Early life The Teodoreanu brothers were born to Sofia Muzicescu, wife of the lawyer Osvald Al. Teodoreanu. The latter's family, originally named Turcu, hailed from
Comănești; Osvald's grandfather had been a
Romanian Orthodox priest. Sofia was the daughter of
Gavril Muzicescu, a famous composer from Western Moldavia, and herself a teacher at the
Music and Declamation Conservatory in
Iași. When Păstorel was born, on July 30, 1894, she and her husband were still living at
Dorohoi. Ionel (
Ioan-Hipolit Teodoreanu) and Puiuțu (
Laurențiu Teodoreanu) were his younger siblings, born after the family had moved to Iași. while an engineer uncle, also named Laurențiu, was the first manager of the original Iași Power Plant. The Teodoreanus lived in a townhouse just outside
Zlataust Church. They were neighbors of poet
Otilia Cazimir and relatives of novelist
Mărgărita Miller Verghy. From 1906, Alexandru Osvald attended the National High School Iași, in the same class as the film critic and economist
D. I. Suchianu. Young Păstorel had a vivid interest in literary activities and, critics note, acquired a solid
classical culture. Literary historian
Zigu Ornea, who spent time with Păstorel in the 1950s, cautions that, in addition to being a "jolly carouser", he was outstandingly educated in the classics, and could converse in
Old French. He became friends with a future literary colleague,
Demostene Botez, with whom he shared lodging at the
boarding school. Years later, in one of his reviews for Botez's books, Teodoreanu confessed that he once used to steal wine from Botez's own
carboy. Botez himself recalled that Păstorel would leave him endearing notes confessing to his weakness, noting that such exchanges helped to strengthen their friendship. He recalled that all three Teodoreanu brothers were outstanding and well-loved as boys, but also that Păstorel had made one enemy—his mathematics professor, the subject of his pranks and innuendo. leading him to graduate from the Artillery School of
Bucharest in 1916. When, in 1916, Romania joined the
Entente Powers, Alexandru was mobilized, a
Sub-lieutenant in the 24th artillery regiment,
Romanian Land Forces. He had just published his first poem, a
sonnet of
unrequited love, uncharacteristic for his signature writing. As he recalled, his emotional father accompanied him as far west as the army would allow. According to Botez, the war only helped to bolster Păstorel's "
Quixotic irreverence toward life and its cruelties". He eventually withdrew during
The Romanian Debacle, escaping with the defeated armies into besieged Moldavia. His fighting earned him the
Star of Romania and the rank of
Captain. During the same interval, Ionel, still in Iași, fell in love with
Ștefana "Lily" Lupașcu, who became his wife. She was half French, and, through her, the Teodoreanus became cousins in law of
Cella and
Henrieta Delavrancea (orphaned daughters of writer
Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea); In 1919, upon demobilization, Alexandru returned to Iași. Like Ionel, he became a contributor to the magazines
Însemnări Literare and
Crinul, and also proofread for the former. He only spent a few months as a magistrate. Before the end of the year, he relocated to
Cluj, where
Cezar Petrescu employed him as a staff writer for his literary magazine,
Gândirea. The group's activity was centered on Cluj's New York Coffeehouse. Together with another
Gândirea author,
Adrian Maniu, Teodoreanu wrote the
fantasy play
Rodia de aur ("Golden Pomegranate"). It was published by the Moldavian cultural tribune,
Viața Românească, and staged by the
National Theater Iași in late 1920. Some months later, Teodoreanu was co-opted by theatrologist
Ion Marin Sadoveanu into the
Poesis literary salon, whose members militated for
modernism.
