Dimitrie D. Pătrășcanu (October 8, 1872 – November 4, 1937) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n prose writer and dramatist.

Early life and education

Born in Tomești,

Iași County Iași County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with the administrative seat at Iași. It is the most populous county in Romania, after the Municipality of Bucharest (which has the same administrative level as that of a cou ...

, his parents were Dimitrie Pătrășcanu, a farmer, and his wife, Maria (''née'' Vicol). He attended primary school in his native village and in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

, followed by the

National College National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in the latter city. In 1893, he entered the literature and philosophy faculty of the

University of Iași The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...

, as well as the higher normal school.

Career

After graduating, Pătrășcanu taught history at

Focșani Focșani (; ) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. , it has a population of 66,719. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of ...

Bacău Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...

, and

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. He wrote numerous textbooks, a pursuit to which he dedicated himself entirely in his last years. A member of the National Liberal Party, he was elected to the Assembly of Deputies on a number of occasions. Pătrășcanu made his published debut with an article in the Bacău gazette ''Crainicul''. He formed part of the circle surrounding ''

Viața Românească ''Viața Românească'' (, "The Romanian Life") is a monthly literary magazine published in Romania. Formerly the platform of the left-wing traditionalist trend known as poporanism, it is now one of the Writers' Union of Romania's main venues. ...

'' magazine, to which he began contributing in June 1906, with an article on folk tales. The co-director of ''Viața Româneascăs publishing house and bookstore, he played a key role in the magazine's relaunch in 1920, following World War I. He also wrote for '' Luceafărul'', ''

Flacăra ''Flacăra'' (Romanian for "The Flame") is a weekly literary magazine published in Bucharest, Romania. History and profile ''Flacăra'' was started in 1911. The first issue was published on 22 October 1911. The founder was Constantin Banu and t ...

'', ''Lumina'' and ''Adevărul literar și artistic''. Pătrășcanu's humorous prose (''Schițe și amintiri'', 1909; ''Ce cere publicul de la un deputat și alte schițe'', 1912; ''Timothei mucenicul'', 1913; ''Candidat fără noroc și alte povestiri folositoare'', 1916; ''Înzăpădiți!'', 1916; ''Domnul Nae – Scene din vremea ocupației'', 1921; ''Decorația lui Vartolomei'', 1924; ''Un prânz de gală'', 1928) largely revolves around situational comedy, with buffoon-type effects. ''Timothei mucenicul'' earned him the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

's prize.

Personal life

Pătrășcanu's son was

Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu (; 4 November 1900 – 17 April 1954) was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania (PCR), also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he ...

Tudor Caranfil Tudor Caranfil (14 September 1931 – 23 March 2019) was a Romanian film critic. He was the father of film director Nae Caranfil. Biography He attended V. Alecsandri College in Galati and last year, as well as a bachelor's degree at the Mi ...

, "Despre destin și istorie, cu Ionel Mocsony Stârcea, baron de Foen", in ''

Magazin Istoric ''Magazin Istoric'' () is a Romanian monthly magazine. Overview ''Magazin Istoric'' was started in 1967. The first issue appeared in April 1967. The headquarters is in Bucharest. The monthly magazine contains articles and pictures about Romanian ...

'', November 1995, p. 30.

Death

Pătrășcanu died in Bucharest.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. II, pp. 315–16. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrascanu, Dimitrie D. 1872 births 1937 deaths 19th-century Romanian educators 19th-century Romanian journalists 19th-century Romanian male writers 19th-century Romanian politicians 19th-century Romanian short story writers 20th-century Romanian educators 20th-century Romanian journalists 20th-century Romanian male writers 20th-century Romanian politicians 20th-century Romanian short story writers Alexandru Ioan Cuza University alumni Journalists from Bucharest Magazine writers Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) National Liberal Party (Romania) politicians People from Bacău People from Focșani People from Iași County Politicians from Bucharest Romanian humorists Romanian male short story writers Romanian publishers (people) Romanian schoolteachers Romanian textbook writers

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Death

See also

Notes