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Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
Arhipelag XXI Press, Tîrgu Mureș, 2017. eISBN: 978-606-8624-12-9
110
Section: Literature
TITU MAIORESCU - THE FIRST TRANSLATOR OF ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER’S WORKS
IN EUROPE
Luiza Marinescu Assoc. Prof., PhD, ”Spiru Haret” University of Bucharest
Abstract: Throughout his entire life and work, Titu Maiorescu (1840-1917) could be considered a great thinker, a tutor and a fighter for assertion of values in Romanian culture in one of the most
emergent epochs in the history of Romanian literature: 1863-1917. Arthur Schopenhauer came
into the world on February 22, 1788 in Danzig [Gdansk, Poland] in a Dutch family implied in international business trade both as a merchant and as a ship-owner. As a translator in Romanian
of Arthur Schopenhauerřs work (1788-1866), Titu Maiorescu opened new knowledge tracks to the
work of one of the most important thinkers of the time, whose philosophy, with an aesthetic
perception of life, more musical and literary in the ability of expression and in the styles of understanding had been widely influential in the 20
th century thinkers. Both scholars, Arthur
Schopenhauer and Titu Maiorescu stated that the highest purpose of art is to communicate
Platonic Ideas. The subject matter and stylistic arrangement of the Aphorisms were significant influences on the work of Titu Maiorescu whose later work exploresŕfollowing Schopenhauerŕ
the relation of man to himself, the universe, the state, and women through the art of aphorism.
Keywords: Titu Maiorescu, Zizin Cantacuzino, Arthur Schopenhauer, first European translation
of Parerga und Paralipomena, aphorisms
Among the famous personalities who used to attend the Junimea society (1863) and
the review Convorbiri literare / Literary Discussions Ŕ translated title (1867) we first
remind the five founders: Titu Maiorescu, Vasile Pogor, P. P. Carp, Th. Rosetti, Iacob
Negruzzi, then Mihai Eminescu, Ion Creangă, I. L. Caragiale, Ioan Slavici, Vasile
Alecsandri, Vasile Conta, A. D. Xenopol, N. Gane, a.s.o. 150 years ago, on March the 1st,
1867, the first issue of the journal Literary Discussions was published at Junimea Society
Printing House in Iasi, the editor of this publication being Iacob Negruzzi (one of the
three Costache Negruzzi's sons). Iacob Negruzzi was also a writer, a playwright, a literary
critic, a jurist, a professor of commercial law, a member of the Danube Star Masonic
Lodge in1866, the founding member of Romanian literary association Junimea and he
was twice elected as the President of the Romanian Academy (25 May 1910 - 25 May
1913, 6 June 1923 - 12 June 1926) and the General Secretary of the prestigious academic
forum (May 28, 1915 - June 6, 1925).Iacob Negruzzi was the editor-in-chief of
Convorbiri literare (the Literary Discussions - translated title) for 28 years until 1895.
With a certain intuition and refinement - characteristic of his education, his mission was
to select for publishing the works of Romanian writers, who are considered to be the
greatRomanian classics.
Romanian Literary Association Junimea and its publication, Literary Discussions
represented a unique spiritual phenomenon from the middle of the nineteenth century, meant to
establish a new order of literary values in a post-revolutionary epoch shaded by blurring and
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
Arhipelag XXI Press, Tîrgu Mureș, 2017. eISBN: 978-606-8624-12-9
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Section: Literature
confusion of all kinds. The moment of the founding, the ŖFolk Lecturesŗ, the review
Literary Discussions, Junimea authorsř works were meant to select and promote prototypes
of great Romanian classics writers, meaning "first-class" authors or wordsmith, men or women
of letters, penmen, novelists, essayists, biographers, journalists, columnists, correspondents,
models for the next Romanian literary generations.
Titu Maiorescu and all the other writers from Junimea Society were called Ŗmind
boyarsŗ (see Sorin Adam Matei Boierii minţii: Intelectualii români între grupurile de
prestigiu şi piata liberă a ideilor - 2004) through the character of their studies in France and
Germany and the manner in which these Romanian intellectuals are organized, as well as
the social relationships and the ideologies they produced as an intellectual group
interested in gaining access to power. Romanian intellectuals from Junimea society were
also structured in a "prestigious group" that lead the reign of the traditional, aristocratic
world and establish a social state they call "paramodernŗ.
