Panait Istrati Author

Panait Istrati (1884-1935) was born in Braila. He began to work at a very young age, and tried his hand at countless jobs during his youth. During this period he was both reading and writing prolifically. He also learned French quickly at that time. He contracted tuberculosis in 1916 and went to Switzerland to be cured. There he was introduced with the novels of Romain Rolland. After his treatment, he continued wandering around Europe, doing odd jobs, and attempting suicide in 1921. He wrote to Romain Rolland in 1923. It was Rolland who helped him get his first work Kyra Kyralina published in 1924, and even wrote a preface to it. A significant part of Istrati's life was spent travelling. He made long trips to Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, and France. His novels, My Departures [1928] and Mediterranean [1934], are all products of these travels. Istrati's masterpiece The Thistles of the Baragan wasoriginally published in 1928, and has become a symbol of "the absolute goodness of the humanity" in literature since then.

Jacques Le Clercq (1898-1972) was born in Karlovy Vary (formerly Karlsbad). He was a professor of French literature and Romance languages at Queens College and Columbia University, and also a member of the editorial board of Brentano's, and wrote poetry under the pen name of Paul Tanaquil. He translated many French classics into English, including Rabelais, Dumas, Stendhal and Balzac.