Tristan Tzara
Romanian-French avant-garde poet and Dada co-founder.
Tristan Tzara was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist, known best for being one of the founders and central figures of the anti-establishment Dada movement. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, composer and film director, his shows at the Cabaret Voltaire and Zunfthaus zur Waag, along with his poetry and art manifestos, became a main feature of early Dadaism. His work represented Dada's nihilistic side, in contrast with the more moderate approach favored by Hugo Ball.
- born
- 28 April [O.S. 16 April] 1896, Moinești, Bacău County, Romania
- died
- 25 December 1963
- field
- Poetry, performance art, journalism, playwriting, literary and art criticism, co
- nationality
- Romanian and French
- known_for
- Co-founding and central figure of the Dada movement
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Tzara was born in Moinești, Bacău County, on 28 April [O.S. 16 April] 1896. His parents were Jewish Romanians who reportedly spoke Yiddish as their first language. He moved to Bucharest at age eleven and attended the Schemitz-Tierin boarding school. Under the influence of Adrian Maniu, the adolescent Tzara became interested in Symbolism and co-founded the magazine Simbolul with Ion Vinea and painter Marcel Janco in October 1912, when Tzara was aged sixteen. During World War I, after briefly collaborating on Vinea's Chemarea, he joined Janco in Switzerland. There, his shows at the Cabaret Voltaire and Zunfthaus zur Waag, along with his poetry and art manifestos, became a main feature of early Dadaism. Hugo Ball recorded that Tzara and Marcel Janco, like Hans Arp, Arthur Segal, Otto van Rees, Max Oppenheimer, and Marcel Słodki, 'readily agreed to take part in the cabaret'.
Reader's Guide
After moving to Paris in 1919, Tzara, by then one of the 'presidents of Dada', joined the staff of Littérature magazine, which marked the first step in the movement's evolution toward Surrealism. He was involved in the major polemics which led to Dada's split, defending his principles against André Breton and Francis Picabia, and in Romania against Vinea and Janco. His Dadaist plays include The Gas Heart (1921) and Handkerchief of Clouds (1924). A forerunner of automatist techniques, Tzara eventually aligned himself with Breton's Surrealism and under its influence wrote his celebrated utopian poem 'The Approximate Man'. During the final part of his career, Tzara combined his humanist and anti-fascist perspective with a communist vision, joining the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War and the French Resistance during World War II, and serving a term in the National Assembly. Having spoken in favor of liberalization in the People's Republic of Hungary just before the Revolution of 1956, he distanced himself from the French Communist Party. In 1960, he was among the intellectuals who protested against French actions in the Algerian War. His contribution is credited with having created a connection from Cubism and Futurism to the Beat Generation, Situationism and various currents in rock music.
Did You Know?
- Tzara's birth name was Samuel or Samy Rosenstock; he also used the pseudonym S. Samyro, a partial anagram of Samy Rosenstock.
- He legally adopted the name Tristan Tzara in 1925 after filing a request with Romania's Ministry of the Interior.
- Tzara co-founded the magazine Simbolul in October 1912 at age sixteen with Ion Vinea and painter Marcel Janco.
- He was the lover of dancer Maja Kruscek in his early youth and later married Swedish artist and poet Greta Knutson.
- Tzara served a term in the National Assembly after joining the French Resistance during World War II.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tristan Tzara?
Tristan Tzara was a Romanian-French avant-garde poet, essayist, and performance artist who is best remembered as one of the principal founders of the Dada movement. He lived from 1896 to 1963 and worked across a remarkably wide range of artistic disciplines.
What was Tristan Tzara's specific role in Dada?
He was a co-founder and central creative figure of Dada, the anti-establishment movement that deliberately rejected conventional aesthetics and bourgeois cultural norms. His involvement went well beyond a single poem or manifesto; he helped shape the movement's ethos and public presence.
Where was Tristan Tzara born and what was his nationality?
He was born on 28 April 1896 (Old Style 16 April) in Moinești, Bacău County, in what is now Romania. Over the course of his career he held both Romanian and French nationality.
What other artistic fields did Tristan Tzara work in besides poetry?
In addition to poetry, he was active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, composer, and film director. This multi-disciplinary range made him one of the most versatile figures in early twentieth-century avant-garde culture.
When did Tristan Tzara die and how long was his career?
He died on 25 December 1963, giving him a creative career that spanned roughly six decades. His work carried him from the Romanian literary scene into the Parisian avant-garde and beyond.
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