A stormy night

Ion Luca Caragiale (1852 – 1912) is considered one of the most important Romanian playwrights. Since his youth he was part of the Romanian theatrical world, his uncles were Costache and Iorgu Caragiale (actors and directors of theatrical troupes). He acted as an extra in the performances of the National Theatre, thus he was allowed to attend the performances for free. Caragiale was a prompter and typographical corrector, the second job gave him the “horror of typographical errors” that he kept all his life. His literary beginnings can be dated between 1877 and 1879, when he published what he wrote in “Ghimpele”, “Timpul” and various humorous magazines of the time. Caragiale was also director of the National Theatre in Bucharest between 1888 and 1889. His comedies constitute a realistic satire of the flawed society in which he lived. This satire encompasses aspects of the movement from the bottom up the social ladder, the movement of those eager to get ahead, those greedy for power and money, of those "lacking humanity and character."

Caragiale visited Craiova several times, for theater or political affairs! Caragiale edited the conservative newspaper "Doljul" in Craiova (1879), returned in 1883 for a similar operation, and in the 1886-1887 season he attended the rehearsals of the show O scrisoare pierdută, with an impressive role of "Cețeanul turmentat" played by Ion Anestin, his close friend. He returned in 1896, when he held the conference "Pareri literare" and always kept Craiova in his heart.

In 1912, I. L. Caragiale turned 60 and was invited by Emil Gîrleanu, the director of the National Theatre of Craiova, to be honored here. While in Berlin, the playwright agreed to the performance of all his plays on the National Theatre stage and asked for the sum of 2000 lei. Gîrleanu hoped that Nenea Iancu would come to Craiova, but she was not to be. To Gîrleanu, who insisted on being present in Craiova, Caragiale cleverly replied that “the anniversary was not provided for in the contract”! That year, in the spring and autumn, “D-ale Carnavalului” and “Conu Leonida fața cu reacțiunea” (coupé show), “O noapte furtunoasă”, “O scrisoare pierduta”, “Năpasta”, “9 aprilie”, a prose monologue read by V. Eftimiu and E. Gîrleanu. Caragiale had granted Craiova the right to perform his plays throughout Romania, "except Bucharest and Iași"!

 SpectActor Magazine, No. 2/ May-August 2023