Țara Noastră period In short while, Al. O. Teodoreanu became a popular presence in literary circles, and a famous
bon viveur. The moniker
Păstorel, candidly accepted by Teodoreanu, was a reference to these drinking habits: he was said to have "tended" (
păstorit) the rare wines, bringing them to the attention of other culinary experts. His first contribution to food criticism was published by
Flacăra on December 31, 1921, with the title
Din carnetul unui gastronom ("From a Gastronomer's Notebook"). He is said to have been uniquely well-acquainted with
French cuisine, having read all its relevant guides—from
Joseph Berchoux to
Brillat-Savarin and
Mapie de Toulouse-Lautrec. Teodoreanu integrated with the
bohemian society in several cities, leaving written records of his drunken dialogues with linguist
Alexandru Al. Philippide. At Iași, the Teodoreanus, including Ștefana, A visitor, modernist poet-critic
Felix Aderca, reported seeing Păstorel at
Viața Românească, "plotting" against the
National Theater Bucharest, because, unlike the
nationalist theatrical companies of Iași, it only rarely staged Romanian plays. Aderca's antagonistic remarks, published in
Sburătorul, reflected growing tensions between the modernist circles in Bucharest and the cultural conservatives in Iași. Visiting Bucharest in or around 1923, Păstorel met Aderca at
Casa Capșa restaurant; the resulting fistfight was only interrupted by the intervention of a bystander,
Ilarie Voronca. he is known to have published another "sketch drama", eponymnously known as
Margareta Popescu. This was taken up in 1928 by
Bilete de Papagal, an experimental literary newspaper managed by poet
Tudor Arghezi, with whom he toured Moldavian towns in an anti-tuberculosis awareness campaign. In 1923, he published his "Inscriptions on a Coffeehouse Table" in the satirical magazine
Hiena, which was edited by
Gândireas
Pamfil Șeicaru. While receiving his first accolades as a writer, Păstorel was becoming a sought-after public speaker. Together with
Gândireas other celebrities, he toured the country and gave public readings from his works (1923). Teodoreanu was also involved in the cultural and political quarrels of postwar
Greater Romania, taking the side of newcomers from
Transylvania, who criticized the country's antiquated social system; they proposed an "
Integral nationalism". In January 1925, Păstorel began writing for the Transylvanian review
Țara Noastră and became, together with
Octavian Goga and
Alexandru "Ion Gorun" Hodoș, its staff polemicist. In the mid-1920s, Păstorel's satire had found its main victim:
Nicolae Iorga, the influential historian, poet and political agitator. According to Goga and Hodoș, Iorga's older brand of nationalism was unduly self-serving, irresponsible, and confusing. Teodoreanu followed up with satirical pieces, comparing the omnipresence of Iorga "the demigod" with the universal spread of novelty
Pink Pills. He also ridiculed Iorga's ambitions in poetry, drama, and literary theory: "Mr. Iorga doesn't get how things work, but he is able to persuade many others: he is dangerous." Teodoreanu was courted by the modernist left-wing circles, which were hostile to Iorga's traditionalism, and was a guest writer for a (formerly radical) art magazine,
Contimporanul. His mockery of Iorga was widely distributed at a time when his own father, Osvald, was chairing a regional chapter of Iorga's
Democratic Nationalists. Teodoreanu Sr was consequently pushed to resign. According to
George Lesnea, a fellow poet and personal friend of Teodoreanu's, the book's history was intertwined with his growing disdain for Iorga. As noted by this source, Iorga had praised
Sandu Teleajen for a similar parody, while lambasting
Hronicul for "downgrading the Romanian language". Păstorel's
Trei fabule ("Three Fables") were taken up by
Bilete de Papagal, which also hosted his satirical
advice column "for music lovers" (instructing them how to misbehave at concerts). It also earned him a literary award sponsored by the
Romanian Academy. He made frequent appearances in Bucharest, for instance participating at the
Romanian Writers' Society functions—in November 1926, he attended the banquet honoring
Rabindranath Tagore, who was visiting Romania. In 1929 the National Theater, chaired by
Liviu Rebreanu, staged a new version of
Rodia de aur. The event brought Păstorel into collision with the modernists: at
Cuvântul, theatrical reviewer
Ion Călugăru ridiculed
Rodia de aur as a backward, "childish", play. The verdict infuriated Teodoreanu, who, according to press reports, visited Călugăru at his office, and pummeled him in full view. According to
Curentul daily, he threatened onlookers not to intervene, brandishing a revolver. At the time, the
Ilfov County tribunal received a legal complaint from Călugăru, who accused Teodoreanu of assault and repeated death threats. History does not record whether Teodoreanu was ever brought to court.
