Victor Ion Popa (; July 29, 1895 – March 30, 1946) was a

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

dramatist.

Biography

He was born in

Bârlad Bârlad () is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the river Bârlad (river), Bârlad, which waters the high plains of Western Moldavia. At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river Siret (river ...

, the first of three children of Ion Popa and Aspasia, née Pavelescu. He went to

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

in Călmățui, a village in the Grivița commune, in the former

Tutova County Tutova County is one of the historic counties of Moldavia, Romania with the city of Bârlad as Capital (political), capital. Geography Tutova County covered 2,498 km2 and was located in the central-eastern part of Greater Romania, in the sout ...

, where his father was a schoolteacher. At

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 ...

he finished his first five years of secondary school at the Costache Negruzzi Boarding High School and his last two years of high school at the

National High School National High School is a two-campus school in South Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal, India. While one campus (the Sarat Bose Road campus) is affiliated to the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council of Higher S ...

, graduating in 1914. He enrolled in the Iași Conservatory and for a time in the law 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 ...

. In 1916, when Romania entered

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

on the side of the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

, Popa interrupted his studies and attended an officers' school, graduating as sub-lieutenant. In 1917, he fought at the battles of Mărăști and

Oituz Oituz (formerly ''Grozești''; ) is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Călcâi (''Zöldlonka''), Ferestrău-Oituz (''Fűrészfalva''), Hârja (''Herzsa''), Marginea, Oituz and Poiana Sărată (' ...

, an experience he will write about in "Flower of steel, novel of war".

Work

One of his most famous plays is ' (1932), about three small merchants, a Romanian, a Romanian Jew, and a Turk, respectively. The play was set in Podeni, one of the neighborhoods of

. Other plays include: '' Ciuta'' (1922), '' Mușcata din fereastră'' (1928) ''Acord familiar'', ''Cuiul lui Pepelea'', '' Răzbunarea sufleurului'', and ''Răspântia cea mare''. He also wrote a novel, '' Sfârlează cu fofează'' (Spinner with propeller).

Death and legacy

Popa died in

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 ...

at age 50. The Victor Ion Popa Theatre (''Teatrul Victor Ion Popa'') in Bârlad was dedicated in his honor. A gymnasial school in

Dodești Dodești is a commune in Vaslui County, Western Moldavia, 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 ...

and a street in Bârlad are also named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popa, Victor Ion 1895 births 1946 deaths People from Bârlad 20th-century Romanian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Romanian writers Costache Negruzzi National College alumni Romanian military personnel of World War I