Ilarie Chendi (November 14, 1871 – June 23, 1913) was a Romanian literary critic. Born in Darlac,

Kis-Küküllő County Kis-Küküllő was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in central Romania (central Transylvania). Kis-Küküllő is the Hungarian name for the river Târnava Mică. The capital of the county was ' ...

, now Dârlos,

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county ( ro, județ) of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat ( ro, reședință de județ) is the namesake town of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben m ...

, in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, his father Vasile was a

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...

priest, while his mother Eliza (''née'' Hodoș) was related to

Alexandru Papiu Ilarian Alexandru Papiu-Ilarian (27 September 1827 – ) was a Romanian revolutionary, lawyer and historian. Papiu Ilarian was born in Bezded ( hu, Bezdédtelek), Kingdom of Hungary (today part of Gârbou, Romania) on 27 September 1827. His father wa ...

and Nerva Hodoș. His father's clerical family originated in Șaroṣ, while his mother's father was a priest in

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

. In 1894, he graduated from the theological seminary in

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

and enrolled in the Literature faculty of the

University of Budapest A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, which he left in 1898.Ilarie Chendi, Răzvan Voncu, ''Eminescu şi vremea sa'', p.13. Editura Viitorul Românesc, 1999 He made his prose-writing debut in 1893, and in 1898 settled 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 ...

, capital of the

Romanian Old Kingdom The Romanian Old Kingdom ( ro, Vechiul Regat or just ''Regat''; german: Regat or ) is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia ...

. He published three volumes of critical columns, fragments and impressions over the course of three years (1903, 1904 and 1905), an unprecedented level of activity for a Romanian critic. Further works of impressions and literary biography followed in 1908 and 1911. For a time, he was aligned with the ''

Sămănătorul ''Sămănătorul'' or ''Semănătorul'' (, Romanian for "The Sower") was a literary and political magazine published in Romania between 1901 and 1910. Founded by poets Alexandru Vlahuță and George Coșbuc, it is primarily remembered as a tribune ...

'' circle of

Nicolae Iorga Nicolae Iorga (; sometimes Neculai Iorga, Nicolas Jorga, Nicolai Jorga or Nicola Jorga, born Nicu N. Iorga;Iova, p. xxvii. 17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet ...

, but broke with them in 1906. He then founded ''Viaţa literară'', later ''Viaţa literară şi artistică'', a magazine that appeared over the course of the year 1907 and that he wrote almost in its entirety, sometimes under pseudonyms. Although still influenced by his former colleagues' ideas—

Zigu Ornea Zigu Ornea (; born Zigu Orenstein Andrei Vasilescu"La ceas aniversar – Cornel Popa la 75 de ani: 'Am refuzat numeroase demnități pentru a rămâne credincios logicii și filosofiei analitice.' ", in Revista de Filosofie Analitică', Vol. II, N ...

labeled the publication "a dissident ''sămănătorist'' magazine"—he pursued a somewhat independent course, engaging in bitterly ironic polemics with Iorga. Chendi was among the founders of the

Romanian Writers' Society The Romanian Writers' Society ( ro, Societatea Scriitorilor Români) was a professional association based in Bucharest, Romania, that aided the country's writers and promoted their interests. Founded in 1909, it operated for forty years before the e ...

. His intellectual ascendancy was ongoing when he committed suicide in 1913. According to

Nicolae Manolescu Nicolae Manolescu (; b. 27 November 1939, Râmnicu Vâlcea) is a Romanian literary critic. As an editor of '' România Literară'' literary magazine, he has reached a record in reviewing books for almost 30 years. Elected a corresponding member ...

, he was Romania's first professional literary critic. Nicolae Manolescu
"Centenar Ilarie Chendi"
''România literară'', 49/2013

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chendi, Ilarie 1871 births 1913 suicides People from Sibiu County Romanian Austro-Hungarians Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Romanian literary critics Romanian magazine founders Suicides in Romania Burials at Bellu Cemetery