Dan Botta

Dan Botta
Writer Dan Botta
Born	(1907-09-26)26 September 1907 Adjud,Putna County,Kingdom of Romania
Died	13 January 1958(1958-01-13)(aged 50) Bucharest,Romanian People's Republic
Alma mater	University of Bucharest
Occupation(s)	Poet and essayist
Parents	Theodor Botta (father) Aglaia Botta,néede Franceschi (mother)
Relatives	Emil Botta

Dan Botta(Romanian pronunciation:[ˈdanˈbota];September 26, 1907 – January 13, 1958) was aRomanianpoet and essayist.

Life

Born inAdjud,his parents were the physician Theodor Botta and his wife Aglaia (néede Franceschi), an orphanage director; his brother was poet and actorEmil Botta.His father was descended from an old Transylvanian family, the noble status of which was confirmed byChristopher Báthoryin 1579, and related to BishopIoan Bob.Theodor Botta, caught in the national struggle of Transylvania's Romanians during the rule ofAustria-Hungary,took refuge in theMoldaviaregion of theRomanian Old Kingdomafter completing his medical studies atVienna.A doctor for theCăile Ferate Românestate railway, he took part inWorld War Iand died in 1921. Aglaia was the daughter of Francesco Maria de Franceschi, a Corsican who settled in Moldavia in 1872 and worked as a technician at theSascutsugar factory.

Botta attended primary school in his native town, followed by high school inFocșani(Unirea High Schooluntil 1921) andBucharest(Saint Sava National College,1921–1923). He attended theUniversity of Bucharestfrom 1923 to 1927, studying Latin and Greek literature and law. In 1927, he also completed studies at the physical education institute, perhaps reflecting a nostalgia forpaideia.While a student, he contributed toCalendarulandL'Indépendance Roumainemagazines, publishing articles about literature, art and music. He later wrote forRampa,Gândirea,VremeaandLa Nation Roumaine;in 1941, together withEmil GiurgiucaandOctavian Codru Tăslăuanu,he foundedDaciamagazine. He took part in theCriteriongroup's symposiums, joining the editing committee in 1943. From 1938, he formed part of the leadership atDimitrie Gusti's projectEnciclopedia României.At one point a member of theIron Guard,he spent time in prison under thecommunist regime.

Botta's first book was the poetry volumeEulalii(1931,Romanian Writers' Unionprize), the only one published during his lifetime. His other cycles,Rune,Epigrame,Cununa AriadneiandPoem în curs,appeared posthumously in 1968. His verses are incantational and erudite, anti-Romantic out of principle, full of linguistic invention, in line with European and domestic purism. His essays, which deal with artistic creation in general and the philosophy of Romanian culture in particular, are also full of original ideas, employing a lyrical and imaginative style:Limite(1936, Romanian Writers' Union prize) andCharmion sau Despre muzică(1941). Botta authored theféerieplaysComedia fantasmelor,Alkestis,Deliana,Soarele și luna,and, in 1943, a stage adaptation ofMihai Eminescu'sPoor Dionis.He publishedBalade și alte poeme,a translation of works byFrançois Villon,in 1956. From 1944 until his death, he worked on a philological treatise dealing with theThracian substratein the Romanian language,Roma – Threicia.

He died in Bucharest in 1958.