PăcalăPăcală (Romanian

Romanian language

Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...

, from a păcăli, "to dupe"; sometimes rendered Pâcală or Pîcală) is a fictional character in Romanian folklore, literature and humor. An irreverent young man, seemingly a peasant, he reserves contempt and irony for the village authorities (whether priest, boyar

Boyar

A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....

 or judge), but often plays the fool. Several derivative works codify the various versions of Păcală anecdotes. Examples include: Pâcală, by Ion Creangă

Ion Creanga

Ion Creangă was a Moldavian-born Romanian writer, raconteur and schoolteacher. A main figure in 19th century Romanian literature, he is best known for his Childhood Memories volume, his novellas and short stories, and his many anecdotes...

; Păcală în satul lui ("Păcală in His Village") by Ioan Slavici

Ioan Slavici

Ioan Slavici was a Transylvanian-born Romanian writer and journalist. He made his debut in Convorbiri literare , with the comedy Fata de birău...

; Isprăvile lui Păcală ("Păcală's Achievements") by Petre Dulfu; and Întâmplările lui Păcală ("The Adventures of Păcală"), part of Legende sau basmele românilor

Legende sau basmele românilor

Legende sau basmele românilor is a collection, in several volumes, of Romanian folktales, first published in 1874 by Petre Ispirescu.-Contents:...

.

Păcală legends also served to inspire other creations, from the eponymous satirical magazine put out by Pantazi Ghica

Pantazi Ghica

Pantazi Ghica was a Wallachian-born Romanian politician and lawyer, also known as a dramatist, poet, short story writer, and literary critic. A prominent representative of the liberal current, he was the younger brother and lifelong collaborator of Ion Ghica, who served as Prime Minister of the...

 in the 1860s to Constantin S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor

Constantin S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor

Constantin S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor or Nicolaescu-Plopşor was a Romanian historian, archeologist, anthropologist and ethnographer, also known as a and folkorist and children's writer, whose diverse activities were primarily focused on his native region of Oltenia...

's 1960s sequel Tivisoc şi Tivismoc ("Tivisoc and Tivismoc"). He is the main protagonist in two Romanian films

Cinema of Romania

The cinema of Romania is the art of motion-picture making within the nation of Romania or by Romanian filmmakers abroad.As upon much of the world's early cinema, the ravages of time have left their mark upon Romanian film prints. Tens of titles have been destroyed or lost for good...

, both written and directed by Geo Saizescu; and inspired artist Sandu Florea

Sandu Florea

Sandu Florea is a Romanian-American comic book and comic strip creator, also known as an inker and book illustrator. A trained architect and a presence on the science fiction scene during the 1970s, he became a professional in the comics genre with albums such as Galbar, and was allegedly the only...

to create his first comic strip (1968).