The Calling of a Young Wallachian
For example, Mihai Eminescu (the Romanian national poet, regarded as a national and international genius) wrote poems dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and during the communist regime, Romanian authors wrote many religious poems and novels in prison, all inspired by prayer. The most significant masterpiece in Romanian literature (The Diary of Happiness) was written in prison by Nicolae Steinhardt, a Jew linked to Sigmund Freud, who converted to Orthodoxy in Romania and became an influential figure in the whole Eastern culture. About Orthodoxy, which would actually be the correct therapeutic way to heal the human soul, and free oneself from passions to find the Kingdom of Heaven, the psychologist Jordan Peterson said that this is the goal of humanity, that every human being imitates Christ, as is the case in Orthodoxy, because "Christ is the Logos".
One of the young contemporary poets in Romania who promotes Eastern culture through his writings can be considered Claudiu Dumitrache, a 25-year-old artist, poet, singer, art critic and journalist (born May 7th, 1999), who became known for his extraordinary artistic output in recent years. As a teenager, he became fascinated by pagan, esoteric and occult trends, reading the works of Eckhart Tolle and Aleister Crowley, then acting in the theater and performing in many shows. He practiced numerology for several years, but in 2021, after extensive historical studies and personal experiences, he returned to his ancestors' faith, the Nicene Creed and the Eastern Church. He traveled to the United States, Europe and Asia, performing in over 2,000 shows and opening for singers and bands including the German band Alphaville, Croatian singer Neda Ukraden and Australian singer Faydee.
He has been referred to as "a revelation from Wallachia" by certain American magazines because of the impact his work has had on the next generation of artists and the recognition he has received from influential people in the worldwide artistic environment, notably those from Europe and the US. Jonathan Jackson, a five-time Emmy winner who was born in Florida and rose to fame in Hollywood, is one of the writers that wrote about Claudiu Dumitrache. When Jackson heard the words "Christ is Risen!" while traveling in Romania, he became an Orthodox Christian. Furthermore, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Aniston, Tina Fey, Jim Belushi, Nina Dobrev and George Stephanopoulos are well-known Orthodox celebrities. In general, people who identify as Orthodox frequently compare this to returning home.
Claudiu Dumitrache and Jonathan Jackson
Jonathan Jackson (singer, actor, poet and writer aged 41) moved to Ireland, where he was the first founder of the first Orthodox monastery (Romanian monastery). Since becoming Orthodox, along with his children and wife Lisa Vultaggio (actress), Jonathan has donated one of his awards to a monastery in Mount Athos, written books on art and faith. He also acted in religious films. In 2022, the Jackson family met Claudiu Dumitrache in Bucharest, where Jonathan received the Distinction of Excellence from Dumitrache's online literary journal (Regal Literar). It is the first literary award in his career, received from the country where he got closer to God. In the same year, Jonathan wrote the introduction of Claudiu's new book:
- "the personal nature of these poems allows them to rise to the universal in their honesty and longing. Art is a meta-language, as the filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky has said. Claudiu Dumitraches’ poetry enters into this “meta-language” and invites the heart to contemplate life on the most essential levels. Here, is a powerful of example of what St. Porphyrios meant when he said, “Whoever wants to become a Christian, must first become a poet.” Poetry is the land of paradox and experience - this is the archetypal landscape of the Eternal Word.". (The text was also published in Regal Literar online journal).
We are also publishing a poem by Claudiu, one of the most famous (with the author's consent), a poem about which Christian Schenk, an important Romanian author, wrote as follows:
- "Poetry is not dead, - it will not die, because it is an essential component of human sensibility; - it has its discreet place in the depths of the human being, a modus vivendi of our nature. This is what the national poet of the Romanian people thought over a century ago. This is what a young poet of our time, Claudiu Dumitrache, thinks today - on the same meridian, with a different language, with other lyrical reception horizons, with a different content within the chaos of contemporary events! One of the poems - which expressively captures what Paul Valéry called the eternal struggle of the spirit with language - leaves behind the biblical concept cited above in the title, adding the rustling of the Eternal, or a thirsty horse, kneeling, drinking from the springs of time. (...) Lyricism, modernity, authentic expressivity in density and color, Claudiu Dumitrache's poetry is the embodiment of a literary talent in the configuration of today's young lyricism".
