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Anonymous sketch of Bogdan-Pitești, 1917 (signed Correggio)
Alexandru Bogdan-Pitești (Romanian pronunciation:[alekˈsandruboɡˈdanpiˈteʃtʲ]; born Alexandru Bogdan, also known as Ion Doican, Ion Duican and Al. Dodan; June 13, 1870 – May 12, 1922) was a RomanianSymbolist poet, essayist, and art and literary critic, who was also known as a journalist and left-wing political agitator. A wealthy landowner, he invested his fortune in patronage and art collecting, becoming one of the main local promoters of modern art, and a sponsor of the Romanian Symbolist movement. Together with other Post-Impressionist and Symbolist cultural figures, Bogdan-Pitești established Societatea Ileana, which was one of the first Romanian associations dedicated to promoting the avant-garde and independent art. He was also noted for his friendship with the writers Joris-Karl Huysmans, Alexandru Macedonski, Tudor Arghezi and Mateiu Caragiale, as well as for sponsoring, among others, the painters Ștefan Luchian, Constantin Artachino and Nicolae Vermont. In addition to his literary and political activities, Alexandru Bogdan-Pitești was himself a painter and graphic artist.
Much of Bogdan-Pitești's controversial political career, inaugurated by his support for anarchism, was dedicated to activism and support for revolution. He also had an interest in the occult, and maintained close contacts with Joséphin "Sâr" Péladan—sponsoring Péladan's journey to Bucharest (1898). He was detained by the authorities at various intervals, including an arrest for sedition during the 1899 election, and was later found guilty of having blackmailed the banker Aristide Blank. Late in his life, he led Seara, a Germanophile daily, as well as a literary and political circle which came to oppose Romania's entry into World War I on the Entente Powers' side. He was arrested one final time upon the end of the war, by which time he had become the object of public hatred. The enduring mysteries and contradictions of Bogdan-Pitești's career have since drawn interest from several generations of art and literary historians. (Full article...)
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Yo (English: "I" or "Me") is the sixth studio album by Romanian singer Inna, released on 31 May 2019 by Global Records and Roc Nation. Inna began work on the record in 2016; inspired by a recent trip to Latin America, she decided the album would feature only Spanish language material. Inna contributed significantly to the songwriting process of Yo, and collaborated extensively with Romanian producer David Ciente on its songs. An experimental and heavily gypsy music-influenced effort, Yo marks the first time Inna took control over an album's creative process; it acts as a departure from her past EDM releases. Lyrically, Inna sings about love, and presents several female characters seen from different perspectives throughout the album.
Upon its release, music critics received Yo with positive reviews, commending its experimental nature and the resulting expansion of Inna's artistry. To promote the album, five singles were released from September 2018 to May 2019—"Ra", "Iguana", "Sin Ti", "Tu Manera" and "Te Vas". Of these, "Iguana" experienced commercial success in Romania, peaking at number four on the country's Airplay 100 chart. In addition, Inna made several public appearances in the United States and Mexico to promote "Ra", such as the 2018 Telehit Awards and 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, alongside promotion through Inna's inclusion in magazines such as Rolling Stone and Vogue México y Latinoamérica. A music video directed by Bogdan Păun was filmed for each of the album's tracks, which feature the singer embodying different women as part of independent storylines. (Full article...)
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Romania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. They selected their entry, "Pe-o margine de lume" (English: "On an edge of the world"), by Romanian singers Nico and Vlad through the national selection competition Selecția Națională 2008 in February 2008. Controversy surrounded the event, as the organising broadcaster, Romanian Television (TVR), was accused of conspiracy, and the song reviewed for plagiarism. Prior to the 2008 contest, Romania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest ten times since its first entry in 1994. Its highest placing in the contest had been third place, which the nation achieved in 2005. In 2007, Romania finished in 13th place.
Prior to Eurovision, "Pe-o margine de lume" was promoted by a music video and live performances in Greece, Moldova, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain and Cyprus. Romania qualified in seventh place from the contest's first semi-final on 20 May and ultimately finished in 20th place in the Grand Final on 24 May, achieving 45 points. This remains one of the country's lowest Eurovision placements. Nico and Vlad were accompanied by three backing vocalists and a piano player during their performance, and sang in front of a dark-coloured LED screen. Among other accolades, "Pe-o margine de lume" won a Marcel Bezençon award in the composers' category. (Full article...)
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"Kylie" is a song by Romanian group Akcent from their fourth studio album, S.O.S. (2005). It was written by two of the group's members, Adrian Sînă and Marius Nedelcu, alongside its producers Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea, Marcel Botezan and Viorel Şipoş. The track was initially released as "Dragoste de închiriat" (Romanian: "Love for Rent") on 28 January 2005, before being re-released in June in English under its current title. "Kylie" is a dance track which describes the group's fondness of Australian singer Kylie Minogue.