Titu Maiorescu was a professional philosopher. This fact was also proved through his
PhD thesis in Latin (on Herbart's philosophy), through his presence in the Philosophical
Society from Berlin where he was a very young and active member, through his famous
philosophical conferences appreciated within the same society and his collaboration at
Der Gedanke / The Thought Ŕ translated title, the newspaper of the Philosophical Society
in question. He was born with this gift of knowledge and understanding the world and its
problems as a philosopher. He demonstrated once again his accuracy in philosophy when
he wrote a philosophical conference in German, (Einiges philosophische in
germeinfasslicher Form/ Some Philosophical Systems Retold in a Coherent Manner -
translated title). His rigorousness activity as a philosopher and as an illustrious professor
of philosophy at Iaşi and Bucharest were also evidenced by the Logic treaty, used for
decades by the students in high schools and faculties in Romania. Emblematic through
the philosophical content of his popular lectures, and, most of all, through the constant
presence of the substrate and the philosophical spirit - characterized by the breadth and
elevation in the quasi-totality of his writings - Titu Maiorescu illustrated his originality
of his activity as one of the great philosophers of Romania.
Descending on a paternal line from Transylvanian scholar Petru Maior, Titu
Maiorescudemonstrated his maturity as a good organizer, looking careful respect for
legal forms. Endowed with a diplomatic prudence and refinement in inter-human
relations, acting as a well-trained man, and with a sound scientific formation, Titu
Maiorescu was only twenty-three years old when Junimea society considered him as its
mentor, although he was not the age-old dean of the "Junimeařs foundersŗ and although
he was not descendent from a family of the local boyar ship.
The passion for German translation Titu Maiorescu had inherited from his father,
Ioan Maiorescu, the professor: ŖBorn in Bucerdea, near Blaj in 1811, died in Bucureşti
on September the 4th
1864. He studied in Blaj, Cluj, Pest and Vienna, following the
courses of philology, history and theology at St. Barbara's Institute in the latter city.
Professor in 1837 at a primary school in Cerneşti, founded by himself, he becomes a
school inspector of Oltenia and then he goes to Transylvania during the Revolution of
1848, where he plays a significant political role in the national movement. He was then
sent to Germany by the Provisional Government from Bucureşti to stand in favor of the
Romanians, and to protest against Russia's politics. Meanwhile, Maiorescu collaborated
at the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, publishing memoirs describing the situation of
the Romanians in the East Europe and Transylvania. Later, Maiorescu entered as an
official at the Ministry of Justice in Vienna, where he translated all the Austrian laws
into Romanian. In 1857, he returned to the country to fully consecrate his professorship.
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
Arhipelag XXI Press, Tîrgu Mureș, 2017. eISBN: 978-606-8624-12-9
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Section: Literature
Director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs under A. G. Golescu, he is appointed in
November 1859, as a Manager in theMinistry of Education (old Romanian name Eforia
Şcoalelor). I. Maiorescu wrote: ltinerar în Istria, un vocabular (Itinerary in Istria, a
vocabulary- translated title),Die Rumanen des OesterreichischenMonarchy -reports,
(The Romanians of the Austrian Monarchy- translated title), and many letters and
memoirs published in Revista Noue (The New Magazine - translated title) by Ioan Ghika.
"(Rosetti, 1897: 119)
The approach of Titu Maiorescu to Arthur Schopenhauerřs philosophy determined
the first European translation in Romanian language of The Aphorisms regarding the
wisdom in life in 1872. Titu Maiorescu wrote two philosophical works in German and in
Romanian (the first one is about Herbartřs themes and the second one, the Logic treaty is
about Kant, Stuart Mill and Drobischř ideas). These works contain both the canvas of
borrowed ideas and the fine arabesques of personal ideas (Petrovici, 1940: 330-332). But
above all, it impresses the form in which these philosophical works were poured. This is
effective and authentic Maiorescuřs unique pattern. To the treaty of Logic there is a
wonderful organic form that transform the eclecticism ensemble of the ideas in a true
unity, perfectly formed in all its joints. To his German writing about Herbart Philosophy
it is impressive the concrete and literary form, which Herbart, the inspirer did not have at
all. So, we could say that Maiorescu's writing, in its narrow edges, could have had for
Herbartřs ideas the role to disseminate them. The same role was played later by
Schopenhauer, with his artistic style for the dissemination of Kant's ideas. It is also
important to mention those philosophical splinters, admirably written, in their lapidary
concision, which are offered to us by Titu Maiorescuřs Aphorisms, annexed to the
complete edition of his Critics.
