Despre literatura naţională

Ion Creangă - întruchipare a sufletului românesc

(Romanian pronunciation: [iˈon ˈkreaŋɡə]; was born on March 1, 1837 (according to him) or June 10, 1839 (according to some writings from the Humuleşti maternity) in Humuleşti, Neamţ, Romania and died on December 31, 1889. He was a talented and one of the most famous writers in Romania.

His parents' names were Stefan and Smaranda Creangă. He is one of the 8 children of his parents. Between 1846 and 1853 he attended school in his village. After that he continued studying at Princely School in Târgu Neamţ. One year later his mother wanted to see him a priest so he went to the Catechetical School in Fălticeni. Unfortunately the school in Fălticeni was abolished and he went to Iaşi where he became student of the theological seminary "Veniamin Costachi" in Socola. In 1859 his father died and in the same year he married Ileana, priest Ioan Grigoriu's daughter. He was ordained deacon at the Sfânta Treime Church. He was appreciated and chosen to be teacher at the Primary School number 1 in Iaşi. In 1860 his son, Constantin, was born and five years later his mother died of epilepsy. Between 1859 and 1872 he served the church as teacher and deacon in different churches in Iaşi. On October 10, 1872 he was expelled from the clergy because his wife abandoned him and he used a gun to shoot the crows. For 25 years he has been a great teacher and has written with other teachers four handbooks. In 1873 the court took a decision in his action for divorce and gave him the child. He lived in Ţicău and chose Tinca Vartic as his housekeeper. He also chose her as a woman and lived with her until his death, even though they didn't get married. He met Mihai Eminescu - Romania's national poet - in 1875 and they soon became friends. With his help Creangă became a writer. For six years between 1883 and 1889 he has suffered of epilepsy. Finally he died in December 1889.

A main figure in 19th century Romanian literature, he is best known for his Childhood Memories volume, his novellas and short stories, and his many anecdotes. Creangă's main contribution to fantasy and children's literature includes narratives structured around eponymous protagonists ("Harap Alb", "Ivan Turbincă", "Dănilă Prepeleac", "Stan Păţitul"), as well as fairy tales indebted to conventional forms ("The Story of the Pig", "The Goat and Her Three Kids", "The Mother with Three Daughters-in-Law", "The Old Man's Daughter and the Old Woman's Daughter"). Widely seen as masterpieces of the Romanian language and local humor, his writings occupy the middle ground between a collection of folkloric sources and an original contribution to a literary realism of rural inspiration.