The Temptation of the Exotic: Projections of the Orient in Romanian Travel Prose from the Pashoptist Period

Passionate about travel, the writers of the Pasoptist era were also tempted to explore the Orient, a sumptuous land full of miracles. In the memorials and travel diaries of Ion Heliade Rădulescu, Dimitrie Bolintineanu, Vasile Alecsandri et. a., the colorful, picturesque and bizarre, of the places visited, the unusual atmosphere of this universe are evoked. Contemplative, the Romanian writers expose in detail the coordinates of the oriental space – a mixture of human entities, of sumptuousness, luxury and misery. All of them still experience the feeling that they have entered a real Babylon. The exotic element is highlighted in geographical, ethnographic, cultural-spiritual descriptions, etc. The journey of the writer-travelers through such lands stimulates not only the initiatory adventure, but also the act of writing.