Ion Creangă (Romanian pronunciation: [iˈ on ˈ kre̯aŋɡə]; also known as Nică al lui

Ștefan a Petrei, Ion Torcălău and Ioan Ștefănescu; March 1, 1837 –

December 31,1889 ) was a 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. Creangă's main contribution to fantasy and children's

literature includes narratives structured around eponymous protagonists

("Harap Alb", "Ivan Turbincă", "Dănilă Prepeleac", "Stan Pățitul"), 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,

Creangă 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, Creangă helped

propagate the group's cultural guidelines in an accessible form. Later critics

have often described him, alongside Eminescu, Ion Luca Caragiale and Ioan

Slavici, as one of the most accomplished representatives of Junimist literature.

Ion Creangă 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 Iași, which, in 1918, was opened as the first

memorial house in Romania. His direct descendants include Horia Creangă,

one of the leading Romanian architects during the interwar period.