In Memoriam Professor Georges Banu

Abstract

The entire editorial board bids farewell to Professor, Critic and Friend Georges Banu. One of the most important theatre critics in Romania and France has left us, leaving a huge void in our souls. He was a true lover of the fine arts, of the Art Theatre and of the magic of the stage where he immediately recognised great talents, regardless of the type of performance, the aesthetic approach or the cultural space where he met them. An ever-awake spirit with a lively intellectual curiosity and an impressively vast culture, a connoisseur and friend of all the important names in European and world theatre, Georges Banu was never indulgent of imposture, stupidity or artistic cowardice, always open to constructive dialogue with both his peers and the younger ones, seeking depth, human and artistic honesty, poetry and the charm of authentic creation. A Professor beloved by all students at the Institute of Theatre Studies in Paris, as well as by those at the Romanian Theatre Faculties, respected by his colleagues, a prolific critic and essayist, Georges Banu left a huge legacy to future generations and theatre lovers, writing the history of this art together and alongside the theatre people who dedicated their entire existence and energy to performing arts. Dozens of volumes, hundreds of lectures and interviews illuminate the path of young people who want to understand the unknown ways of theatrical creation, sharing the fruit of their predecessors' experience.