Macedonski, Alexandru

Born Mar. 14, 1854, in Bucharest; died there Nov. 24, 1920. Rumanian poet.

Macedonski was educated abroad and in Bucharest. His first poetic efforts were published in a book entitled in Latin Prima Verba (First Words, 1872). Macedonski published the progressive newspaper Oltul (1873-76). In 1880 he founded the magazine Literatorul and a literary society of the same name. He was the author of the poetry collections The Extraordinary One (1897), Sacred Flowers (1912), and The Rondeau Poems (published in 1927).

Macedonski sought to bring about a renaissance in Rumanian lyric poetry. He formulated the theory of “instrumentalism,” or neoromanticism, which served as an introduction to Rumanian symbolism (discussed in his article “Poetry of the Future,” 1892). However, Macedonski’s formalistic inclinations were not a determining factor in his work, which was permeated by democratic ideas.