Oh…Călinescu and his enigmas...a Honoré de Balzac born in Romania, the creator of beloved Otilia and Vera…yes! Exactly him! This is what, or rather whom, the second article from the column entitled “Beyond literature” will be about. In the first one, we approached our old friend Liviu Rebreanu…and now we’ll find out together some old, but still juicy gossips (old but GOLD) about our dear Călinescu (whose creations, whether we want to or not, we have to read for the Baccalaureate).

Leaving the historical information which prove his achievements in the literary world aside, I’ll focus this article on the fun and juicy facts about the writer’s life, relying on you to do a little independent research in order to get an overview of who he was. Not for any other reason, but the fact that this article has “serious roots” and is going to leave you speechless before you could say Jack Robinson!

During his school years, George Călinescu wasn’t as bright of a student, as one would usually think about literary geniuses of his stature. He had mediocre grades, especially at mathematics, at which he even received some 5’s, starting as early as primary school. 😝

In adulthood, things remained exactly the same, except for the fact that the situation had gained other proportions. He became a depressed, superstitious, isolated adult (actually, when he was writing the History of Romanian Literature, he explicitly asked not to be visited by anyone), who suffered from the persecution complex. He read during the night and wrote during mornings and afternoons. Rest, for him, consisted of only a couple of hours of sleep at midday. He was so involved in his work that he even forgot to eat.

George Călinescu died at the honorable age of 65, living an unfavorable lifestyle, but promising from a literary point of view. His works left their mark on the Romanian readers of all times, writing history until these days. But…We have to acknowledge the fact that his personal life was completely different from what we had expected from such a well-known and appreciated writer (especially by Romanian teachers), right? And wow! How many more things must have happened to him that we have no idea about…

However, the conclusion is that we have to always look beyond appearances, BEYOND WORDS (or even better phrased, beyond literature), because life is far from being like the one pictured in books. But, after all, it beats fiction. Always remember this.

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editorial: Bianca Constantin

graphic design: Bianca Constantin

translation: Sofia Ene

DP (desktop publishing): Bianca Constantin