Gastronomice years Păstorel returned to food criticism, with chronicles published in
Lumea, a magazine directed by literary historian
George Călinescu, in
Bilete de Papagal, and in the left-wing review
Facla. By 1932, he had denounced Pascu to the local prosecutors, alleging that he had mishandled old manuscripts in his care. Pascu sued him for damages, Also in 1930, Teodoreanu joined the National Theater Iași directorial staff, where he supported the production of plays by
Ion Luca Caragiale; his colleagues there were Moldavian intellectuals from the
Viața Românească group: Mihail Sadoveanu, Demostene Botez,
Mihail Codreanu,
Iorgu Iordan. Like Sadoveanu and Codreanu, he was inducted into the
Romanian Freemasonry's Cantemir Lodge. The formal initiation had an embarrassing twist: Teodoreanu turned up inebriated, and, during the qualifying questionnaire, stated that he was "damned well pleased" to become a Mason. The volume
Strofe cu pelin de mai pentru/contra Iorga Neculai ("Stanzas in May
Wormwood for/against Iorga Neculai") was published in 1931, reportedly at the expense of Păstorel's friends and allies, since it had been refused "by all of the nation's publishing houses". another version, favored by poet Ion Larian Postolache, is that the public itself made sure to buy it as soon as the shops opened, thus preventing the authorities from confiscating it. Postolache also recounts that Păstorel pulled an elaborate prank on Iorga and Osvald, announcing that he would show up at Iorga's home to deliver a public apology; he arrived late, pretended that he was in reality looking for a "Doctor Göldenberg", and left when told that he was in Iorga's home. Iorga then sued Păstorel for defamation, but gave up on his claim for compensation. More officially, Teodoreanu published two
sketch story volumes: in 1931,
Mici satisfacții ("Small Satisfactions") with Cartea Românească; in 1933, with Editura Națională Ciornei—Rosidor,
Un porc de câine ("A Swine of a Dog"). His work also included a translation of
Alfred de Musset's play,
Le Chandelier, used by
Ion Sava in his stage production at Iași (1932). Around that time, he agreed to join the
National Agrarian Party (PNA), out of respect for Goga, who was its chairman. Active for a while within the PNA's Iași section (which only had some ten members in all), he ridiculed its chairman Florin Sion, asking his party colleagues Sadoveanu and
Ion Petrovici to take over; he eventually lost interest and quit the group. He had additionally had a running dispute with
Lumea, and had rallied with the rival city newspaper,
Opinia. Eventually, Teodoreanu left Moldavia behind, and moved to Bucharest, where he rented a
Grivița house. he was employed as a book reviewer for
The Royal Foundations Publishing House, under manager
Alexandru Rosetti. He also became a professional food critic for the literary newspaper
Adevărul Literar și Artistic, with a column he named
Gastronomice ("Gastronomics"), mixing real and imaginary recipes. It was in Bucharest that he met and befriended
Maria Tănase, Romania's leading female vocalist. Still indulging in his pleasures, Teodoreanu was living beyond his means, pestering Călinescu and Cezar Petrescu with requests for loans, and collecting from all his own debtors. The two books were followed in 1935 by another sketch story volume, eponymously titled
Bercu Leibovici. In its preface, Teodoreanu announced that he refused to even classify this work, leaving classification to "morons and rubberneckers". The following year, the prose collection
Vin și apă ("Wine and Water") was issued by
Editura Cultura Națională. Also in 1936, Teodoreanu contributed the preface to Romania's standard
cookbook, assembled by
Sanda Marin. Osvald Teodoreanu and his two living sons participated in the grand reopening of Hanul Ancuței, a roadside tavern in
Tupilați, relocated to Bucharest. The other members and guests were literary, artistic and musical celebrities: Arghezi, D. Botez, Cezar Petrescu, Sadoveanu,
Cella Delavrancea,
George Enescu,
Panait Istrati,
Milița Petrașcu,
Ion Pillat and
Nicolae Tonitza. The pub also tried to engender a literary society, dedicated primarily to the reformation of
Romanian literature, and, with its profits, financed young talents. The Hanul Ancuței episode ended when Teodoreanu was diagnosed with
liver failure. Sponsored by the Writers' Society, he treated his condition at
Karlovy Vary, in
Czechoslovakia. The experience, which meant cultural isolation and a
teetotal's diet, led Teodoreanu to declare himself an enemy of all things Czechoslovak. He impressed the other literati at the celebratory dinner, where he was "dressed to the nines" and drank with moderation. The same year, Ionel joined his older brother in Bucharest.
