Simion Florean Marian (1847 - 1907) was one of the most important researchers of Romanian folklore, one of the very first who undertook the tedious task of collecting and putting on paper the legends, stories, songs, myths and images created in the rural areas of Romania. In the 19th century the interest for this subject was at it's beginning, and S. Fl. Marian was one of the pioneers, going along with that Romantic interest for the Romanian past and national identity. By gathering highly valuable pieces of information about the peasant's beliefs and fears, S. Fl. Marian managed to amass a huge number of stories, songs and poems. He published most of his writing, ample studies of Romanian folklore - dealing with folk tales, legends, mythological creatures and ages, supernatural beings, the significance of nature and holidays and so on - in the last three decades of the 19th century. Some of his works are now considered to be classic, yet most of his articles - published in magazines and newspapers - are yet to be recovered and once again published. Due to his hard work and devotion to Romanian folklore, S. Fl. Marian became a respected researcher and writer, and in the last years his books have been reprinted.
The Simion Florea Marian Memorial House can be found on the street with the same name, in Suceava, and is surely worth a visit, even if just as a homage to the writer. The old house was bought by S. Fl. Marian himself, using the prize money given by the Romanian Academy in 1883 for one of his works. The writer lived here in 1884 - 1907 (the year that he died) and it was the best time for his studies. Built at the beginning of the 19th century, it is an impressive house, rather large, with six rooms, and became a memorial house in June 1974. Due to the efforts of the curators and the richness and diversity of the collections, the museum perfectly reproduces the atmosphere of those times.
Visitors can discover in the six rooms a huge collection of personal objects, memorabilia, documents, photographs, collections of old magazines and newspapers that published the writer's works, most of his own books, part of his book collection, photographs, letters, and many others. An impressive selection, interesting for any visitor but especially for researchers and specialists.
2008-03-04
