Marin Preda

Who was Marin Preda?

Marin Preda was a Romanian novelist, one of the best-known post-WWII Romanian writers.

Preda was born in Teleorman county, in a village called Siliştea-Gumeşti, into a family of peasants. He first studied at school in his home village, then schools in Abrud and Cristur-Odorhei. He moved to Bucharest in 1940 and became a proofreader at Timpul magazine.

His first novella was called Calul. It was written in 1943 and read in Eugen Lovinescu's literary circle, Sburătorul. It was included in his debut volume of 1948, Întâlnirea din pământuri.. Between 1943 and 1945 he served in the army, which was to inspire some of his later works.

In 1945 he was hired as a proofreader at România liberă newspaper, and beginning with 1952 served as an editor at the cultural magazine Viaţa Românească. His novel Moromeţii, was awarded the State Literature Prize in 1956.

In 1965, he became vice-president of "Uniunea Scriitorilor" and in 1970 the director of "Cartea Românească" publishing house, keeping this job until his death. He became a member of the Romanian Academy in 1974.