Titu Maiorescu appears to us as a true philosopher, both by the constant exigency of
linking all his knowledge to each other and by looking at things from the height. He was
endowed, as well, with the passion of ontological issues, tempered by a positivist
education, which calls for the control of facts and contact with science. It was a
speculative depression era in the University of Berlin during the time when he was a
student there. Hegel had collapsed. Schopenhauer had not yet envisioned. Kant seemed
obsolete. May be that is why the student Titu Maiorescu studied Herbartřs and
Feuerbachřs philosophy, two thinkers who fed his German writings. In these papers, Kant
was not quoted at least once. Schopenhauer was quoted only once, in a secondary matter.
But shortly thereafter, Maiorescu met Schopenhauer thoroughly. Through Arthur
Schopenhauer, Titu Maiorescu discovered Kantřs masterpieces. Maiorescuřs temperament
of metaphysician made him change his philosophical Gods, spreading from Herbart and
Feuerbach, to the point of omitting them from the selected conference of German
philosophy at the university course from Romania. The passage from Feuerbach to
Schopenhauer - as a belief and philosophical camp - reminds us of Richard Wagner's
spiritual evolution. After writing under the inspiration of Feuerbach, the allegorical text of
his tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung, after reading later enthusiastically
Schopenhauerřs philosophy, Wagner gave to the same text a completely different
meaning, a pessimistic one. Transforming the final meaning, which was supposed to
express the replacement of an outdated world, through a better one - but still earthly,
Richard Wagner transformed it into a total destroying consciousness of existence, with the
final entry into Nirvana.
Regarding Titu Maiorescu and the philosophy professor's status, it is well known
that his conferences transformed him into a well-known speaker in one of the most
spacious hall of the University of Bucharest, where he mastered the secret of the perfect
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
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Section: Literature
lecture art. His conferences contained a proportion of elements, known only by him, that
make the listener to concentrate, to relax, to learn, to ascend, to infuse the infinite, and to
descend into the realm of life, illustrating its abstract theories with examples in
correlation, in analogy and with a certain moral impulse. According to his students, "all
these loaded ships, with the treasures of thought and wealth of inner life, came from the
majestic river of a captivating eloquence, whose solemnity had nothing artificial, but was
perfectly appropriate to its office, as the vibrant voice of ascending periods did not have
nothing declamatory, but preserving the most natural conformity between emotion and
accent.ŗ (Petrovici, 1940:333, 334) Maiorescu played "the role of a perfect pilot in a time
of dizziness and in a turbulent atmosphere of all sorts of confusion" (Petrovici, 1940:
335). He was in love with literature and art in general, and determined to promote it as a
literary critic. His mission was rather that of a "surgeonŗ than a speculative philosopher.
ŖAnd in a surgical work - it was the expiration of a dangerous infection in the young body
of Romanian culture - I would not ask myself about the originality of the theories
underlying the operation, but would appreciate the art, the talent, the precision and the
luck with which this surgical intervention was executed. Theories could have been
borrowed, but the technique was genuine: it belongs to Maiorescuřs brand and without a
challenge, it was of a higher rank. Or, in order to use another comparison, Maiorescu's
criticisms were war machines with precise drag, and I would not be interested in how
much the theoretical data was based, or who the discoverer of those data was, but I will
appreciate the technical invention itself, its strength and effectiveness on the ground, as
well as its author." (Petrovici, 1940: 336)
For the general public and elites, Titu Maiorescu is the creator of Romanian
scientific (philosophical) language endowed with fluency, elegance, precision and
plasticity. Maiorescu influenced the direction of thought and activity, contributing to
advancing knowledge in the field of philosophy. In particular, his parliamentary speeches
illustrate the clarity and the dialectics of a history lived in the effervescence or in the
middle of the mediocrity of events. Titu Maiorescu was able to write about historical facts
and to present them with Cartesian liveliness and the ironic color of a well-informed man,
sure in his sayings. Detached, with an illuminated and overall vision of the arena of
history, Titu Maiorescu was an intelligent, firm, clear and profound man, endowed with a
well-reasoned iron logic. Born in the zodiac sign of "the imperturbable serenity sign",
Titu Maiorescu understood the contradictions and formulates them, when necessary,
destroying the scaffolding or the structure of the opponent's communication.
