Moldovan poet commemorated at ten years from passing away

Chisinau, 18 January /MOLDPRES/ – There gathered writers, composers, journalists, culture persons, teachers, pupils and children today at the tomb of Grigore Vieru in the Orthodox Central Cemetery in Chisinau to commemorate him ten years after his passing into eternity.

It was also held a parastas by the priest Mitrofor Ioan Ciuntu, the parish priest of the Cathedral Sfânta Teodora de la Sihla.

Interviewed by agency, the son of the late poet, Calin Vieru, said that his father is sitting next to God, and everything he dreamt would happen soon. "Grigore Vieru enjoys respect and popularity, so we always feel him among us. After its passing into eternity, there were unveiled several busts in Moldova and Romania. His creation is known by children and mature," said Calin Vieru.

In this context, academician Mihai Cimpoi said that Grigore Vieru has the special, historical merit, that he has turned us to the springs, to the roots of our being, to the holy ones and the sacred. "He has rehabilitated ethics, aesthetics and sacred. He was also a religious poet. He returned to Eminescu throughout that covenant poetry – Legamant, which was the manifestation of his generation, generation of the sixties, and is still present today. We also remembered the National Culture Day of this poem, which I recited at the Romanian Academy, and many academics knew it. Grigore Vieru returned to the reader. He took care of the reader – he wrote plainly and deeply for all readers – from 8 to 80 years of age," said Mihai Cimpoi.

At his turn, poet Nicolae Dabija said that for ten years we speak of Grigore Vieru – man in the past, but by Grigore Vieru –poet – of the future. "Poet Grigore Vieru is more present after his death in our everyday life, in the life of schools, cultural institutions, more than when he was a man and walked among us, he went to meetings with the readers. I convinced myself of it at the many meetings with the readers I had in the educational institutions of Moldova and in Romania. I am greeted every time with songs on the lyrics of Grigore Vieru. He is present among us. The longing for Grigore Vieru is supplemented by his poems we read. The poetry of Grigore Vieru still needs to be rediscovered. Grigore Vieru is a street name, a library name, a name of a cenacle, a book, that is, Grigore Vieru has another life, his second life, which is related to spirituality and which develops the true image of the one which is named in our history and in the history of our literature Grigore Vieru," said Nicolae Dabija.

Poet Grigore Vieru was born on 14 February 1935 in Pererata village, Hotin county, now Briceni district. He is the author of the lyrics of Alarma, Muzicute, Mama, Numele tau, Aproape, Un verde ne vede, Taina care ma apara, Radacina de foc. Grigore Vieru is the author of Abecedar. His work has been translated into English, Russian, German, Italian, Bulgarian etc. In 1988, he was awarded the most prestigious international distinction in the field of literature for children – Honorary Diploma H. Ch. Andersen. In 1996, he was decorated with the Order of the Republic. In 1990, he was elected Honorary Member of the Romanian Academy, and in 1993 – a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy. He died on 18 January 2009 following a road accident. Grigore Vieru was decorated post – mortem with the National Order Star of Romania in Grade of Big Cross. At present, several Moldovan schools, a boulevard in the capital and a street in Iasi, Romania, are named after his name.