World War II and communist takeover The Teodoreanu brothers were public supporters of the
authoritarian regime instituted, in 1938, by
King Carol II, contributing to the government propaganda. The king returned the favor and, also in 1938, Păstorel was made a Knight of
Meritul Cultural Order, 2nd Class. From autumn 1939, when the start of World War II left Romania exposed to foreign invasions, Teodoreanu was again called under arms with the 24th artillery regiment. His commanding officer, Corneliu Obogeanu, found him to be useless, and ordered him to stay behind in
Roman (a town which Teodoreanu described as unhygienic and "not at all attractive"); though not in active service, he put on hold his regular food chronicles. His military duties quickly dissolved into wine-drinking meals. This was attested by Corporal
Gheorghe Jurgea-Negrilești, an aristocrat and memoirist, who served under Teodoreanu and remained his friend in civilian life. He and Sadoveanu found additional employment at the
Labor Ministry, as a councilor for the national leisure service,
Muncă și Voe Bună. At around that time, the monarch personally obtained that Teodoreanu be allowed to inhabit a two-room apartment at his Royal Foundations. Returning to Bucharest, Păstorel stayed at
Carlton Tower, until the building was destroyed in the
November 10 earthquake; for a while, Teodoreanu himself was presumed dead. Shortly after, Romania, under
Conducător Ion Antonescu, became an ally of
Nazi Germany. In summer 1941, the country joined in the German attack on the
Soviet Union (
Operation Barbarossa). Teodoreanu took employment as an Antonescu regime propagandist, publishing, in the newspaper
Universul, a panegyric dedicated to pilot
Horia Agarici.
Țara newspaper of
Sibiu hosted his scathing
anti-communist poem,
Scrisoare lui Stalin ("A Letter to
Stalin"). His brother and sister in law followed the same line, the former with novels which had anti-Soviet content. In one other context, Păstorel defended his colleague Lesnea, who was publishing translations from
Sergei Yesenin and was therefore accused of being a communist. A second edition of
Bercu Leibovici came out in 1942, followed in 1943 by a reprint of
Caiet. Inhabiting a
semi-basement in
Dorobanți, One of his stories was used for a
variety show which opened in July 1943 at Colorado Theater, Bucharest. In December, the author was scheduled to go on a literary tour of
Odesa, in the Romanian-held
Transnistria Governorate, but never showed up for his train (allegedly, because he was "comatose" drunk). In mid-1944, at the peak of
Allied bombing raids, Teodoreanu had taken refuge in
Budești, a rural commune south of the capital. He was joined there by Maria Tănase and her husband of the time. After the
August 23 Coup broke apart Romania's alliance with the
Axis powers, Teodoreanu returned to regular journalism. His food criticism was again taken up by
Lumea, and then by the general-interest
Magazin. Lacking a stable home, he was hosted at The Royal Foundations Publishing House, and could be seen walking about its library in a red housecoat. At that stage, Romania was under a
Soviet occupation, with only a marginal presence of other Allied armies. Returning to dine at Capșa with friends such as
Henri Wald,
Paul Georgescu,
Mihail Petroveanu and
Zaharia Stancu, Păstorel expressed his conviction that
Sovietization was irreversible:
nu le arde americanilor țara noastră, nici nu știu măcar unde suntem pe hartă ("the Americans couldn't care less about our country, they can't even locate us on a map"); Wald recalled the moment as one of comedic perfection since, just moments after, a
US Army officer in a "superb uniform" entered the room, glanced around as if looking for someone, and left. , 1950 Though
Rodia de aur was taken up by the
National Theater Craiova in 1945, Teodoreanu's contribution to wartime propaganda had made him a target for retribution in the
Romanian Communist Party press. Already in October 1944,
România Liberă and
Scînteia demanded for him to be excluded from the Writers' Society, noting that he had "written in support of the anti-Soviet war". Ionel and his wife also faced persecution for sheltering wanted anti-communists
Mihail Fărcășanu and Pia Pillat-Fărcășanu. Resuming his food writing after 1944, he began inserting subtle jokes about the new living conditions, even noting that the widespread practice of
rationing made his texts seem "absurd". Traditionally, his cooking recommendations had been excessive, and recognized as such by his peers. He firmly believed that
cozonac cake required 50 eggs for each
kilogram of flour (that is, some 21 per pound). Păstorel was experiencing financial ruin, living on commissions, handouts and borrowings. He tried to talk Maria Tănase into using his poems as song lyrics, and stopped seeing her altogether when her husband refused to lend him money. In 1953, aged 58 or 59, Păstorel married Marta Poenaru. Ionel Teodoreanu died suddenly in February 1954, leaving Păstorel devastated. He compensated for the loss of his brother by keeping company with other intellectuals of the anti-communist persuasion. His literary circle, hosted by the surviving Bucharest locales, included, among others, Jurgea-Negrilești,