Titu Maiorescuřs moral integrity and severity proved his superiority, even when he
was willing to shake hands with his opponents in spite of the differences of opinion. The
attitude of widespread comprehension and the wise moderation were of an enlightened
man of dignified ethical patriotism. Titu Maiorescu had self-inflicted a certain discipline
and he respected it even when he became a leader, occupying various political positions.
In 1913, when he presided over the Bucharest Conference which ended the Balkan War,
Titu Maiorescu has sailed through troubled waters with dangerous depths, merging with
the will of the Sovereign of the country and undertaking a clever approach that
culminated in a Memorandum (a masterpiece of construction and argumentation)
advanced to the Great Powers that mediated the conflict and rightly claimed Romanians
claims. From this reason, ŖT. Maiorescu had the genius of perfect harmony, with the
sacrifice of everything that could have troubled it, even with his own sacrifice.ŗ(Petrovici,
1940: 346).
The friendship with I. A. Cantacuzino (Zizin) and the first European translations of
Arthur Schopenhauer Aphorisms in Romanian in 1872 and in French language in 1880 is
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
Arhipelag XXI Press, Tîrgu Mureș, 2017. eISBN: 978-606-8624-12-9
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Section: Literature
very clearly described in Titu Maiorescuřs Journal.In the preface of his Journal (1881-
1886), the editor of Titu Maiorescu's writings, I. Rădulescu Pogoneanu wrote that there
were two legends about the mentor of Junimea Society: Titu Maiorescu used to repeat his
speeches in the mirror and that he was the follower of Arthur
Schopenhauer's pessimistic philosophy. All these legends
were also disseminated through the caricature made in ink and
watercolor by Nicolae Petrescu-Găină, published in 1917,
titled: T.L. Maiorescu - a man with logic. His author is known
as a cartoonist of politicians, prestigious artists and
intellectuals, who lived in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries.
Titu Maiorescu played a decisive role in promoting
Arthur Schopenhauer's work through translations in French
and Romanian. Good friend of I.A. Cantacuzino-Zizin (1829-
1897), Arthur Schopenhauer's first French translator, Titu
Maiorescu, urged him to translate and helped him to correct
the text, which he advised him to publish later, at the Socec
publishing house in Bucharest, Romania. Zizin, Jean Alexandre Cantacuzène / Ioan
Alexandru Cantacuzino was the descendant of a Phanariot family and had studied
Mathematics and Physics with Rud Topfer at Geneva. He was the same historical
character who was part of the Three Groom of Moldova from October 1858 to January
5/17 1859 (composed of I.A. Cantacuzino-Zizin, V. Sturdza and Anastasie Panu), who
replaced Şt. Catargiu and who has prepared the way of electing a single ruler for the
United Principalities: Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Jan. 5/17 1859- febr.11 / 23 1866). The
Historical Archives of the special collections of the National Library of Romania in M.
