Ion Creangă (Romanian pronunciation: [iˈon ˈkre̯aŋɡə]; 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. 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".
He, and the other three Romanian great wrote briefly but wordsworthy.

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.