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Camil Petrescu | |
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| Born | (1894-04-21)21 April 1894 |
| Died | 14 May 1957(1957-05-14) (aged 63) |
| Resting place | Bellu Cemetery,Bucharest,Romania |
| Pen name | Raul D. |
| Occupation | |
| Language | Romanian |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Alma mater | University of Bucharest |
| Literary movement | |
| Years active | 1914-1957 |
| Notable works | "Last night of love, first night of war" (novel published in 1930) |
| Signature | |
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Camil Petrescu (Romanian pronunciation:[kaˈmilpeˈtresku]; 9/21 April 1894 – 14 May 1957) was a Romanianplaywright,novelist,philosopher andpoet. He marked the end of the traditional novel era and laid the foundation of the modern novel era inRomania. He was a member of theSburătorul and a mentor to the writerAnișoara Odeanu.[1]
Petrescu was born inBucharest in 1894.[2] He lost both his parents early in life and was raised by a relative, or a nanny from the Moșilor suburb (the sources remain quite unclear on this).
Petrescu went to primary school atObor, and to high school atSaint Sava National College, where he wrote his very first poem. Being very poor, he studied assiduously, worked to support himself, and relatively late—at the age of 29—he began his studies in philosophy at theUniversity of Bucharest.[2] His antisemitism is controversial, having Jewish friends such asMihail Sebastian.[3]
In 1916, Petrescu was drafted and sent to the battlefields of then ragingWorld War I, where he was wounded and taken prisoner by theAustro-Hungarians in 1917.[4] Freed in 1918, he depicted his war experiences in his 1930 novelUltima noapte de dragoste, întâia noapte de război [ro] ("Last Night of Love, First Night of War"). In 1933, Petrescu wrote the novelPatul lui Procust [ro] ("The Bed of Procrustes"; seeProcrustes' bed). He was a teacher inTimișoara, and director of theNational Theatre Bucharest. He was electedtitular member of the Romanian Academy in 1948. He died in 1957 in Bucharest, and was buried at the city'sBellu Cemetery.
