A statue of Mihai Eminescu in

Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...

, Romania, is located in Mihai Eminescu Park on Domnească Street.

Preparations

In March 1909, an organizing committee was set up with the goal of commemorating 20 years since the death of poet

Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active membe ...

. Its members planned to finance a statue from sales of a book dedicated to Eminescu and a medallion, as well as through donations. The committee included

Jean Bart Jean Bart (; ; 21 October 1650 – 27 April 1702) was a French Admiral, naval commander and privateer. Early life Jean Bart was born in Dunkirk, France, Dunkirk in 1650 to a seafaring family, the son of Jean-Cornil Bart (c. 1619-1668) who has b ...

and

Henric Sanielevici Henric Sanielevici (, first name also Henri, Henry or Enric, last name also Sanielevich; September 21, 1875 – February 19, 1951) was a Romanian journalist and literary critic, also remembered for his work in anthropology, ethnography, sociology ...

. Press reports were favorable, except for Nicolae Iorga’s ''Neamul românesc'', which commented ironically on Sanielevici.

Ion Scurtu Ion Scurtu (–July 23, 1922) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian literary critic. A native of Brașov, in the Transylvania region, he attended the local Romanian high school, where his father was a teacher. He then entered Budapest Unive ...

helped promote the initiative 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 ...

. In June, 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 ...

organized a fundraising event at the Papadopol Theater in Galați; participants included Mihail Sadoveanu, Cincinat Pavelescu,

Ion Minulescu Ion Minulescu (; 6 January 1881 – 11 April 1944) was a Romanian avant-garde poet, novelist, short story writer, journalist, literary critic, and playwright. Often publishing his works under the pseudonyms I. M. Nirvan and Koh-i-Noor (the latte ...

Dimitrie Anghel Dimitrie Anghel (; July 16, 1872 – November 13, 1914) was a Romanian poet. Anghel was of Aromanian descent from his father. His first poem was published in ''Contemporanul'' (1890). His debut editorial ''Traduceri din Paul Verlaine'' was publi ...

and

Eugen Lovinescu Eugen Lovinescu (; 31 October 1881 – 16 July 1943) was a Romanian modernist literary historian, literary critic, academic, and novelist, who in 1919 established the ''Sburătorul'' literary club. He was the father of Monica Lovinescu, and the u ...

; attendance was somewhat sparse.Păltăna and Țurlan, p. 249

Description and unveiling

By 1911, sufficient funds for the statue had been gathered. The commission was granted to

Frederic Storck Frederic Storck (19 January 1872, Bucharest – 26 December 1942, Bucharest) was a Romanian sculptor. His father was the sculptor Karl Storck. His brother, Carol Storck, was also a sculptor and his wife, Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck was a painter. ...

. Iorga wrote of the work: “instead of showing a gentleman in a jacket or even a frock”, similar to photographs of the poet, the sculptor “has made to arise from a large block of marble, given meaning by the blows of his hammer, a serene, gentle figure—not dreamy, but the grandly disarming portrait of the poet in the fullness of maturity, in complete control of his genius. An agile woman’s body unfolds from the stone, causing the flame of a torch to flutter—surely the symbol of the lively verses that the poet plucked from the harshness of his surrounding life”. The unveiling, delayed by a cholera epidemic, took place in October 1911. It was widely reported by the local and national press. Two Romanian-language journals from Austria-Hungary, ''Românul'' of Arad and Luceafărul of

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 ...

