Honoring a Romanian poet writing in Spanish stands this plaque. The Alejandro Busuioceanu Plaque marks the Madrid home of a notable figure. He was a Romanian poet who wrote in Spanish. He lived here from 1945 to 1961. The Instituto de Cultura Hispánica and his students pay homage.
Who was Alejandro Busuioceanu? He was a multifaceted Romanian intellectual. He excelled as an art critic, professor, poet, literary critic, historian, essayist, and translator. Busuioceanu volunteered in World War I. He ardently desired to participate in Romania’s Great Union. After the war, he wrote for several publications. In 1921, he co-founded the influential magazine “Gandirea”.
As an art historian, Busuioceanu earned a doctorate in Vienna. He assessed the royal family’s art collection. He confirmed the authenticity of nine El Greco paintings. He also organized the international exhibition in Paris in 1937. He authored studies on El Greco and others.
In 1942, Busuioceanu became a cultural attaché in Madrid. He was already a renowned art critic. Due to the communist regime, he couldn’t return to Romania. He lived in Spain alone. His wife and daughter remained in Romania. He befriended Vicente Aleixandre and Eugenio D’Ors in Madrid. He had a permanent seat of honor in D’Ors’ home.
Busuioceanu wrote for the prestigious art magazine “nsula”. He introduced Blaga and Parvan to Spanish readers. He established the Romanian Language and Literature Department at the Complutense University. He made Romanian a required language for Spanish students. He revolutionized poetry with his theory of metaphor. He saw it as a means of knowledge. Critics considered his first Spanish poetry volume, “Poemas patticos”, the best of its time. He corresponded with exiled Romanian friends.
As a poet, Busuioceanu initially wrote like Lucian Blaga. Later, he surpassed this style. His aesthetic theory on metaphor was included in Spanish literary histories. Guillermo de Torre dedicated a chapter to him. Busuioceanu considered Romanian his only poetic language. He expressed it through Spanish phonetics. Spanish critics admired him as a great Castilian poet. He translated Saint John of the Cross into Romanian.
Busuioceanu explored the idea that Spaniards descended from Geto-Dacians. He found traces of Zamolxis and other Dacian names in Spanish chronicles. He argued that Spain was founded by a Danube people.
Standing before the Alejandro Busuioceanu Plaque, remember a man of immense talent. He enriched both Romanian and Spanish culture. His legacy endures through his writings and contributions.