Prof. Dr. Dan Zamfirescu – publicist, editor, literary historian, Byzantinologist, essayist and a formidable polemicist – member of the Romanian Academy of Scientists, passed away at a patriarchal age. He was born on December 21, 1933 in Căteasca de Argeș, into a family of small landowners. He graduated high school in Bucharest in 1952. He studied Theology in Sibiu and Bucharest until 1956, and completed his Master’s studies in Byzantinology with the renowned specialist Alexandru Elian in 1959. In 1966 he took another bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Slavic Languages, Department of Russian Language and Literature at the Institute of Foreign Languages and Literatures in Bucharest, and in 1971 he obtained a doctorate in Philology.
Between 1959 – 1973 he was, successively, librarian and editor of the publications of the Romanian Orthodox Church, editor of the magazine Romanoslavica of the Association of Slavs in Romania and, then, of the magazine Contemporanul.
Since 1994, he has been a teacher at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the “Valahia” University of Targoviste – lecturer (1994-1995), lecturer (1995-1996), full professor and head of the Department (1996-2004), consultant professor (2004-2005) – in the discipline History of Romanian Literature, specialist in the history of ancient Romanian literature.
He left behind an impressive legacy of publications in prestigious cultural magazines – Contemporanul, Gazeta Literară, Ateneu, Flacăra, etc. – but, in particular, scientific: Neagoe Basarab and the teachings to his son Teodosie. Probleme controversate (1973), Contribuții la istoria literaturii române vechi (1981), Nicolae Iorga. Etape către o monografie (1981), Cultura română – o mare cultura cu destin universal (1996), Cultura română – sinteză europeană (2002), Istorie și cultură , I-II (2003) and others.
In 2014 he was awarded Honorary Doctorate of the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria).
Between 2004-2008 he was a Member of Parliament, elected on the PRM lists, electoral constituency 12, Calarasi.
The Presidium and the Section of History and Archaeology of the Romanian Academy of Scientists send their sincere condolences to the family.
God rest his soul!