, sent delegations. Duiliu Zamfirescu represented the Romanian Academy, Education Minister

Constantin C. Arion Constantin C. Arion (also known as Costică Arion; Constantin Țoiu"Fără șase 1OO (II)", in ''România Literară'', Nr. 37/2003 June 18, 1855 – June 27, 1923) was a Romanian politician, affiliated with the National Liberal Party, the ...

the government. Iorga, Anghel and

Ioan A. Bassarabescu Ioan Alecu Bassarabescu (commonly rendered I. A. Bassarabescu; December 17, 1870 - March 27, 1952) was a Romanian comedic writer, civil servant and politician, who served one term (1926–1927) in the Senate of Romania. His work, mainly in prose ...

also spoke. Afterwards, a theatrical performance of an

Émile Augier Guillaume Victor Émile Augier (; 17 September 182025 October 1889) was a French dramatist. He was the thirteenth member to occupy seat 1 of the Académie française on 31 March 1857. Biography Augier was born at Valence, Drôme Valence (, ...

play, starring

Maria Filotti Maria Filotti (9 October 1883, Batogu, Brăila, Batogu, Brăila County, Romania – 5 November 1956, Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian actress . She was described as one of the "prestigious actors of the great realistic school" and the "directres ...

, had verses by Eminescu interpolated. Others present that day included Sadoveanu, Minulescu, Bart,

Emil Gârleanu Emil Gârleanu ( 4/5 January 1878 – 2 July 1914) was a Romanian prose writer. Born in Iași, his parents were Emanoil Gârleanu, a colonel in the Romanian Army, and his wife Pulcheria (''née'' Antipa). He began high school in his native c ...

Alexandru Cazaban Alexandru Cazaban (October 6, 1872–May 24, 1966) was a Romanian prose writer. Born in Iași to François Cazaban, who was of French origin, he graduated from the city's National College in 1895, following which he entered an architecture ...

Al. T. Stamatiad Al. T. Stamatiad (common rendition of Alexandru Teodor Maria Stamatiad, or Stamatiade; May 9, 1885 – December 1955) was a Romanian Symbolist poet, short story writer, and dramatist. A late arrival on the local Symbolist scene, he was primarily ...

Corneliu Moldovanu Corneliu Moldovanu (pen name of Corneliu Vasiliu; 15 August 1883 – 2 September 1952) was a Romanian poet, prose writer and playwright. Born in Bârlad, his parents were Dumitrache Vasiliu, a merchant, and his wife Ruxandra (''née'' Rășca ...

and

Natalia Negru Natalia Negru (December 5, 1882 – September 2, 1962) was a Romanian poet and prose writer. Although her literary contributions were relatively minor, she is noted for being at the center of a love triangle involving her first husband, Ște ...

.Păltăna and Țurlan, p. 251

Reaction and legacy

The festivities led to a rise in popularity of the city's

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, prompting attacks by the local National Liberal press. These began with criticism of Arion and the ''

Junimist ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost persona ...

''s in power, continuing with epigrams and poems highlighting the Liberal viewpoint. At last, the opposition announced its intention to create a rival committee. This “non-partisan” body would ensure that the statue be moved “from its prosaic corner in the municipal park, surrounded by cafes, bars and tobacco stores, to the public garden, among the leaves of which the lonely poet sang with such affection”. The proposed finale would be a new, “dignified, purely cultural” inauguration presided by Alexandru Vlahuță, George Coșbuc and Ion Luca Caragiale.Păltăna and Țurlan, pp. 251-52 While two earlier busts existed, the Galați monument is the oldest sculpture of Eminescu. Every year, commemorations are held to mark his birth (January 15) and death (June 15).Zanfir Ilie, “Eminescu la Galați - mai bine de un secol de legendă și de iubire”, in ''Biblioteca'', nr. 10/2018 Beginning in 1998, unknown persons have cut off the torch-bearing hand of the female figure, typically in the days before January 15. Despite the installation of security cameras, no one has ever been apprehended. Some 20 times, the hand has had to be replaced with a plaster replica. The statue is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Județul Galați

Notes

References

*Paul Păltăna and Valentin Țurlan, “Noi mărturii privitoare la ridicarea monumentului lui Mihai Eminescu la Galați“, in ''Danubius'', vol. IV/1970, pp. 245–59 {{coord missing, Romania Historic monuments in Galați County Buildings and structures in Galați Outdoor sculptures in Romania Marble sculptures in Romania 1911 establishments in Romania 1911 sculptures Mihai Eminescu