Creanga, Ion

Born Mar. 1, 1837, in Humule§ti Village in Neamƫ District; died Dec. 31, 1889, in Ia§i. Rumanian and Moldavian writer.

Creangă was the son of a peasant. He graduated from a theo-logical seminary in Ia§i in 1858 and served as a deacon. In 1865 he completed courses in education and became a teacher. In 1872, because of conflicts with the church authorities, he was unfrocked. Between 1875 and 1877 he published the folk tales “The Mother-in-law and the Three Daughters-in-law,” “Danilă Prepeleac,” “The Tale of Stan the Fleeced,” and “The Tale of White Arab.” Creangă pointedly ridiculed the brutal forces of oppression, the hypocrisy of churchmen, and folk superstitions. His folk tales are unique realistic novellas in which elements of the fantastic are sometimes treated in a comic down-to-earth manner. In the novella The Mischievous Uncle Nichifor (1877) the hero is a peasant who embodies folk vitality and wit. In the stories “Uncle Ion Roată and Union” (1880) and “Uncle Ion Roată and Prince Cuza” (1883), Creangă's democratic peasant nature is most clearly expressed. In Childhood Reminiscences (1880–83) the peasant is depicted with vivid realism. Creangă’s style is rich in folk idioms and humorous juxtapositions. His works have been translated into many languages.