Tale
Povestea poveștilor
Not translated into English
Constantin Stamati · 1843
Synopsis
A tale in blank verse that describes, while idealising them, the beginnings of Moldavia. First published under the title of Eroul Ciubăr Vodă, after its hero, it blends with the motifs of popular tales, native or widely circulated in Europe, a marvellous element from the East; echoes have been heard in it of Ruslan and Ludmila, Pushkin's tale in verse, which the author had known in Chișinău.
Context
The text appeared in Iași in 1843. It has been seen as a synthesis of the popular spirit and the oriental fantastic. An online essay links it to the tradition of Ariosto, and an article on the ballad of Dragoș, another verse tale by the same author, notes echoes of Pushkin in it. The author wrote from Chișinău, in territory that had become Russian, and published in Iași, in Moldavia, which had remained autonomous.
Who it is for
A narrative in unrhymed Romanian verse, with no known translation; a little history of Bessarabia, which became Russian in 1812, sheds light on the author's position.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as the most important work of its author, one of the founding academicians of 1866.
Sources for this page 2
The pages consulted to check this page.