Cărți integratoare. Cantemir editat la Chișinău [Articol]

Abstract

A distinct chapter in the valorization of old Romanian literature in the Bessarabian space is represented by the Cantemir’s oeuvre (edited, celebrated, read/reread in Chișinău). Historians, literary scholars, and editors have sought to bring, at least partially, part of his impressive legacy to the Bessarabian readership. Some works began to appear starting from the immediate postwar period, with the range of editions dedicated to Cantemir expanding significantly after the 1990s and during the first decades of the 21st century, within the broader context of Romanian spiritual and cultural reunification. The imaginary of Cantemir’s writings, produced centuries ago, reflects, besides spiritual superiority and the breadth of his approach, a clear aesthetic awareness, a critical spirit, an inclination for discourse and dialogue (whether cultural or scientific), a dedication to reading, as well as a deep concern for the human condition, in parallel with the fate of the country. Cantemir the writer appears equally preoccupied with the meanings and the outcomes of human existence. By returning to the writings of the past — and Cantemir’s oeuvre is particularly revealing in this regard — we reintegrate the values of the old world into the value system of today’s world.