Un manuscris grec de literatură franceză din spaţiul românesc în secolul XIX
A Greek Manuscript. Containing a French Translation, discovered on the Romanian Territory in the 19th Century

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents the Greek manuscript no. 482 existing in the collection of the ‘George Baritiu’ County Library Brasov, Romania. Dated probably on the 1st of October 1823, in Bucharest, the manuscript is entitled ‘Beautiful Letters to the Friends’. The manuscript consists in a collection of letters from French literature, translated into New Modern Greek language. It contains different letters belonging to Lady La Fayette, Lady de Sevigné, Racine, Voltaire a.o. followed by a French novel, entitled ‘Malvina’ by Sophie Ristaud Cottin, in incomplete transcription. There are also thematic tables of Voltaire’s correspondence. The letters are organized in two sections. The first is called ‘Ethical and Beautiful Letters’. They enchant the reader by their elegance and fluency, giving great impression by their arguments called upon and the richness of their descriptions. The special style they use represents the real reason they have been transcribed. Racine’s and Lady de Maintenon’s letters are separately grouped in a chapter entitled ‘Advisory Letters’. Voltaire’s correspondence contains rich data on cultural events of the time and on his own literary works. The choice of these literary fragments from French literature at the beginning of the 19th century indicates the translator’s sensitivity and reading interests. At the same time their presence in a Greek manuscript reflects the process of the French influence on New Modern Greek culture. Unfortunately, the translator’s identity could not be identified and we do not know to whom we owe this translation from French into Greek.

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