The Famous Playwright Eugene Ionesco

Eugene Ionesco was born in Romania on November 26th, 1909. His father was a Romanian lawyer. His mother was Therese Ipcar, the daughter of a French engineer. The family moved to Paris, but in 1916 his father returned to Romania at the start of World War I. Eugene, his younger sister and his mother were left in Paris, facing enormous financial difficulty.

After joining his father in Bucharest, Eugene attended Stantul Sava. His first poems “Bilete de Papagul” were in a daily publication. He got his degree in French at the University of Bucharest. In the early 1930’s he wrote many articles in a number of publications.

In 1936, Jonesco was married to Rodica Burileanu. He worked as a French teacher in Cernavoda. At the start of World War II, returned to Romania, again working as a French teacher. In 1944, his daughter, Marie-France was born.

In 1948, Eugene Ionesco wrote his first play “Bald Prima Donna”. His first role as an actor was in Dostojevski’s “The Possessed”, his first active role in Avant-Gurde Theatre.

Several prestigious awards were awarded to Ionesco. In 1969, he was given the medal of Monaco, as well as the Great National Theatre Prize. The following year he was presented the Great Austrian Prize of European Literature. He was named as honorary doctor of the University of Warwick and the University of Tel-Aviv.

Despite serious health issues, he traveled to several European countries and the United States. He died in 1944 at his home in Paris. He was remembered for not only his great literary achievements, but also his activities for human rights and creative freedom for writers, scientists, and artists.