Aron Densușianu (pen name of Aron Pop; November 19, 1837 – ) was an

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

-born

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n critic, literary historian, folklorist and poet. He was born in

Densuș Densuș (, ) is a commune in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania and the site of Densuș Church. It is composed of seven villages: Criva, Densuș, Hățăgel (''Hacazsel''), Peșteana (''Nagypestény''), Peștenița (''Kispestény''), Poieni ...

Hunedoara County Hunedoara County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva, Romania, Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as , ...

, in the

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

region. His parents were the

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

priest Vizantie Pop and his wife Sofia (''née'' Popovici). He was the brother of historian

Nicolae Densușianu Nicolae Densușianu (; 18 April 1846 – 24 March 1911) was a Romanian ethnologist and collector of Romanian folklore. He was a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy, with a specialty in history. His main work, for which he is chiefly ...

. From 1846 to 1848, he attended the normal school in

Hațeg Hațeg (; ; ) is a town in Hunedoara County, Romania with a population of 8,793 as of 2021. Three villages are administered by the town: Nălațvad (''Nalácvád''), Silvașu de Jos (''Alsószilvás''), and Silvașu de Sus (''Felsőszilvás''). I ...

, followed by the

Blaj Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Blußendref'') is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 17,816 inhabitants as of 2021. The city administers eight villages: Deleni-Obârșie ('' ...

gymnasium (1852–60) and the

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

legal academy (1860–64). He made his poetry debut in 1860 in ''Foaie pentru minte, inimă și literatură'' and submitted poems, critical studies and political articles to the main Transylvanian periodicals of the time: ''Amicul școalei'', ''Concordia'', ''Federațiunea'', ''Albina'', ''Transilvania'' and '' Familia''. A politically motivated trial was held against him in 1873, and he spent a month in prison.Ioan Octavian Tătar, ''Aron Densușianu despre Avram Iancu'', p. 97, in ''Restituiri. Acta Musei Devensis'', vol. V. Deva, 1997 In 1874–75, he edited the

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

political newspaper ''Orientul latin'', with his brother and Ioan Alexandru Lapedatu as collaborators. He belonged to

Astra Astra (Latin for "stars") may refer to: People * Astra (name) Places * Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina * Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey * Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became t ...

, and in 1877 was elected a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy. Residing at

Făgăraș Făgăraș (; , ) is a municipiu, city in central Romania, located in Brașov County. It lies on the Olt (river), Olt River and has a population of 26,284 as of 2021. It is situated in the historical region of Transylvania, and is the main city of ...

, he practiced law from 1864 to 1880; in 1881, he moved to the

Romanian Old Kingdom The Romanian Old Kingdom ( or just ''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 and Moldavia. The union of the ...

, settling in the

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

n capital of

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

. There, he was a professor of Latin language and literature at the

University of Iași The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...

, as well as a substitute professor of Romanian literary history. He was vice president of the city's

Cultural League for the Unity of All Romanians Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

chapter, and from 1893 to 1897 edited ''Revista critică-literară''. As a fiction writer, he was mediocre but prolific and ambitious; his work includes a two-volume saga, ''Negriada'' (1879, 1884). His main calling was as a critic and literary historian (''Aventuri literare'', 1881; ''Cercetări literare'', 1887). His views were grounded in a rigorous, classically oriented theoretical base; he was studious, conscientious and erudite, a competent interpreter of old literature as well as that dating to the

1848 revolution The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

era. However, he was less conscious of contemporary literature's achievements and a firm opponent of '' Junimism'', which caused his contributions to be neglected or minimized for a long time.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. I, p. 477. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. In 1864, he married Elena Circa, a native of Cernatu in

Brașov County Brașov County () is a county (județ) of Transylvania, Romania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș. Name In Hungarian language, Hungari ...

four years his junior. The couple had a number of children, including

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

; Eliza, who would marry Vespasian Erbiceanu; and Elena, a future physician and university professor married to Emil Pușcariu.Lucian Nastasă, ''Intelectualii și promovarea socială'', p. 36. Cluj-Napoca: Editura Limes, 2004.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Densusianu, Aron 1837 births 1900 deaths People from Hunedoara County Poets from Austria-Hungary Romanian Austro-Hungarians Prisoners and detainees of Austria-Hungary Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to Romania Academic staff of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University 19th-century Romanian lawyers Romanian poets Romanian opinion journalists Romanian magazine editors Romanian newspaper editors Corresponding members of the Romanian Academy 19th-century poets