" George Topîrceanu" House

 

 

George Topîrceanu was born in Bucharest on March 20, 1886. The writer's parents were originally from Sibiu. He did most of his studies in Bucharest, where he also started the Faculty of Law and Letters, but did not finish it.

The author makes his debut on the literary scene at the age of 19 publishing various poems in the magazines of the time and is noticed by Garabet Ibrăileanu. He called him to Iasi as editorial secretary at the magazine "Viață românească". Ibrăileanu has an important influence in the life of the writer whom he introduces to collaborate with important writers of the time such as Mihail Sadoveanu, Gala Galaction, Tudor Arghezi, Mihai Codreanu or Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu.

In 1912 George Topîrceanu married Victoria Iuga, with whom he has a son, but the marriage was not a happy one. In Iași, the poet meets Otilia Cazimir, with whom he falls in love and with whom he weaves a discreet love story that lasts until the writer's death.

The poet tries to finish his philosophy studies, but in 1916 he is mobilized and sent to the Bulgarian campaign of the First World War. He was captured at Turtucaia and became a prisoner of war until 1918. He was released with the help of the writer Constantin Stere.

On his return, Topîrceanu wrote a volume of war memoirs, proving to be a remarkable prose writer. Together with Mihail Sadoveanu, with whom he has a sincere friendship, he edits the magazine "Însemnări literare".

Although Eugen Lovinescu, who had a tense relationship with Garabet Ibrăileanu, criticized his hard work, accusing the author from Iași of anti-modernism, George Topîrceanu received the National Poetry Prize in 1926.

In 1932 he received a permanent living space in the house on Ralet Street that had belonged to his friend, Demostene Botez. Topîrceanu lived here until May 7, 1937, when, exhausted by a relentless illness, he passed to the eternal ones, at only 51 years old and was buried at the "Eternitatea" cemetery in Iași.

The house was donated in 1983 by the owners Teodor Neagu and Adrian Vulpe, it was renovated, and on June 22, 1985 this objective of the Museum of Romanian Literature Iasi was inaugurated, one year before the celebration of 100 years by UNESCO from the birth of the poet.