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Momente si Schite
Caragiale trebuie considerat nu numai un geniu clasic si realist, care a creat in literatura noastra limbajul dramaturgic, asa dupa cum Eminescu a crea primul nostru mare limbaj liric, dar si un genial dialectician, capabil sa exprime cu egala stralucire in toate momentele carierei sale, in teatru si in proza, in schitele telegrafice din varianta momentelor sau in povestirile de mai mari dimensiuni din schite. Florin Manolescu
- GenresRomanian Literature
300 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Ion Luca Caragiale
152 books184 followersIon Luca Caragiale was a Wallachian-born Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist. Leaving behind an important cultural legacy, he is considered one of the greatest playwrights in Romanian language and literature, as well as one of its most important writers and a leading representative of local humor. Alongside Mihai Eminescu, Ioan Slavici and Ion Creangă, he is seen as one of the main representatives of Junimea, an influential literary society with which he nonetheless parted during the second half of his life.
His work, spanning four decades, covers the ground between Neoclassicism, Realism, and Naturalism, building on an original synthesis of foreign and local influences.
Although few in number, Caragiale's plays constitute the most accomplished expression of Romanian theater, as well as being important venues for criticism of late 19th century Romanian society.
They include the comedies A Stormy Night, Conu Leonida faţă cu reacţiunea, O Scrisoare Pierduta Comedie in patru acte, and the tragedy Năpasta. In addition to these, Caragiale authored the melodrama O soacră, a large number of essays, articles, short stories, novellas and sketch stories, as well as occasional works of poetry and autobiographical texts such as Din carnetul unui vechi sufleur. In many cases, his creations were first published in one of several magazines he edited — Claponul, Moftul Român, Vatra and Epoca. Most of his prose works have been published under the title Momente, schite, povestiri: they include Căldură mare, Cănuţă om sucit, Două loturi, Grand Hotel "Victoria română", as well as several pieces referring to stock characters such as Lache and Mache, Marius Chicoş Rostogan and Mitică. In some of his later fiction writings, including La hanul lui Mânjoală, Kir Ianulea, Abu-Hasan, Pastramă trufanda and Calul dracului, Caragiale adopted the fantasy genre or turned to historical fiction.
Ion Luca Caragiale was interested in the politics of the Romanian Kingdom, and oscillated between the liberal current and conservatism. Most of his satirical works target the liberal republicans and the National Liberals, evidencing both his respect for their rivals at Junimea and his connections with the literary critic Titu Maiorescu. He came to clash with National Liberal leaders such as Dimitrie Sturdza and Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, and was a lifelong adversary of the Symbolist poet Alexandru Macedonski. As a result of these conflicts, the most prominent of Caragiale's critics barred his access to the cultural establishment for several decades. During the 1890s, Caragiale rallied with the radical movement of George Panu, before associating with the Conservative Party. After having decided to settle in Berlin, he came to voice strong criticism for Romanian politicians of all colors in the wake of the 1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt, and ultimately joined the Conservative-Democratic Party.
Ion Luca was the nephew of Costache and Iorgu Caragiale, who were major figures of mid-19th-century Romanian theater. His sons Mateiu I. Caragiale and Luca I. Caragiale were both modernist writers.
His work, spanning four decades, covers the ground between Neoclassicism, Realism, and Naturalism, building on an original synthesis of foreign and local influences.
Although few in number, Caragiale's plays constitute the most accomplished expression of Romanian theater, as well as being important venues for criticism of late 19th century Romanian society.