Reception towards the group's association with Minogue was mixed, two reviewers were critical of it, while one considered that it made the group stand out. Commercially, "Dragoste de închiriat" reached number two in Romania, while "Kylie" entered the charts in several European countries, including Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. A music video, directed by Iulian Moga, premiered on MTV in April 2005. It depicts the group's members engaging in suggestive actions with one woman separately. The group performed both versions of the song on various occasions.[citation needed] (Full article...)
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"Un Momento" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna featuring Spanish singer and rapper Juan Magán. It was released as the third single from her second studio album, I Am the Club Rocker (2011), on 18 July 2011. The track was written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan, along with additional production from Magán. "Un Momento" has been described as flamenco–influenced, with acoustic guitar instrumentation. The recording is bilingual, with lyrics written in both English and Spanish language.
The track was received favorably, with music critics praising its catchiness and summery style. To promote "Un Momento", an accompanying music video was shot by Alex Herron in late July 2011 and uploaded onto Inna's YouTube channel on 9 August 2011 to positive responses. She further promoted the recording through live performances, including two at the World Trade Center Mexico City in 2012 and 2016. Commercially, "Un Momento" reached the top 20 in Slovakia, Turkey and Romania. (Full article...)
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"Déjà Vu" is a song by Romanian musician Bob Taylor and Romanian recording artist Inna for the latter's debut studio album, Hot (2009). Released in June 2009, it was written and produced by Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan. Musically, the single is of the dance genre, and originally contained the vocals of Romanian singer Alessia. However, after a feud over compensation between Taylor and her, the song was handed to Inna, although the early version had already been released.
When premiering the new version of "Déjà Vu", Taylor and Inna opted for pseudonyms before revealing their identity later. In order to accompany the single, a music video was shot at a club in Neptun, Romania by Tom Boxer, and it initially did not feature Inna until another version of the visual showed footage of her in Turkey. Commercially, the recording experienced success in European countries, reaching the top ten of the charts in Greece, the Commonwealth of Independent States, France and Romania, among others. "Déjà Vu" was certified Gold by the Dutch Association of Producers and Importers of Image and Sound Carriers (NVPI) for selling over 10,000 copies in the Netherlands. (Full article...)
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Multiple record charts have been inaugurated in Romania since the 1990s. The Romanian Top 100 was the country's national chart until 2012. Founded in 1995, it was a ranking based on the compilation of charts submitted by local Romanian radio stations. The Romanian Top 100 was published weekly and was also announced during a radio show starting in 1998. Compilation of the list was first handled by Body M Production A-V, followed by Media Forest. In the 2010s, the chart was announced during a podcast on Kiss FM, but the broadcast ended in February 2012.
Later that month, the Airplay 100—which was compiled by Media Forest and also broadcast by Kiss FM—replaced the Romanian Top 100 as a national chart. Until its cancellation in November 2021, it measured the airplay of songs on radio stations and television channels throughout the country. For a short period of time during the late 2000s and early 2010s, Nielsen Music Control and Uniunea Producătorilor de Fonograme din România (UPFR) jointly published airplay charts; UPFR resumed publishing charts in November 2021, in collaboration with BMAT. Media Forest has also been issuing weekly radio and television airplay charts since 2009. In February 2022, Billboard inaugurated Romania Songs, a streaming and digital download-based chart compiled by MRC Data. (Full article...)
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"Cliché (Hush Hush)" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan for her Japan-only reissue of the same name (2013). Written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, it was first released for digital download on 3 October 2012 in Romania through MediaPro. Described as a dance-pop track that features eurodance elements into its sound, "Cliché (Hush Hush)" discusses different themes of love. An accompanying music video for the single was posted onto YouTube on 27 September 2012, being filmed by Iulian Moga at Palatul Snagov. It was generally praised by music critics, with Los 40 Principales citing it under their list of Stan's best clips. Particularly, a scene of the video was compared to vampire movies for teenagers, while another one to 1970s film works. The track peaked at number 91 in native Romania, as well as at numbers 11 and 28 in Japan and Italy, respectively. It was promoted by several live performances, including a tour throughout the United States and an appearance at French music event Starlooor 2012. (Full article...)
Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. An epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula. Harker escapes the castle after discovering that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, investigate, hunt and kill Dracula.
Dracula was mostly written in the 1890s. Stoker produced over a hundred pages of notes for the novel, drawing extensively from Transylvanian folklore and history. Some scholars have suggested that the character of Dracula was inspired by historical figures like the Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler or the countess Elizabeth Báthory, but there is widespread disagreement. Stoker's notes mention neither figure. He found the name Dracula in Whitby's public library while on holiday, thinking it meant devil in Romanian. (Full article...)
"Me Gusta" (English: "I Like") is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna. Written by Inna and produced by David Ciente, the track was released for digital download and streaming on 14 February 2018 by Roton and Empire Music Management. "Me Gusta" is a Spanish language song, featuring an electronic production and beat drops. A reviewer noted an Asian sound. Lyrically, Inna admires a man's presence and dance abilities.
