Aurel Baranga

Aurel Baranga (born Aurel Leibovici; June 20, 1913 – June 10, 1979) was a Romanian playwright and poet.

Born into a Jewish family in Bucharest, his parents were company clerk Jean Leibovici and his wife Paulina. He graduated from Matei Basarab High School in 1931 and from the University of Bucharest's medical faculty in 1938. His first published work appeared in 1929 in Bilete de Papagal. Together with Gherasim Luca, he edited Alge magazine in 1930-1931, and also contributed to Unu. His Poeme cu orbi, a volume of avant-garde poetry, appeared in 1933. Between 1934 and 1940, he submitted reportages, satirical pieces and drama reviews to Facla, Cuvântul liber, Reporter, Azi and Lumea românească. After the coup of 1944 against Romania's pro-Axis dictator, he became an editor of România Liberă, and also worked at Radiodifuziunea Română (1945), (editor, 1949–1979), the National Theatre Bucharest (1949–1953; 1958–1961) and Viața Românească. He published a volume of reportages, Ninge peste Ucraina (1945); Avant-garde elements persisted in his 1946 book of poetry, Marea furtună.

Baranga's first play, written in the socialist realist style promoted by the governing Romanian Communist Party, was the 1946 Bal în Făgădău. His first real success came with the comedy Mielul turbat (1954), which featured characters special to his drama, and who reappeared in Adam și Eva (1963), Sfântul Mitică Blajinu (1966), Opinia publică (1967), and Interesul general (1971). The ruling party appreciated him for following its directives in his writing, while the public enjoyed his ironic comments toward bureaucracy and demagogy, which seemed to indicate a form of assertiveness. Critic describes him as "an I. L. Caragiale produced by communist culture, which means a subdued, decolorized and predictable I. L. Caragiale". According to Vladimir Tismăneanu, "he could have been a real intellectual, he chose to be a buffoon, a valet or a servant. He was too intelligent to be a fanatic, but also too fanatical to be considered intelligent." and was incinerated in the city's .