Matei Calinescu

Matei Călinescu was a Romanian literary critic and professor of comparative literature at Indiana University. Born in Bucharest, Romania, he was the son of Radu Călinescu, an engineer, and Dora Călinescu, a homemaker. He attended the Ion Luca Caragiale High School in Bucharest, obtaining his diploma in 1952. He then pursued his studies at the University of Bucharest, graduating in 1957. Călinescu became an assistant professor in the Department of Universal and Comparative Literature at the University of Bucharest, and made his literary debut in Gazeta literară. He was offered a Fulbright grant and defected to the United States in 1973. From 1973 to 1975, Călinescu was a visiting professor at Indiana University Bloomington, before becoming an associate professor there in 1976, and a full professor in 1978. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1975. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1980. Upon his retirement, he became an Emeritus Professor at Indiana University. He lived with his wife in Bloomington, Indiana, and died there in 2009. His work, particularly 'Five Faces of Modernity', has left a lasting impact on literary criticism.