George Topîrceanu | |
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| Born | (1886-03-20)March 20, 1886 |
| Died | May 7, 1937(1937-05-07) (aged 51) Iași, Kingdom of Romania |
| Resting place | Eternitatea Cemetery, Iași |
| Occupation | Poet, short story writer, humourist |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Education | Saint Sava High School University of Bucharest |
| Spouse | Victoria Iuga |
| Children | Gheorghe Topîrceanu |
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| Website | |
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George Topîrceanu (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈdʒe̯ordʒetopɨrˈtʃe̯anu]; March 20, 1886 – May 7, 1937) was aRomanianpoet, short story writer, andhumourist.
He was born inBucharest, the son of Ion Topîrceanu, a furrier and his wife, Paraschiva (née Cosma), a carpet weaver. The family lived in theCotroceni neighborhood.[1] It is said that the origins of the Topîrceanu family are with a family Niștor from the village Topîrcea nearSibiu; there is a family with the name Topîrceanu who claim to be related to the parents of George Topîrceanu, settled inGrădiștea andPeriș.
Topîrceanu began his schooling in Bucharest, and then moved to the hilly countryside ofArgeș County, inȘuici commune, where he formed his taste for themes taken from nature.[2] After returning to Bucharest, he attended theMatei Basarab High School (1898–1901), and then completed his secondary studies at theSaint Sava High School (1901–1906).[1] Upon graduation, he attended theUniversity of Bucharest Law School, and then its Faculty of Letters, without ever finishing either. This was largely due to a hectic lifestyle, punctuated by numerous affairs and heavy alcohol use.
His debut came in 1905, the year he published his first verses in Sunday papers and minor magazines; in 1909, he managed to have poems featured in major periodicals, such asSămănătorul. He worked in handcopying, and in 1909 made his mark by having his satiricalRăspunsul micilor funcționari ("A Reply from the Minor Civil Servants") inViața Românească. In 1911, he moved toIași, onGarabet Ibrăileanu's invitation, and became chief editor atViața Românească. He later wrote his well-received articles –Cum am devenit moldovean ("How I Became aMoldavia Native") andCum am devenit ieșean ("How I Became a Iași Native") which trace his meanderings within Romania.
In 1912, he married a young schoolteacher, Victoria Iuga. They had one son, Gheorghe. Although the two were very much in love, the marriage soon began to crumble, due to Topîrceanu's bouts of womanizing and alcoholism. Unable to redeem himself, George nonetheless suffered enormously, and the gradual distancing from Victoria, whom he will repeatedly refer to as hisone saving grace, also influenced his literary output.
With the beginning ofWorld War I, Topîrceanu was drafted, then taken prisoner and imprisoned byBulgarian forces during theBattle of Turtucaia, in September 1916. He was kept in aPOW camp until the end of the war, in 1918. After his return, Topîrceanu published several volumes of wartime recollections:Amintiri din luptele de la Turtucaia ("Memories from Battle of Turtucaia", 1918),În ghiara lor... Amintiri din Bulgaria și schițe ușoare ("In Their Claw... Memories from Bulgaria and Light Sketches", 1920), andPirin-Planina, epizoduri tragice și comice din captivitate ("Pirin-Planina, Tragic and Comical Episodes from Captivity", 1936),[3] which represent, among others, a vivid depiction of the profound effects that thecholera epidemic had on the morale of Romanian troops during their attempted retreat.
He began publishing short verses to increasing critical acclaim. In 1926, he was awarded the National Poetry Prize.
Topîrceanu died in Iași in 1937 ofliver cancer, and was buried in the city'sEternitatea Cemetery. Streets are named after him inBerceni,Chișinău,Craiova,Hunedoara, Iași,Mediaș,Miroslava,Otopeni,Ploiești,Sibiu, andSuceava. Schools in Bucharest andMioveni are also named after him.[4]
His three main volumes of poetry,Balade vesele şi triste ("Ballads, Merry and Sad"),Parodii originale ("OriginalParodies") andMigdale amare ("Bitter Almonds"), are a compelling mixture of humor and delicate lyricism. Topîrceanu's favorite device is to switch, without warning, from biting sarcasm to genuine sentiment and vice versa, often with beguiling ease. In his own words he aimed to:through jest, render tears all too clear.
Topîrceanu's most celebrated pieces, such asBalada unui greier mic ("The Ballad of a Tiny Cricket") andRapsodii de toamnă ("Fall Rhapsodies") can be enjoyed for their flowing verse, on an infantile level, as well as appreciated for carefully constructedmetaphors, incisive humor and contemplative ambiance. Other, more muscular and less lyrical pieces such asAcceleratul ("The Bullet Train") andCioara ("The Crow"), display his command of the Romanian language, with cascadingsimiles and emphatic rhythms.
Topîrceanu wrote many satirical pieces, almost all first published as articles. His prose works were collected in several volumes:Memories from the Battle of Turtucaia (Bucharest, 1918),In their claw... Memories from Bulgaria and Light Sketches (Jassy, 1920),Letters with No Address, Humorous and Pessimistic Prose (Bucharest, 1930),Pirin-Planina, Tragic and Comic Episodes from Captivity (Bucharest, 1936). He also left an unfinishednovella,Minunile Sfântului Sisoe ("The Wonders of Saint Sisoe"), published posthumously in 1938.