Șerban Cioculescu,
Vladimir Streinu,
Aurelian Bentoiu, and
Alexandru Paleologu. During communist celebrations such as
Liberation Day, he would also hold meetings with other writers, including
Vlaicu Bârna,
Tudor Mușatescu, and
Adrian Maniu (all of them pretended to watch the ongoing parade while in fact gossiping). As other Securitate records show, the public was aware of Teodoreanu's visits to the Securitate, but distinguished between him, who was "called over" to confess, and those who made voluntary denunciations. Păstorel himself gave clues to his friends about his newfound discretion—when asked about his affairs, he would answer them:
văzând și tăcând ("let's see about that and then shut up some more"). As recalled by Ornea, Teodoreanu was still struggling financially. He walked about town in "shabby clothes, though always with a smile and a joke blossoming on his cheek". In trying to salvage his career, he was forced to diversify his literary work. In 1956, his literary advice for debuting authors was hosted by the gazette
Tînărul Scriitor, an imprint of the Communist Party School of Literature. He also completed and published translations from
Jaroslav Hašek (
Soldier Švejk) and
Nikolai Gogol (
Taras Bulba). Samples of his communist-era works were read out at the Bucharest Literary Week in December of that year. With Călinescu, Teodoreanu worked on
La Roumanie Nouvelle, the French-language communist paper, where he had the column
Goutons voir si le vin est bon ("Let's Taste the Wine and See if It's Good"). From 1957 to 1959, he resumed his food chronicles in
Magazin, while also contributing culinary reviews in
Glasul Patriei and other such communist propaganda newspapers. He was a virtual employee or "technical adviser" of Bucharest's Continental Restaurant, for which he wrote short poems that doubled as
advertorials. Alongside
Victor Tulbure and
Mihai Beniuc, he gave poetry readings for the sporting staff of
CS Dinamo București. According to literary reviewer G. Pienescu, who worked with Teodoreanu in the 1960s, the
Glasul Patriei collaboration was supposed to grant Păstorel a "certificate of good citizenship". Although the country was still undernourished, Păstorel celebrated the public
self-service chain,
Alimentara, as a "structural transformation" of the Romanian psyche. Meanwhile, some anti-communist texts, circulated by Teodoreanu among the underground dissidents, were intercepted by the authorities. Those who have documented Teodoreanu's role in the development of underground humor note that he paid a dear price for his contributions. On October 30, 1959, Teodoreanu was arrested, One thing they had in common was their relationship with Noica: they had all attended meetings in Noica's home, listening to his readings from the letters of a banished philosopher,
Emil Cioran. In Teodoreanu's specific case, the authorities also recovered a fable of his from the 1930s, Wald also attributes him another quote, from his response to the judges: "I've been joking around for fifty years, and you gentlemen, of all people, had to take me seriously?" Communist censors took over his manuscripts, some of which were unceremoniously burned. Held in confinement at
Aiud Prison, Păstorel reportedly complained of having been brutalized by one of the guards. While in
Gherla Prison, he filed an appeal: he admitted to having ridiculed communism, and to having distanced himself from Socialist Realism, but asked to be allowed a second chance, stating his usefulness in writing "propaganda". together with many other political prisoners, and allowed to return to Bucharest. Păstorel made his comeback with the occasional column, in which he continued to depict Romania as a land of plenty. Written for
Romanian diaspora readers, just shortly after the peak of food restrictions, these claimed that luxury items (
Emmental,
liverwurst,
Nescafé,
Sibiu sausages) had been made available in every neighborhood shop. His hangout was the Hotel, where he befriended an eccentric communist, poet
Nicolae Labiș. Helped by Pienescu, he was preparing a collected works edition,
Scrieri ("Writings"). The communist censors were adverse to its publishing, but, after
Tudor Arghezi spoke in Teodoreanu's favor, the book was included in the "fit for publishing" list of 1964. In December 1963, he attended his final
wine tasting at a cellar on Banului Street, in downtown Bucharest. Upon entering the terminal stages of disease, he was receiving
palliative care at his house on Vasile Lascăr Street, in Bucharest's Armenian Quarter. Teodoreanu died at home, on March 17, 1964, just a day after Pienescu brought him news that censorship had been bypassed; Reportedly, death caught him reading volume sixteen of Ionel Teodoreanu's complete works. Six hundred people were in attendance, The writer had left two translations (
Anatole France's
Chronicle of Our Own Times;
Prosper Mérimée's
Nouvelles), first published in 1957. Ștefana lived to age 97, and continued to publish as a novelist and memoirist, although from 1982 she withdrew into near-complete isolation at
Văratec Monastery. The last-surviving of her sons died without heirs in 2006. ==Work==