A very interesting and somewhat controversial figure of interwar Romanian literature, he was considered to be one of the founders of the modern novel in 20th century national literature, being strongly and openly influenced especially by French literature of the 20th century, as well as the German tradition. He was not only an interesting and often briliant author of novels - popular, although somewhat difficult - but also a playwright, a philosopher (he even completed his doctoral studies in the field) and a poet. One of those influential and very popular intelectuals in the first part of 20th century Romania, admired by many, despised and attacked by others, he would nvertheless play a key-role in the much needed change and evolution of Romanian literature.
Bonr in Bucharest, on April 9th 1894, the future writer never got to see his father, also named Camil Petrescu, who had died before the son was born. In the end Camil Petrescu would also lose his mother and was raised by another family. He enrolled at the St Sava College, then at the Gh Lazar Highschool, and his good to excelent results brought him a full scholarship. As many others in his generation, in 1913, Camil Petrescu began his philosophy studies at the University in Bucharest, after graduating with honours he taught for a while in Timisoara. He would eventually complete his philosophical experience with his doctoral studies and a thesis on Phenomenology in Husserl's works.
On the side, Camil Petrescu seemed to be much interested in the field of poetry and cultural journalism, and in 1914 he would make his publishing debut with a small article in the Facla magazine, title Women and Girls of Today. It was a small beginning, and not a very promising one. In 1916 - 1918 Camil Petrescu fought on the battlefields of World War One, one of the most dramatic periods in the history of his country, which was very close to total defeat and even destruction. It would prove to be a key experience for the writer, who would later be inspired to write his masterpiece, Ultima noapte de dragoste, intaia noapte de razboi / Last Night of Love, First Night of War, published in 1930 and hailed as one of the first, few modern novels. Injured and captured by the Hungarian armies, he would only return in Bucharest in 1918, with a lot of memories and fears
Starting with 1920 Camil Petrescu began attending the meeting of the Sburatorul literary circle, led by the prestigious and much influential Eugen Lovinescu, and managed to publish several of his poems here. In 1923 he also published his very first poetry volume, followed by three more, the last one being titled "From the Ladima's Verses" (1932). He was not only known as a modern and interesting poet, rather popular for his creations, but also as one of the best young playwrights. He had finished his first theatre work in 1918 and so far had published several others and some were staged with great success. Influential and respected, Camil Petrescu was actually preparing one of the best novels in Romanian literature, which would prove to be a shock and a turmoil upon his appearance.
Ultima noapte de dragoste, intaia noapte de razboi was published in 1930 and it was a shockingly modern novel, which broke away from the traditional ways of telling a story and marked a decisive shift in the field of artistic creation. It showed a strong French influence - Camil Petrescu himself talked often about his appreciation and devotion for Marcel Proust, for example - and a new, powerfull artistic imagery and language. Marked by the war experience, presenting the condition of the young intelectual in the beginning fot he 20th century Romania, torn between war, love and career, it was a huge hit and a very popular title, shortly followed by Patul lui Procust / Procust's Bed (1933), which took the psychological analysis much further. He became a very successful and influential writer, many critics presented him as a briliant author who offered a new type of novel, and prestigious cultural magazines tried to convince him to write articles. In 1939 he was appointed the director of the National Theatre in Bucharest, where he would remain for several years.
After World War Two and the forced new Communist regime, when many of his former friends and coleagues were imprisoned or went into exile, Camil Petrescu switched sides very easily, a controversial and rather dark decision of his life. During ht war he was a sympathisers of the Axis forces, now he dedicated himself fully to the new regime, and many, many of those who knew him considered him only interested in the money and social status. Which, to a large degree, was very much true. He began working on a large novel, several volumes long, dedicated to Nicolae Balcescu, a famous Romanian 19th century revolutionnary, now "recovered" by the new regime as an example of Romantic socialism. In 1947 Camil Petrescu also became a member of the Romanian Academy, but his failure in the literary field was final. His huge novel dedicated to Balcescu was a fiasco, a sign that using the Socialist Realist principles the talent of Petrescu was simply oblitarated. In the end he would never complete the useless body of work, but kept on publishing articles glorifying the Communist regime and it's achievements or personalities.
Camil Petrescu passed away on May 14th 1957, in Bucharest. He was leaving behind two great novels and several important plays, as well as a controversial and opportunistic choice of allying himself with the new regime. Still, that didn't make his interwar writings failures.
October 2008
