Vasile Alecsandri is one of Romania's main poets, best know for having collected Romanian folk songs.

Alecsandri (1821-1890) was also a politician and diplomat and one of the principal animators of the 19th century movement for Romanian cultural identity and union of Moldavia and Wallachia.

Alecsandri also wrote theater plays, centered on the character Chirița and showcasing in a comical way the cultural developments of his age, including the French influence and the over use of French instead of Romanian.