Kogălniceanu Fund include, among others, the documents from 1898 of Caimacan Ioan
Al. Cantacuzino on his funeral for which Th. Rosetti and T. Maiorescu were nominated to
be trustees. In a Contemporary Dictionary, "Cantacuzino JA (Zizine) was included as a"
Political Man born in Suceava on June 24th
1829. He studied in Geneva, with professor
Topfer, the famous writer who mentions the young Cantacuzino among his pupils in his
book Voyage en zigzag. Zizin was the general manager of the theaters, Belgrade's
diplomatic agent and employee at Finance Ministry in Al. G. Golescu from 2nd
of
February 1870 to 20th of April the same year. With complete retreat from politics for
twenty years, J. Cantacuzino has always sacrificed his studies of natural sciences and
literature. He is the translator of Schopenchauer (sic!) works in French (editions Alean,
Paris and Soccec, Bucuresci). In 1848, when the means of communication were still so
primitive and difficult, J. A. Cantacuzino made a long journey to America. "(Rosetti,
1897: 43)
In 1835 Arthur Schopenhauer published his masterpiece: The World as Will and
representations. A further additional volume for theWorld as Will and Representation
appeared in 1844, accompanied by a revised version of the original, which was presented
in volume. Then, in 1851 another work in two volumes, Parerga and Paralipomena, a
collection of essays and observations was published. Only in the 1850řs a serious interest
in Schopenhauer's philosophy began, with a favorable review appearing in an English
journal and several European universities conducting courses on this subject. In the last
decade, before his death in 1860, he published a third edition of the World as Will and
Representation and the Second Edition of the Two Essential Ethics Problems. After the
death of Schopenhauer, his successor, Julius Frauenstädt, edited the first six-volume
edition of his works in 1873.Aphorisms on Wisdom in Life are the last chapter of the six
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
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Section: Literature
essays of the first volume Parerga by Arthur Schopenhauer published in 1851 under the
title Parerga und Paralipomena (Appendices and omissions- translated title). This
chapter is structured in:
Introduction
I. Structure of the subject
II. What the Personality or what man is
III. Property or what the man has
IV. Position or place of man in the estimation of others
Section 1 Reputation
2 Pride
3 Rank
4 Honor
5. Fame
In Schopenhauer, aphorism is a concise formulation of a subjective truth or
observation, resulting from experience, written with intelligence and hardness.
Schopenhauer's aphorisms are sometimes confuse with axioms, which are, in fact,
obvious truths that need not be demonstrated. Maiorescu understood that the art of
Schopenhauer's aphorism is to condense thoughts and lead them home to the reader's
mind at the speed of lightning. Having the pleasure to study, being attentive to details,
Titu Maiorescu has worked for a long time on the translation into Romanian of
Schopenhauer's Aphorisms (Parerga und Paralipomena-1851), editing five editions with
significant differences until his departure from this world:
Schopenhauer, 1872: Schopenhauer, Arthur,Aforisme pentru înţelepciunii în viaţă,
traducere T. Maiorescu în Convorbiri literare, an VI, nr. 8, Tipografia societăţii Junimea,
Iaşi.
Schopenhauer, 1876-1877: Schopenhauer, Arthur,Aforisme pentru înţelepciunii în
viaţă, traducere T. Maiorescu în Convorbiri literare, an X nr. 1-12, Tipografia societăţii
Junimea, Iaşi.
Schopenhauer, 1880:Parerga et ParalipomenaAphorismes Sur La Sagesse Dans La
Vie trad. Jean Alexandre Cantacuzène
Schopenhauer, 1890: Schopenhauer, Arthur,Aforismeasupraînțelepciunii în viaţă,
trad. de Titu Maiorescu Ed. a 2-a, rev. Bucureşti; Socecu, 1890.
Schopenhauer, 1891: Schopenhauer, Arthur,Aforismeasupraînțelepciunii în viaţă,
trad. de Titu Maiorescu Ed. a 3-a, rev. Bucureşti; Socecu, 1891 IX, 438 p. ; 18 cm.
Schopenhauer, 1902: Schopenhauer Arthur , Aforisme asupra înțelepciunii în
vieaţă, trad. de Titu Maiorescu Ed. 4, Bucureşti, Socec 1902. IX,438 pg. 8'.
Schopenhauer, 1912: Schopenhauer Arthur , Aforisme asupra înțelepciunii in viaţă,
traducere de Titu Maiorescu, 425 p. 18 cm Bucureşti, Socec & Co., Societate Anonimă,
1912 Ediţia a 5-a, BCU Iaşi, II-270.313.
Schopenhauer, 1921: Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aforisme asupra înţelepciunii în viaţă,
trad. de Titu Maiorescu, 430 p. 18 cm Bucureşti, Socec, 1921 Ediţia a 6-a BCU Iasi II-
270.543.
Schopenhauer, 1969: Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aforisme asupra înţelepciunii în viaţă,
trad. de Titu Maiorescu, text stabilit de Domnica Filimon-Stoicescu, studiu introductiv de
Liviu Rusu, Editura pentru Literatură Universală, Bucureşti.
ŖMaiorescu was a Greek and Latin Mediterranean, a simplifier of German
metaphysics, in an analytical style closer to French moralists than German metaphysics.
