POGOR, Vasile. Iaşi 20.8.1833 — Iaşi 20.3.1906. Romanian Author, Philosopher and Politician interested in India. Son of a nobleman, comisul Vasile P. (1792–1857) and Zoița Cerchez, educated in Iaşi. Studies of law in Paris. Worked as a lawyer in Iaşi, belonged to the literary circle “Junimea”. From 1871 in Romanian parliament, after Romanian independence three times the Mayor of Iaşi. He favoured westernization and emancipation of Jews and criticized religion, in politics he was a moderate conservative. A freemason. Married Elena Hartingh, of Russia.
Influenced by Schopenhauer, he became interested in Buddhism.
Publications: Studies on history and classical philology, translated the first part of Goethe’s Faust and other German, French, English, Greek and Latin works; wrote own poetry, occasionally on India; various other writings.
– Translated: “Amaru: O păreche mînioasă”, Amantul supus 150:16, 1882, 1 (from Western versions).
Sources: Dicţionarul literaturii Române. Bucur. 1979, 685f. with photo and references to Romanian sources; briefly Banateanu, Visva-Bh. Quart. 27, 1961-62, 247; long article in Wikipedia with photo; not in Ionesco 1994.
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