obtained with the help of
Corneliu Diaconovich Corneliu is a Romanian given name, derived from Latin '' Cornelius''. Corneliu may refer to:
*Corneliu Baba
* Corneliu Bogdan
*Corneliu Calotescu
* Corneliu Carp
*Corneliu Chisu
*Corneliu Ciontu
*Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
*Corneliu Codreanu (football ...
.
After completing his college courses, Demetriescu did not pass his licensing examination or the ''baccalaureate'' exam at the culmination of high school. As a result, some contemporaries considered him self-educated.
V.D. Păun, one of his close friends and director and professor of Romanian language and literature at the
Gheorghe Lazăr High School in Bucharest commented this in regards to Demetriescu:
''"Demetriescu was not exactly what one would call self-educated, as some determined him to be and others understood him to be. It is true that he did not possess any academic titles, not even the baccalaureate. He became a professor in 1869, a time when simply graduating high school was still sufficient for competing for a chair at a faculty, whether secondary or university."''
After finishing his studies at the College of Letters, Demetriescu began his didactic and publishing activity. However, in 1878, through a competition at the Ministry of Cults, he receives a scholarship for foreign studies of philology and leaves for
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
to complete his literary and historical studies.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demetriescu, Anghel
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania)
19th-century Romanian historians
Romanian literary critics
Corresponding members of the Romanian Academy
People from Alexandria, Romania
1847 births
1903 deaths