His great admiration for Schopenhauer is also explained by the fact that Schopenhauer,
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
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Section: Literature
through his talent, was the Latinest of German philosophers; through the luminosity of the
literary form and the incisiveness of the exposition, his Aphorisms are more abundant
than Champfort than by Kant.ŗ (Lovinescu, 1972: 604-606)
In Greek, ἀυορισμός /aphorismos/ meant:
1. "Limitation, delimitation",
2. "separation, distinction"
a. The "definition"
b) "aphorism" from ἀφορίζω (aphorìzō, (aphorizō, "I define, mark or determinate"),
from ἀπό (apñ, end) + ὁρίζω (horìzō, "I divided, I establish the limits, I delimit"), from
ὅρος (hñros, border)
Originated from the verb: : ἀφορίζω /aphorìzō/ Ŗto delimit, a separateŗ +-μός (-
mñs). the term came into the Romanian language from French word aphorisme, and Latin
word aphorismuswith the meaning of thought expressed in a concise form, full of noble,
memorable, synonymous with Romanian words: adagiu, maximă, sentință. cugetare,
dicton, maximă, sentință, (livr.) adágiu, (rar) apoftégmă, parimìe, (pop.) zicere, (înv.)
pìldă, (ir.) panséu. As a sign that in Romanian society the works of Arthur Schopenhauer
became well known, the name of Arthur Schopenhauer was mentioned in the Literary
Discussions review in the following numbers:
1. Convorbiri literare an II nr 09 1 iulie 1868 p. 146 articolul recenzie
a lui Titu Maiorescu Compendiu de pedagogie de I. Popescu (1 vol. in 8⁰, X şi
184, Sibiu, Tipografia Archidiecesană, 1868)
2. Convorbiri literare an III nr. 09 1 iulie 1869 , p. 146 în articolul
Istoriile civilizaţiunii urmare O critică a lui Buckle de A. D. Xenopol
3. Convorbiri literare an 24 nr 05 1 august 1890 p. 399, 398 Studii
critice de I. Gherea (Dare de seamă critică) de G. I. Bogdan
4. Convorbiri literare: an 24, nr 07 1 noiembrie 1890, p. 626 Mihail
Eminescu studiu critic semnat de N. Petrascu
5. Convorbiri literare an 24 nr 9 1 decembrie 1890 N Petrascu Mihail
Eminescu (pesimismul său) p. 779, 784, 781, 782.
In the "Preface of the Translator" Titu Maiorescu motivates his work of promoting
the writings of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer as follows:
"Arthur Schopenhauer is the aristocrat of philosophical thinking in our century ...
Idealist in all power of the word, Schopenhauer finds no other human happiness except in
contemplation of beautiful arts and other ethical purposes than in the most perfect
abnegation.ŗ (…) ŖBut Schopenhauerřs work corresponds to a subjective disposition of
many people of culture and even genius writers (Lord Byron, Leopardi etc.) and it forms,
in any case, an integral part of the great human conceptions ... and the awakened
movement through Schopenhauer's theories is an antidote to the materialist platitudes
towards which inclines the current age. In other words, all the works stemming from the
strong genius and hence the originality of our philosopher are distinguished by an
admirable clarity and beauty of style, and their study will always be of greater use,
regardless of whether their conclusions are received or not.ŗ
In his Journal there are described several moments in which Titu Maiorescu
spent many hours together with his friend, Zizin Cantacuzino in order to give a
perfect French translation of Arthur Schopenhauer‟s Aphorisms published in six
editions in 1880, 1882, 1886, 1887 and 1889. Nevertheless Titu Maiorescu‟s name is
not mentioned as reviewer, nor as a reviser, nor as a reader, nor as a corrector on
the front page of the editions from 1880 to 1889:
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Section: Literature
1. Schopenhauer, Arthur, "Parerga" et "Paralipomena". Aphorismes sur la
sagesse dans la vie, par A. Schopenhauer, traduit pour la première fois en français
par J. A. Cantacuzène... [Texte imprimé],Paris : G. Baillière, 1880 , In-8° , VIII-301
p.