They include the comedies A Stormy Night, Conu Leonida faţă cu reacţiunea, O Scrisoare Pierduta Comedie in patru acte, and the tragedy Năpasta. In addition to these, Caragiale authored the melodrama O soacră, a large number of essays, articles, short stories, novellas and sketch stories, as well as occasional works of poetry and autobiographical texts such as Din carnetul unui vechi sufleur. In many cases, his creations were first published in one of several magazines he edited — Claponul, Moftul Român, Vatra and Epoca. Most of his prose works have been published under the title Momente, schite, povestiri: they include Căldură mare, Cănuţă om sucit, Două loturi, Grand Hotel "Victoria română", as well as several pieces referring to stock characters such as Lache and Mache, Marius Chicoş Rostogan and Mitică. In some of his later fiction writings, including La hanul lui Mânjoală, Kir Ianulea, Abu-Hasan, Pastramă trufanda and Calul dracului, Caragiale adopted the fantasy genre or turned to historical fiction.
Ion Luca Caragiale was interested in the politics of the Romanian Kingdom, and oscillated between the liberal current and conservatism. Most of his satirical works target the liberal republicans and the National Liberals, evidencing both his respect for their rivals at Junimea and his connections with the literary critic Titu Maiorescu. He came to clash with National Liberal leaders such as Dimitrie Sturdza and Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, and was a lifelong adversary of the Symbolist poet Alexandru Macedonski. As a result of these conflicts, the most prominent of Caragiale's critics barred his access to the cultural establishment for several decades. During the 1890s, Caragiale rallied with the radical movement of George Panu, before associating with the Conservative Party. After having decided to settle in Berlin, he came to voice strong criticism for Romanian politicians of all colors in the wake of the 1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt, and ultimately joined the Conservative-Democratic Party.
Ion Luca was the nephew of Costache and Iorgu Caragiale, who were major figures of mid-19th-century Romanian theater. His sons Mateiu I. Caragiale and Luca I. Caragiale were both modernist writers.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 5, 2022
"Lache și Mache sunt tineri cu carte; ei știu de toate câte nimic, așa sunt adevărații enciclopediști. Lache este înalt la închipuire, Mache e adânc. Așa dânșii iau parte cu mult succes la toate discuțiile ce se ivesc la cafeneaua lor obișnuită: poezie, viitorul industriei, neajunsurile sistemei constituționale, progresele electricității, microbii, Wagner, Darwin, Panamá, Julie la Belle, spiritism, fachirism, l'Exilée."
July 3, 2025
Momente si Schite by Ion Luca Caragiale – my previous note on a work by this Magister Ludi is at https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/04/... where I have many other reviews
10 out of 10
I could see some new adaptations of the work of Ion Luca Caragiale, just the other day, and it is so relevant for the world we live in, what is exhilarating for this reader is that it is no longer so much about my own country – though we have a long way to go – but with Orange Jesus as exhibit number one, we have the world to laugh at
Ion Luca Caragiale is celebrated as the greatest writer we had – as always, there are detractors, different views, but let us move on – and for a long time, it was about the corruption, falsehoods peddled by various local politicians, let me mention the police man Pristanda and his infamous flags, and compare them with other fake statements
In O Scrisoare Pierduta aka The Lost Letter, Pristanda is asked about the flags he placed and when he counts, he says one at the town hall, one at the school, and then he starts listing them again, because he steals and he would pretend there were this number, when in fact he will pocket the difference, embezzling
Only compare that small, petty sum, with what the Orange Felon has done through his ‘business activity’, when he has cheated left and right, claiming at the bank that he has multiple, valuable assets, and for the tax office, that he has nothing, and paid a few years ago only a petty sum in taxes, less than janitors do
He claimed his apartment is three times the actual size, and last night, he had the debate with Kamala Harris – ergo, I will get off on that tangent, with the feeling that what Caragiale wrote, his satire, criticism applies now to America, in particular, the cult of the Orange Catavencu – in which he was off to his usual shtick
He claimed immigrants from Haiti are eating pets, cats and dogs – as if he cares, he is the only man who, when he was president, had no pet, dog or something else, as far as I know, true, some had some outré choices, such as a tarantula – and was told off by moderators, fact checking, but do you think he would back down?