Music critics were positive towards "Me Gusta", praising its production and catchiness, and predicting its commercial success. An accompanying music video for the song was uploaded onto Inna's official YouTube channel on 13 February 2018 to positive response. Shot by Barna Nemethi, it shows Inna performing to the track on streets of Bucharest and Barcelona. Prior to the single's release, Inna sang "Me Gusta" on Romanian radio station Radio ZU. Commercially, it peaked at number 89 in Romania. (Full article...)
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Blanche Zélia Joséphine Delacroix, better known as Caroline Lacroix (French pronunciation:[kaʁɔlinlakʁwa]; 13 May 1883 – 12 February 1948), was the most prominent and notorious of Leopold II of Belgium's mistresses.
Delacroix, who was of French origin, met the king in Paris as a young girl, when she was only 16 and he was 65. At that time, she earned her living from prostitution. They soon embarked upon a relationship that was to last until his death in 1909. Leopold lavished upon her large sums of money, estates, gifts, and a noble title, baronne de Vaughan (Baroness Vaughan). Because of these presents, Caroline was deeply unpopular both among the Belgian people and internationally, as Leopold became increasingly criticized for his greed-induced actions in the Congo Free State, his own personal colony. As Caroline largely profited from the king's income from the colony, she became known as La reine du Congo ("The Queen of the Congo"). (Full article...)
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"No Sleepin'" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Corina and Romanian rapper JJ, released on 25 October 2010. It was written by Andrei Maria, Corina and JJ, and produced by Maria, Bogdan Albulescu, Corina and Șerban Cazan. "No Sleepin'" marked the singer's return to the music industry after a hiatus. Musically, it is a synthpop-influenced uptempo dance song featuring a piano and a clink sound in its instrumentation; its lyrics revolve around partying at night and not sleeping.
A music critic from Romanian website Divercity Cafe was positive towards the track, predicting its commercial success, while another compared it to the works of DJ BoBo. To accompany "No Sleepin'", a music video was premiered on 13 January 2011. Filmed by Marian Dinescu at the Casa Scriitorilor in Bucharest, Romania, it portrays Corina impersonating a female punkburlesque character. The visual received a nomination in the Best Video category at the 2011 Romanian Music Awards. Further promoted by a live performance at the aforementioned event, the track peaked within the top ten in Romania and on the Polish television airplay chart, as well as within the top 60 in Russia. (Full article...)
Panait Cerna (Romanian pronunciation:[panaˈitˈt͡ʃerna]; Bulgarian: Панайот Черна, Panayot Cherna, born Panayot Stanchov or Panait Staciov; August 26 or September 25, 1881 – March 26, 1913) was a Romanian poet, philosopher, literary critic and translator. A native speaker of Bulgarian, Cerna nonetheless wrote in Romanian, and developed a traditionalist style which was connected with classicism and neoclassicism. Praised by the conservative literary society Junimea, he was promoted by its leader Titu Maiorescu, as well as by Maiorescu's disciples Mihail Dragomirescu and Simion Mehedinţi. Cerna became the group's main representative during its decline, contributing to both major Junimist magazines, Convorbiri Literare and Convorbiri Critice. He also contributed pieces to the traditionalist magazine Sămănătorul, and was briefly affiliated with other literary journals.
... that Soviet politician Pavel Chioru wanted "Moldovan", which he developed from a dialect of Romanian, to serve as a language of the "exploited" against the supposedly upper-class Romanian?
... that Romanian actress Mitzura Arghezi was once told by her father that her career path held "few satisfactions [...] if you're not a director's wife, a manager's wife, this and that man's girlfriend"?
... that Dimitrie Ralet, a pioneer Romanian orientalist, commended Ottoman reformers for not "blindly adopting what we in Europe take to mean civilization"?
...that Romania's Palace of Parliament, despite the building process not being completely finished, is the biggest building in Europe and the second-largest building in the world?
Image 15Lieutenant Emil Rebreanu was awarded the Medal for Bravery in gold, the highest military award given by the Austrian command to an ethnic Romanian; he would later be hanged for desertion while trying to escape to Romania. (from History of Romania)
Image 18Romania after the territorial losses of 1940. The recovery of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina was the catalyst for Romania's entry into the war on Germany's side. (from History of Romania)
Image 23The Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1786, Italian map by G. Pittori, since the geographer Giovanni Antonio Rizzi Zannoni (from History of Romania)
Image 351941 stamp depicting a Romanian and a German soldier in reference to the two countries' common participation in Operation Barbarossa. The text below reads the holy war against Bolshevism. (from History of Romania)
Image 55Romania has seen its largest waves of protests against judicial reform ordinances of the PSD-ALDE coalition during the 2017–2019 Romanian protests. (from History of Romania)
Image 62Ethnic map of Greater Romania according to the 1930 census. Sizeable ethnic minorities put Romania at odds with Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union throughout the interwar period. (from History of Romania)
Image 88Bran Castle (German: Törzburg, Hungarian: Törcsvár) built in 1212, is commonly known as Dracula's Castle and is situated in the centre of present-day Romania. In addition to its unique architecture, the castle is famous because of persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad III Dracula. (from History of Romania)
Image 89The map that shows the Dacian invasion of Boii and Taurisci (from History of Romania)
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