Barbu ÃÂtefÃÂnescu Delavrancea; pen name of Barbu ÃÂtefan; April 11, 1858 â April 29, 1918) was a Romanian writer and poet, considered one of the greatest figures in the National awakening of Romania.
He was born on April 11, 1858, in Delea NouÃÂ, then a village in Ilfov County, now a suburb of Bucharest. He was the ninth child of ÃÂtefan TudoricÃÂ Albu and Iana (Ioana). His father originated from Vrancea County. Assigned to Sohatu, Ilfov County, he left Vrancea for Bucharest and became guildmaster of carters transporting grain from the scaffolds of Giurgiu and OlteniÃÂa. Barbu's mother was the daughter of widow Stana from Postovari, on the Filipescu estate.
Barbu ÃÂtefÃÂnescu Delavrancea spent the first years of life with his father, then learned to read and write with deacon Ion Pestreanu from New St. George Church. In 1866, he enrolled in the Boys' School no. 4 directly in the second grade. Educator Spirache DÃÂnilescu added the father's surname suffix "-escu", and thus the future writer bore the name Barbu ÃÂtefÃÂnescu. In 1867 he transferred to the Royal School, where he followed the third and fourth classes. He attended the first class of high school at Gheorghe LazÃÂr, and the other seven classes at Saint Sava. In 1878 he enrolled in the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest. After graduating in 1882, he went for specialization in Paris, but failed to obtain his doctorate.
In 1912 Barbu ÃÂtefÃÂnescu Delavrancea became a titular member of the Romanian Academy. He worked as a substitute teacher at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Bucharest, journalist, lawyer (notable is the Caion trial, filed to Ion Luca Caragiale in conjunction with the paternity of drama The Scourge, when in the courtroom, to listen to the arguments of lawyers, was entered only upon invitation), and writer (novelist and playwright).
His publicistic activity consisted in collaboration with several newspapers, including România Liberàand Epoca (from 1884), whose editor he was. In 1887 he led, for a short period, Lupta LiterarÃÂ, and the following year he became editor of Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu's magazine Revista Nouàand a collaborator to DemocraÃÂia and VoinÃÂa naÃÂionalÃÂ. In 1893 he started working with Literatura ÃÂi ÃÂtiinÃÂa of Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea. Other publications to which he contributed were: Revista LiterarÃÂ, Familia, and Românul.
His literary debut occurred in 1877 with the patriotic poem Stante, part of the volume Poiana lungÃÂ, signed Barbu. In 1883 he debuted as a novelist with SultÃÂnica, followed by Bunicul, Bunica, Domnul Vucea, and especially, Hagi Tudose (1903). In the following year he published under the pseudonym "Delavrancea". Drawing on Romanian folklore, he published several tales: NeghiniÃÂÃÂ, Palatul de cleÃÂtar, DÃÂparte, dÃÂparte, MoÃÂ CrÃÂciun, etc.
Barbu ÃÂtefÃÂnescu Delavrancea is widely known especially for his historical trilogy, Apus de soare (1909), Viforul (1910), and LuceafÃÂrul (1910), works full of romantic breath.
As a politician, he held the following offices:
He married Maria Delavrancea, with whom he had four children, including Cella Delavrancea and Henrieta Delavrancea. He died in 1918 in IaÃÂi and was buried in the city's Eternitatea Cemetery.