Hello dear
readers, lovers of culture and quality reading!
Today I
invite you to a few lines about a romanian who has an emblematic cultural
activity. Mircea Eliade is one of those romanian personalities who make us
great honor in the world and is recognized abroad, at least in America, maybe
even better than in our country. That is why I chose today, to wash us from
this shame, to dedicate this great personalities.
Mircea
Eliade was born on 13 March 1907 and left in April 22, 1986. He was historian
of religion, fiction writer, philosopher and professor at the University of
Chicago, where he was even at the Department of Religions and honored with the
title of Distinguished Service Professor. His entire work can be close in more
than 80 books, including 30 volumes of scientific, literary and philosophical
essays and translated into 18 languages, and over 1200 articles and reviews
extremely versatile theme with a very well documented. And all this without to
mention and his intimate diaries and unpublished manuscripts.
Eliade is
of particular interest since childhood studies, reading with passion, despite
his father who was concerned that her threatening to put so weak. He read with
passion, one of his favorite authors as Honore Balzac. Also through his novels
Giovanni Papini and social-anthropological studies of James George Frazer.
Strikes and philosophy, studying the work of Vasile Conta, Marcus Aurelius and
Epictetus, and history, particularly studying the work of Niolae Iorga and
Hasdeu. Mircea Eliade thus learn Italian and English. In particular begins to
teach Persian and Hebrew.
With such
interest to study, Mircea Eliade was noticeable since 14 years, you already
wrote articles on entomology. Later, in 1925 writing his first novel,
autobiographical volume, entitled "Novel adolescent myopic". And four
years later he finished already the second novel, which comes as a continuation
of the first, "Gaudeamus", which appears Professor Nae Ionescu, who
was to have a decisive influence on his career, giving him a post in newspaper
"word".
Wishing to
broaden their intellectual horizons beyond French culture, then dominant in
Romania, Eliade learn Italian and at some travel in Italy knows them personally
and Vittorio Giovanni Papini Macchioro who have publications in the history of
religions. An indiscretion of the young Eliade, who publishes an interview of
Macchioro, mentioning some of his bitter remarks on Mussolini's regime, had
caused him trouble. In 1929 takes license with a thesis on Italian philosophy during
the Renaissance.
After
Italian culture, Indian philosophy is the second passion of Mircea Eliade.
Obtaining a particular stock, began to study Sanskrit and Yoga with
Surendranath Dasgupta in Kolkata. Returned to Bucharest, gives his doctorate in
philosophy with a dissertation on yoga. In 1933 the novel Maitreyi gain
popularity, based on experience in India and biographical data. Between 1932
and 1943 published several volumes of literary prose, essays and scientific
papers.
Since the
early '30s, Eliade ideology embraced Legionary Movement, for which he suffered,
was closed for a short time, by members of the Iron Guard, authorized campaign
of Charles II.
Since
1957, Mircea Eliade settles in Chicago as professor of comparative history of
religions at the "Loyola". His reputation grows with every year and
with each new work appeared, became illustrious member institutions, receives
more honorary doctorates.
As a
historian of religions, Mircea Eliade emphasized the concept of sacred space
and time. Sacred space is Eliade's conception center of the universe, while
rehearsal is a sacred time of the origin of the elements of the world, people
think that "horizon" of a particular religious group. In this
conception archaic humans were oriented in time and space, modern as
disoriented. But the modern man there is a hidden dimension, subconscious
governed by this deep secret of religious symbols. Department of History of
Religions at the University of Chicago named after him, as proof of his vast
contributions to the specialized literature in this field. In her chair
Professor Wendy Doniger followed. In the last years of life, despite the
serious health problems, Eliade continued to work editing the 18 volume
encyclopedia of religions, collecting contributions for the final volume of the
history and beliefs of his work designing a compendium of the history of
religions that appear as a small dictionary. Mircea Eliade died at the age of
79, on April 22, 1986, in Chicago, was cremated the next day.
To know
more about this man, I suggest you read at least some work.
God bless
you!
