Ion Creang (Romanian pronunciation: [ion krea]; also known as Nic al lui tefan a Petrei,

Ion Torclu and Ioan tefnescu; March 1, 1837 December 31, 1889) was a Moldavian,
later Romanian writer, raconteur and schoolteacher. A main figure in 19th century Romanian
literature, he is best known for his Childhood Memories volume, his novellas and short stories,
and his many anecdotes. Creang's main contribution to fantasy and children's literature includes
narratives structured around eponymous protagonists ("Harap Alb", "Ivan Turbinc", "Dnil
Prepeleac", "Stan Pitul"), as well as fairy tales indebted to conventional forms ("The Story of
the Pig", "The Goat and Her Three Kids", "The Mother with Three Daughters-in-Law", "The Old
Man's Daughter and the Old Woman's Daughter"). Widely seen as masterpieces of the Romanian
language and local humor, his writings occupy the middle ground between a collection of
folkloric sources and an original contribution to a literary realism of rural inspiration. They are
accompanied by a set of contributions to erotic literature, collectively known as his "corrosives".

A defrocked Romanian Orthodox priest with an unconventional lifestyle, Creang made an early
impact as an innovative educator and textbook author, while pursuing a short career in nationalist
politics with the Free and Independent Faction. His literary debut came late in life, closely
following the start of his close friendship with Romania's national poet Mihai Eminescu and their
common affiliation with the influential conservative literary society Junimea. Although viewed
with reserve by many of his colleagues there, and primarily appreciated for his records of oral
tradition, Creang helped propagate the group's cultural guidelines in an accessible form. Later
criticism has often described him, alongside Eminescu, Ion Luca Caragiale and Ioan Slavici, as
one of the most accomplished representatives of Junimist literature.

Ion Creang was posthumously granted several honors, and is commemorated by a number of
institutions in both Romania and neighboring Moldova. These include the Bojdeuca building in
Iai, which, in 1918, was opened as the first memorial house in Romania. His direct descendants
include Horia Creang, one of the leading Romanian architects during the interwar period.