No chance of that, the Big Crook affirmed again that he has won the elections in 2020, which he lost, and appeared to confirm it, recently, when he said it was lost by a whisker, but with this weird, pathetic liar, you never know
He said that he had no responsibility for the storming of Congress, on January 20, 2021, when he sent his lunatic to change the result of the elections, and have him anointed as the monarch, tyrant, recently he said there will be no more elections, depending on what happens on November 4, he will not accept a loss
As I am writing this, George Conway is invited on the Jimmy Kimmel and he explains how this is a lying psychopath, ‘freaking nuts’, Conway insists that this would be leader of the free world will end up in jail, but it may be wishful thinking, Insha’Allah, we may get to see that, but the outcome is a serious matter and scary
We were talking at the club downtown, earlier today, how we would need to learn Russian, because this magician will ‘end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours’, by which he means he would encourage Russia to ‘do whatever the hell it wants’, these were his own words, in the context of the percentage of spending on defense
Yes, countries, members of NATO especially, need to spend more to protect themselves, but on the other hand, this is not the godfather of a mafia, and it is in the interest of the US to have peace, stability in Europe and in the world, Russia is the enemy, along with China and others, and Ukraine is fighting that foe
Les amis de mon amis sont mes amis, that was a French saying, the friends of my friend are my friend, perhaps not necessarily – another luminary from here, Constantin Noica https://realini.blogspot.com/2015/01/... wrote about proverbs and such
We have to avoid that kind of ‘wisdom’, not indulge in it, think of ‘all is fair in love and war’, how much sense does that make, I mean in war you have war crimes – Putin in Ukraine – so all is not fair in war, never mind love…as for the friends of my friend, think that the enemy of my enemy could be my friend, I need to help him
The republicans in the House of Representatives have blocked aid for our neighbor, and JD Vance has said that he does not care about Ukraine one way or the other, this is what is waiting for us, if the Orange Felon is elected again, it is pathetic that we even contemplate the scenario, and disastrous that he is the favorite to win
It is pure Caragiale, only with large doses of Eugene Ionesco – I happen to have about the same name, Ionescu, only for the playwright, inventor of the absurd theater according to some, it became Ionesco https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/10/... we have rhinoceros becoming presidents now
In one of the plays of Eugene Ionesco, rhinoceros are roaming the streets, one orange one is now aiming for the very top, where he has been until 2020, when he tried to cling on, just like Maduro of Venezuela, we may hear that Christmas is now celebrated on October 1 in Florida
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
10 out of 10
I could see some new adaptations of the work of Ion Luca Caragiale, just the other day, and it is so relevant for the world we live in, what is exhilarating for this reader is that it is no longer so much about my own country – though we have a long way to go – but with Orange Jesus as exhibit number one, we have the world to laugh at
Ion Luca Caragiale is celebrated as the greatest writer we had – as always, there are detractors, different views, but let us move on – and for a long time, it was about the corruption, falsehoods peddled by various local politicians, let me mention the police man Pristanda and his infamous flags, and compare them with other fake statements
In O Scrisoare Pierduta aka The Lost Letter, Pristanda is asked about the flags he placed and when he counts, he says one at the town hall, one at the school, and then he starts listing them again, because he steals and he would pretend there were this number, when in fact he will pocket the difference, embezzling
Only compare that small, petty sum, with what the Orange Felon has done through his ‘business activity’, when he has cheated left and right, claiming at the bank that he has multiple, valuable assets, and for the tax office, that he has nothing, and paid a few years ago only a petty sum in taxes, less than janitors do
He claimed his apartment is three times the actual size, and last night, he had the debate with Kamala Harris – ergo, I will get off on that tangent, with the feeling that what Caragiale wrote, his satire, criticism applies now to America, in particular, the cult of the Orange Catavencu – in which he was off to his usual shtick
He claimed immigrants from Haiti are eating pets, cats and dogs – as if he cares, he is the only man who, when he was president, had no pet, dog or something else, as far as I know, true, some had some outré choices, such as a tarantula – and was told off by moderators, fact checking, but do you think he would back down?
