George Topîrceanu (; March 20, 1886 – May 7, 1937) was a Romanian poet, short story writer, and humourist. Biography He was born in Bucharest, the son of Ion Topîrceanu, a furrier and his wife, Paraschiva (née Cosma), a carpet weaver. The family lived in the Cotroceni neighborhood. It is said that the origins of the Topîrceanu family are with a family Niștor from the village Topîrcea near Sibiu; there is a family with the name Topîrceanu who claim to be related to the parents of George Topîrceanu, settled in Grădiștea and Periș. Topîrceanu began his schooling in Bucharest, and then moved to the hilly countryside of Argeș County, in Șuici commune, where he formed his taste for themes taken from nature. After returning to Bucharest, he attended the Matei Basarab High School (1898–1901), and then completed his secondary studies at the Saint Sava High School (1901–1906). Upon graduation, he attended the University of Bucharest Law School, and then its Faculty of Letters, without ever finishing either. This was largely due to a hectic lifestyle, punctuated by numerous affairs and heavy alcohol use. His debut came in 1905, the year he published his first verses in Sunday papers and minor magazines; in 1909, he managed to have poems featured in major periodicals, such as Sămănătorul. He worked in handcopying, and in 1909 made his mark by having his satirical Răspunsul micilor funcţionari ("A Reply from the Minor Civil Servants") in Viața Românească. In 1911, he moved to Iași, on Garabet Ibrăileanu's invitation, and became chief editor at Viața Românească. He later wrote his well-received articles – Cum am devenit moldovean ("How I Became a Moldavia Native") and Cum am devenit ieșean ("How I Became a Iași Native") which trace his meanderings within Romania. In 1912, he married a young schoolteacher, Victoria Iuga. They had one son, Gheorghe. Although the two were very much in love, the marriage soon began to crumble, due to Topîrceanu's bouts of womanizing and alcoholism. Unable to redeem himself, George nonetheless suffered enormously, and the gradual distancing from Victoria, whom he will repeatedly refer to as his one saving grace, also influenced his literary output. With the beginning of World War I, Topîrceanu was drafted, then taken prisoner and imprisoned by Bulgarian forces during the Battle of Turtucaia, in September 1916. He was kept in a POW camp until the end of the war, in 1918.