Tudor Mușatescu (; February 22, 1903 – November 4, 1970) was a
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
n playwright and short story writer, best known for his humorous prose.
Biography
Mușatescu was born in
Câmpulung-Muscel to a family of middle-class intellectuals — his father was a lawyer while his mother was a writer. He studied at the
Dinicu Golescu High School in his hometown, and began writing during his early years in school. He completed studies at the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...
, where he earned a degree in Law and one in Literature. Afterwards, he wrote for several newspapers, including ''Rampa'' and ''
Adevărul''.
Much of his work centers on provincial life in his native city, and includes political
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
s such as ''Titanic Vals'' (arguably, his most influential writing). The 1964 movie
Titanic Waltz
''Titanic Waltz'' (Romanian: ''Titanic vals'') is a 1964 Romanian comedy film directed by Paul Călinescu and starring Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic, , and .Iordanova p.25 It was based on a play of the same name by Tudor Mușatescu.
The film's sets were ...
, directed by
Paul Călinescu
Paul Călinescu (23 August 1902 – 25 March 2000) was a Romanian film director and screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, ...
and starring
Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic, was adapted from his play.
He died in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
and was buried in the city's
Bellu Cemetery
Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania.
It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. Th ...
, next to his wife, actress Kitty Stroescu (1907–1990) and their son, Bogdan Mușatescu (1941–2016), also an actor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musatescu, Tudor
1903 births
1970 deaths
People from Câmpulung
University of Bucharest alumni
Romanian dramatists and playwrights
Romanian male short story writers
Romanian short story writers
20th-century Romanian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century short story writers
20th-century Romanian male writers
Burials at Bellu Cemetery