No chance of that, the Big Crook affirmed again that he has won the elections in 2020, which he lost, and appeared to confirm it, recently, when he said it was lost by a whisker, but with this weird, pathetic liar, you never know
He said that he had no responsibility for the storming of Congress, on January 20, 2021, when he sent his lunatic to change the result of the elections, and have him anointed as the monarch, tyrant, recently he said there will be no more elections, depending on what happens on November 4, he will not accept a loss
As I am writing this, George Conway is invited on the Jimmy Kimmel and he explains how this is a lying psychopath, ‘freaking nuts’, Conway insists that this would be leader of the free world will end up in jail, but it may be wishful thinking, Insha’Allah, we may get to see that, but the outcome is a serious matter and scary
We were talking at the club downtown, earlier today, how we would need to learn Russian, because this magician will ‘end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours’, by which he means he would encourage Russia to ‘do whatever the hell it wants’, these were his own words, in the context of the percentage of spending on defense
Yes, countries, members of NATO especially, need to spend more to protect themselves, but on the other hand, this is not the godfather of a mafia, and it is in the interest of the US to have peace, stability in Europe and in the world, Russia is the enemy, along with China and others, and Ukraine is fighting that foe
Les amis de mon amis sont mes amis, that was a French saying, the friends of my friend are my friend, perhaps not necessarily – another luminary from here, Constantin Noica https://realini.blogspot.com/2015/01/... wrote about proverbs and such
We have to avoid that kind of ‘wisdom’, not indulge in it, think of ‘all is fair in love and war’, how much sense does that make, I mean in war you have war crimes – Putin in Ukraine – so all is not fair in war, never mind love…as for the friends of my friend, think that the enemy of my enemy could be my friend, I need to help him
The republicans in the House of Representatives have blocked aid for our neighbor, and JD Vance has said that he does not care about Ukraine one way or the other, this is what is waiting for us, if the Orange Felon is elected again, it is pathetic that we even contemplate the scenario, and disastrous that he is the favorite to win
It is pure Caragiale, only with large doses of Eugene Ionesco – I happen to have about the same name, Ionescu, only for the playwright, inventor of the absurd theater according to some, it became Ionesco https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/10/... we have rhinoceros becoming presidents now
In one of the plays of Eugene Ionesco, rhinoceros are roaming the streets, one orange one is now aiming for the very top, where he has been until 2020, when he tried to cling on, just like Maduro of Venezuela, we may hear that Christmas is now celebrated on October 1 in Florida
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
November 15, 2025
De multe ori, atunci când întâlnim cuvântul geniu/genial asociat unui scriitor sau operei sale, exprimarea ni se poate părea exagerată. Nu este cazul aici.
Tehnologia se dezvoltă în ultimele decenii într-un ritm ce surclasează de departe tot ceea ce a fost secole de-a rândul, oamenii însă, cu bunele și, mai ales, cu relele lor, au rămas aproape aceiași. Iar "eroii" lui Caragiale sunt și acum printre noi.
PS: Interesant cum s-ar fi putut numi O scrisoare pierdută în ziua de azi. Probabil Un mail trimis greșit...
Tehnologia se dezvoltă în ultimele decenii într-un ritm ce surclasează de departe tot ceea ce a fost secole de-a rândul, oamenii însă, cu bunele și, mai ales, cu relele lor, au rămas aproape aceiași. Iar "eroii" lui Caragiale sunt și acum printre noi.
PS: Interesant cum s-ar fi putut numi O scrisoare pierdută în ziua de azi. Probabil Un mail trimis greșit...
June 28, 2023
cateva dintre momente si schite chiar m-au amuzat, unele in schimb mi s au parut cam intortocheate si altele chiar plictisitoare. mi s a parut interesanta evocare foarte realista a epocii, si naturaletea cuvintelor.
August 19, 2023
*Om cu noroc!*
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews