Alecsandri, Vasile (1821–1890)

Romanian poet and dramatist. As a director of the new National Theatre in Iaşi from 1840, he wrote Chirita in Iaşi (1850) and Chirita in provincie (1852). Later he turned to historical drama. His collection of folk poetry, Poesii populare (1852), was a milestone in Romanian literature.

After studying in Paris, Alecsandri adapted several French farces to provide a repertoire for the National Theatre before writing his own, based on contemporary Moldavian society; the most successful of these were the Chirita plays. His historical drama includes Despot Voda (1879), Fântâna Blanduziei (1884), and Ovidiu (1885).

His Poesii populare was significant in helping to give Romanian poetry a national image and, through translation, making it known to the rest of Europe. The influence of folk poetry is strong in his lyrical poems Doine şi lacrimioare (1853). Alecsandri's most successful poems are the Pasteluri 1868–75, which derive inspiration from the Moldavian landscape.

The bard of the union of Moldavia and Wallachia, he was appointed Romanian minister in Paris in 1885.