The Scintillating Life of Iulia Hasdeu

The Scintillating Life of Iulia Hasdeu presents the life and literary works of the Romanian child genius of the 19th century. Iulia Hasdeu was the daughter of Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, one of the greatest literary and political figures in modern Romanian history. She started reading at two years old and she wrote her first historical study at the age of six. At eight years old she was fluent in French, German, and English. She graduated from the Bucharest Conservatory at eleven with excellent accomplishments in piano and canto, after which she left for Paris and started studying at Sévigné College. She was the first Romanian woman to be accepted at Sorbonne University. During her short life, before she was ultimately taken by an incurable illness, Iulia wrote countless poems, short stories, and plays. Her drawings and her letters also survived the passing of time, allowing us a glimpse into her tragic childhood and adolescence, her emotions, and her most intimate thoughts. The Scintillating Life of Iulia Hasdeu is a premiere for international readers. Aside from being a biography, it contains English translations for many of her works and letters.

Translation from the original text by Diana Livesay, an independent journalist, translator, and animal lover from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The author, Constantin Manolache (b. 1883) was a military prosecutor, chief of military justice, and professor at the University of Bucharest. After retirement, he became a writer. This volume contains an introduction by A.K. Brackob, a specialist in Romanian history, author of Mircea the Old and Scanderbeg: A History of George Castriota and the Albanian Resistance to Islamic Expansion in Fifteenth-Century Europe.