2. Schopenhauer, Arthur, De la quadruple racine du principe de la raison
suffisante [Texte imprimé] : dissertation philosophique ; suivie d'une histoire de la
doctrine de l'idéal et du réel / par Schopenhauer ; traduit en français pour la
première fois par J.-A. Cantacuzène , Paris : G. Baillière et Cie, 1882 , 1 vol (X-291
p.) ; in-8
3. Schopenhauer, Arthur, [Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung][français)]
Voir les notices associées à la même oeuvre Arthur Schopenhauer. Le Monde
comme volonté et comme représentation, traduit en français pour la première fois
par J. A. Cantacuzène [Texte imprimé] : Leipzig : F. A. Brockhaus, (1886), 2 vol.
in-8°
4. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aphorismes sur la sagesse dans la vie [Texte
imprimé] / traduit par J. A. Cantacuzène, Troisième édition Paris : Felix Alcan,
1887, 300 p. ; in-8
5. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Critique de la philosophie kantienne, par Arthur
Schopenhauer, traduite en français par I. A. Cantacuzène [Texte imprimé] Bucarest
: Sotchek, 1889, In-8°, 203 p. , Note(s) : Le faux titre porte en plus : "Critique...
servant d'appendice au premier volume du "Monde comme volonté et comme
représentation"
6. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Critique de la philosophie kantienne... [Texte
imprimé], Bucarest, 1889, Description matérielle : In-8°, Note(s) : Servant
d'appendice au premier volume du "Monde comme volonté et comme
représentation"
7. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Les Pages immortelles de Schopenhauer, choisies et
expliquées par Thomas Mann,... Texte de Schopenhauer : traduction J.-A.
Cantacuzène. Texte de Thomas Mann ; traduction Jean Angelloz [Texte imprimé]
Paris : Éditions Corrêa, 1939 , In-16, 233 p., portraits Note(s) : Les Pages
immortelles
8. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aphorismes sur la sagesse dans la vie [Texte
imprimé] / Arthur Schopenhauer ; traduction de J.-A. Cantacuzène, revue et
corrigée par Richard Roos , Aphorismen zur Lebensweisheit , Paris : Presses
universitaires de France, 1983 , 41-Vendôme : Impr. des PUF , VIII-173 p. : couv.
ill. ; 19 cm , Quadrige, ISSN 0291-0489 ; 45.
9. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aphorismes sur la sagesse dans la vie [Texte
imprimé] / Arthur Schopenhauer ; trad. de J.-A. Cantacuzène ; revue et corrigée par
Richard Roos , Édition : 4e éd. : Paris : PUF, 1994 : VIII-173 p. ; 19 cm
Collection : Quadrige ; 45 Lien à lacollection : Quadrige (Paris. 1981) Voir toutes
les notices liées
10. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aphorismes sur la sagesse dans la vie [Texte
imprimé] / Arthur Schopenhauer ; trad. de J. -A. Cantacuzène, revue et corrigée par
Richard Roos Traduction de : Aphorismen zur Lebensweisheit , Paris : Presses
universitaires de France, 2002 , 61-Lonrai : Normandie roto impr. : VIII-173 p. :
couv. ill. ; 19 cm Collection : Quadrige. Texte
11. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aphorismes sur la sagesse dans la vie [Texte
imprimé] / Arthur Schopenhauer ; traduction de J. -A. Cantacuzène, revue et
corrigée par Richard Roos Traduction de : Aphorismen zur Lebensweisheit
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
Arhipelag XXI Press, Tîrgu Mureș, 2017. eISBN: 978-606-8624-12-9
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Section: Literature
Édition : 8e éd. Paris : Presses universitaires de France, impr. 2011 Impression : 61-
Lonrai : Normandie roto impr. , 1 vol. (VIII-173 p.) : couv. ill. ; 19 cm
Collection : Quadrige. Grands textes
12. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Aphorismes sur la sagesse dans la vie [Texte
imprimé] / Arthur Schopenhauer ; traduction de J. -A. Cantacuzène, revue et
corrigée par Richard Roos Traductionde : Aphorismen zur Lebensweisheit ,
Édition : 9e éd. Publication : Paris : Presses universitaires de France, impr. 2012
Impression : 61-Lonrai : Normandie roto impr. , 1 vol. (VI-225 p.) : couv. ill. ; 19
cm Collection : Quadrige, ISSN 0291-0489.
13. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Comment ne pas se rendre malheureux pour rien
[Texte imprimé] / Schopenhauer ; présenté par Jérôme Ferrari ; [traduit par Auguste
Burdeau et Jean-Alexandre Cantacuzène] Publication : Paris : Flammarion, DL
2015 Impression : impr. en Espagne, 1 vol. (249 p.) ; 18 cm Collection : GF ; 12.
14. Schopenhauer, Arthur, Comment être heureux [Texte imprimé] / Arthur
Schopenhauer ; traduction de J.-A. Cantacuzène ; [extraits réunis par Romain
Enriquez] Publication : Paris : Librio, DL 2016 Impression : impr. en Italie, 1 vol.
(78 p.) ; 21 cm Collection : Librio : philosophie ; 1166.
In Titu Maiorescuřs Journal there is the concept of a letter "not yet received" from
15/27th
November 1883 sent to Miss Zoe Bălăceanu, Queen Elizabeth's maid of honour,
to whom he had sent the Aphorisms in the French translation by Cantacuzino J. A. Paris,
1880. Livia, his daughter was led at Sinaia, at Peleş Castle, because she had been invited
by Queen Elizabeth and, on this occasion, Titu Maiorescu had the opportunity to discuss
about Arthur Schopenhauerřs Aphorisms translated in French:
„Les grandes pensées de Schopenhauer se lisent mieux au milieu des grandes
montagnes.
Quel admirable écrivain que Schopenhauer ! Je ne partage pas du tout son
pessimisme, mais je ne peux lire ses œuvres- toutes empreintes de son grand cœur de
dřune intelligence hors ligne- sans un véritable sentiment religieux. Peut-on jamais avoir
trop dřégard pour un adversaire de bonne foi ?
Si nous avions lřoccasion de reprendre notre controverse ! Pour ma part, jřen serai
hereux. Une bonne discussion sur les grands problèmes est une jouissance exquise de la
vie intelectuelle, et nous autres optimistes naturellement… (first he wrote « et les
optimistes comme moi, naturellement… ») (Maiorescu Însemnări zilnice, II : XLIII).
Endowed with an ingenious intelligence, with a vivid intuition of general rules, Titu
Maiorescu, the leader of Romanian Literary Association Junimea, remained emblematic in the
history of Romanian culture through the art of communicating with the majority of his
contemporary intellectuals and also, as a translator and a mediator between cultures. In order
to reconstruct what is or might be behind the words, Titu Maiorescu understood that it is
important that the translator becomes familiar with the nature of words. As a musician
listens over and over again to the intrinsic quality of a note or a composition of a playing
instrument, the translator Titu Maiorescu, with respect to the word, defined its semantic
parameters, listened to the sound and rhythm of aphorisms, and explored their existence
within its immediate and larger context. This way, Titu Maiorescu created his own
Aphorisms inspired by the continuously changes of energy and the possible associations
that the word might be establishing in Romanian language. Titu Maiorescuřs translation
of Arthur Schopenhauerřs Aphorisms is not the translation of words, even though the final
product of his translations appears in the form of words and sentences. As very fragile
entities, words in themselves creates a new world in translation. Titu Maiorescu
understood that, through the art of aphorisms, words were still very closely related to the
Iulian Boldea (Editor) - Literature, Discourses and the Power of Multicultural Dialogue
Arhipelag XXI Press, Tîrgu Mureș, 2017. eISBN: 978-606-8624-12-9
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Section: Literature
visual image they project. The reader of Schopenhauerřs Aphorisms will not fail to
experience the original power and intention of a word. Each historical period, as well as
each human being impresses its own refined connotations on an aphorisms. Titu
Maiorescu understood that the philological translation allows the reader to get a feeling
for the semantic changes that aphorisms have undergone from one generation to the next.
By its very nature, Titu Maiorescu as a translator will always be in between at least two
places: the reality of the source-language of Arthur Schopenhauerřs Aphorisms and the
possibilities of the receptor language in Romanian and French. Through the act of
translation of Arthur Schopenhauerřs Aphorisms, Titu Maiorescu the translator has
opened the door for European "dialogue". That must be Titu Maiorescuřs as a translator
greatest mission in European's world, in which nations and countries should open
themselves to the foreignness of other cultures.
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