Mircea Eliade

by Ioan Petru Culianu

Culianu trateaza, cronologic si tematic, biografia unui Eliade "aparut" dintr-un spatiu necunoscut, dar si dintr-un timp revolut; excesele "adolescentului miop", de la patima lecturii si ambitia enciclopedica la caznele la care se supune pentru a-si oteli vointa, erau inteligibile pentru occidentalii interbelici - modelul Papini, urmat de Eliade, facea furori - si absolut stranii pentru cei de azi, mai curind oameni hiperspecializati, asa cum se cuvine in postistorie. Lucrarea ca intreg reprezinta o complexa "radiografie" a temelor operei eliadiene, precum si o analiza tehnica a principalelor carti.

Genres: Philosophy

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Ioan Petru Culianu was a Romanian historian of religion, culture, and ideas, a philosopher and political essayist, and a short story writer. He served as professor of the history of religions at the University of Chicago from 1988 to his death, and had previously taught the history of Romanian culture at the University of Groningen.

An expert in gnosticism and Renaissance magic, he was encouraged and befriended by Mircea Eliade, though he gradually distanced himself from his mentor. Culianu published seminal work on the interrelation of the occult, Eros, magic, physics, and history.

Culianu was murdered in 1991. It has been much speculated his murder was in consequence of his critical view of Romanian national politics. Some factions of the Romanian political right openly celebrated his murder. The Romanian Securitate, which he once lambasted as a force "of epochal stupidity", has also been suspected of involvement and of using puppet fronts on the right as cover.

Reviews

[Const. CCR · Rating 4 out of 5]

.