Claudiu Dumitrache is regarded as Mihai Eminescu's legacy for the present century, his poetry belonging to the neo-symbolism movement and promoting national and universal values. Eminescu being an inspiration to him, in January this year Claudiu Dumitrache dedicated a hymn of praise (akathiste) to Mihai Eminescu, a long poem that is usually written for the saints of the Eastern Church, in the style of a prayer. In an interview given to the Romanian magazine Luceafărul, Claudiu said of this poem that he wrote the akathist in two days, with pauses for food, sleep, and prayer. He even claimed to have had topic-neutral conversations with various persons during this time, "but in a continuous trance".
Claudiu has won many prizes for poetry, music and journalism, among which are the Poetry Prize of Letters (Litere) magazine; the Poetry Prize of Literature and Art (Literatura si Arta) magazine (from the Republic of Moldova), being also named Notorious personality of culture and public life in the Republic of Moldova; Euro Education Award 2023 (The most prolific young Romanian writer) - 8 books; and the Excellence Award of the Union of Professional Journalists of Romania (becoming the youngest laureate in the history of the Romanian press).
Claudiu set the national record for the Youngest author of an autobiography (endorsed by the Romanian Book of Records Association). He also received awards as an Honorary Citizen of Costestii din Vale town, an International Ambassador of Peace by the World Literary Forum for Peace and Human Rights, and a Culture Ambassador by the Euro Education Federation.
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He was already been included in dictionaries, encyclopedias and monographs, critics saying that "Claudiu Dumitrache’s works are precious and original works, that, with certainty, will remain forever recorded in the Romanian cultural treasury". Ioan-Aurel Pop, a Romanian historian, former director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York for a while and holding now the position of president of the Romanian Academy, declared that Claudiu Dumitrache "is a symbol for the future of intellectual creation that will promote Romanian literature and the arts". Ioan-Aurel Pop, member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, also stated that Dumitrache "is an intellectual who can coagulate souls and a bearer and creator of culture as rarely found today in Wallachia". Nicolae Dabija, one of the most important literary historians from the Republic of Moldova, wrote that the author Claudiu Dumitrache has an original poem, which makes him unique. Dabija also noted that these are signs of grace. His Eminence CALINIC, Archbishop of Argeş and Muscel, is of the same opinion, saying that Dumitrache is full of grace and has an amazing personality.
Currently, Claudiu Dumitrache organizes cultural events and conferences and writes about faith and art, inspired by authors such as Seraphim Rose, Dumitru Stăniloae and Sophrony of Essex. Dumitrache also wrote a research book on the religiosity of Albert Einstein (Albert Einstein și dorul firesc de Ortodoxie - Albert Einstein and the natural longing for Orthodoxy, 2023), which was one of the Agaton publishing house's ten best-selling books in January and February 2024, as well as one of the top premium books presented by the Romanian Broadcasting Society. A Hollywood (CA) magazine wrote that Claudiu Dumitrache is Romania's most representative young cultural personality, and William P. Barrett, of Forbes and Chicago Reporter by WebMetrix Group, declared that we are dealing with a remarkable artist who seems to rise as a hope in a country that still faces corruption and where European values are difficult to integrate.
Claudiu Dumitrache and actress Maia Morgenstern (left). Claudiu Dumitrache, Hollywood, California, 2021 (right)
Here is the poem "The Calling" by Claudiu Dumitrache (in the translation of the philologist Nicolae Florentin Streche from Romania).
The Calling
I hear an astral voice from afar,
I can't answer, as if I were silent.
I hear a river heading North,
I'm into the sea, I can’t swim.
I hear a master bird,
Calling me to the royal world.
I'm sitting on the ground bed,
I can't fly and I will die soon.
I hear a Tibetan man singing,
My body is petrified and I'm crying.
I hear another clear voice,
An archangel bringing me wine.
I'm almost dead now,
I feel incense and lots of smoke.
I still hear something anew,
Light years away - Your voice.
(We thank the Union of Independent Journalists of Romania and Euro Education Federation for providing important information about this topic.)
P.S. Los Angeles poet David C. Joseph, after reading this poem several times, said it was one of the most profound and beautiful he had ever read.
by Andrew B. Cole
The opinions expressed here are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the Hollywood Progressive.
