Anton Costache Bacalbașa (Romanian pronunciation: [anˈton kosˈtake
bakalˈbaʃa], commonly known as Toni or Tony Bacalbașa, pen names
Rigolo, Wunderkind,[1] Inot,[2] Jus., Wus., Zig. etc.;[3] 21 February
1865 â€" 1 October 1899) was a Romanian political journalist, humorist
and politician, chiefly remembered for his antimilitaristic series
Moș Teacă. Together with his brothers Ioan and Constantin, he
entered public life as a republican and socialist militant. For a
while, his career was intertwined with that of Marxist doyen
Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea, who inspired in him the idea of a
socialist art addressed to the masses. He was himself a popularizer of
Marxist ideas, and one of the first Marxist intellectuals in Romanian
political history.After 1893, Bacalbașa was at the center of Marxist
politics, as an executive of the Romanian Social Democratic Workers'
Party (PSDMR). While active within the socialist movement and making
his essential contributions to Romanian comediography, Toni joined Ion
Luca Caragiale, his close friend, in editing the satirical magazine
Moftul Român. He helped Constantin Mille to turn Adevărul daily into
a socialist tribune, serving as its editor and directing its
short-lived literary supplement (Adevărul Literar). His choice of
subjects and his perceived harshness were the subject of several
controversies, and, in 1894, he defended the Adevărul office building
from rioting anti-socialist students. Over the following years,
Bacalbașa drifted away from both Adevărul and the PSDMR, switching
his allegiance to the political club formed around Nicolae Fleva.At
the time of his death, aged 34, Bacalbașa had served in the Assembly
of Deputies as a representative of the Conservative Party. Despite
this change in politics, he is mainly credited for his early
contributions to Romanian literature, most of which reflect his
critique of the political mainstream in the monarchical era. He
created the stereotype of the cruel, violent and incompetent officer,
and brought to public attention the hazing of young recruits.
bakalˈbaʃa], commonly known as Toni or Tony Bacalbașa, pen names
Rigolo, Wunderkind,[1] Inot,[2] Jus., Wus., Zig. etc.;[3] 21 February
1865 â€" 1 October 1899) was a Romanian political journalist, humorist
and politician, chiefly remembered for his antimilitaristic series
Moș Teacă. Together with his brothers Ioan and Constantin, he
entered public life as a republican and socialist militant. For a
while, his career was intertwined with that of Marxist doyen
Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea, who inspired in him the idea of a
socialist art addressed to the masses. He was himself a popularizer of
Marxist ideas, and one of the first Marxist intellectuals in Romanian
political history.After 1893, Bacalbașa was at the center of Marxist
politics, as an executive of the Romanian Social Democratic Workers'
Party (PSDMR). While active within the socialist movement and making
his essential contributions to Romanian comediography, Toni joined Ion
Luca Caragiale, his close friend, in editing the satirical magazine
Moftul Român. He helped Constantin Mille to turn Adevărul daily into
a socialist tribune, serving as its editor and directing its
short-lived literary supplement (Adevărul Literar). His choice of
subjects and his perceived harshness were the subject of several
controversies, and, in 1894, he defended the Adevărul office building
from rioting anti-socialist students. Over the following years,
Bacalbașa drifted away from both Adevărul and the PSDMR, switching
his allegiance to the political club formed around Nicolae Fleva.At
the time of his death, aged 34, Bacalbașa had served in the Assembly
of Deputies as a representative of the Conservative Party. Despite
this change in politics, he is mainly credited for his early
contributions to Romanian literature, most of which reflect his
critique of the political mainstream in the monarchical era. He
created the stereotype of the cruel, violent and incompetent officer,
and brought to public attention the hazing of young recruits.
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