Isac Peltz or IÃÂic Peltz (12 February 1899 – 10 August 1980) was a Romanian prose writer and journalist.
Born into a Bucharest Jewish family of small craftsmen, his father Nathan Peltz was a tailor, while his mother Estera (née Rotenberg) made linens. He was self-taught, and reportedly studied Jewish theology, although there is no documentary evidence to support the notion.
In 1915, he edited and wrote ÃÂndrumarea magazine, which appeared for only a brief period; this marks his published debut. His first book was the 1916 essay Menirea literaturii, in which he argued for a "message literature" and stressed the importance of ethics. In 1916, he worked as a proofreader at Gazeta ilustratÃÂ. In 1918, he was an editor for Scena and Presa liberÃÂ; the same year, he held a similar role at Alexandru Macedonski's Literatorul. In 1919, N. D. Cocea hired Peltz at Chemarea and Facla newspapers; at the same time, he was an editor at AdevÃÂrul and DimineaÃÂa.
During the interwar period, he had an active newspaper career, also working as an editor at Epoca, ÃÂndreptarea, Lupta, Era nouÃÂ, Ordinea, Izbânda and Avântul, and as a contributor for the magazines SburÃÂtorul (sporadically attending the publication's Eugen Lovinescu-led circle), ViaÃÂa RomâneascÃÂ, România LiterarÃÂ, Cuvântul liber, Azi, ÃÂantier, Bilete de Papagal, Vremea, Reporter and AdevÃÂrul literar ÃÂi artistic. He directed two magazines, Caiete lunare (1927) and Zodiac (1930-1932). He sometimes used the pen names I. P. Aniurg, Enter, Ipel, Logicus, I. Pajuràand Rix.
After World War II and with the rise of the communist regime, Peltz was an editor at the newspapers Drapelul (December 1944 â 1946) and Era nouà(1946-1948), and a contributor to România Liberà(1957-1963), Steagul roÃÂu, InformaÃÂia BucureÃÂtiului, Munca, Gazeta literarÃÂ, România LiterarÃÂ, LuceafÃÂrul, Veac nou, Albina, FlacÃÂra, Pentru Patrie and Revista cultului mozaic. Arrested in 1949, he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment in 1950, passing through the prisons at Calea Rahovei, Jilava, Gherla, and Aiud.
His first book of literature, Fiori (1918), included prose poems. For a time, he wrote plays (Veninul, 1917; Crima, 1920; EdiÃÂie specialÃÂ, 1921), which appeared in Revista pentru toÃÂi. His short prose includes Stafia roÃÂie (1918), MeÃÂterul viaÃÂà(1919), PaiaÃÂele (1921) and FantoÃÂe vopsite (1924); Peltz returned to the genre under communism, with Inimi zbuciumate (1962), Pânàîntr-o zi (1963), Fauna burzuluiÃÂilor (1965), Instantanee comice â ÃÂi nu prea... (1967) and Microbar (1971). His most noted works were his novels, beginning with ViaÃÂa cu haz ÃÂi fÃÂràa numitului Stan (1929) and Horoscop (1932), but especially Calea VÃÂcÃÂreÃÂti (1933) and Foc în Hanul cu tei (1934), which showed the full measure of his writing talent, later diluted and marked by aesthetic lapses in "Actele vorbeÃÂte" (1935), ÃÂaràbunà(1936), NopÃÂile domniÃÂoarei Mili (1937) and Pui de lele (1937). The World War II-era Ion Antonescu regime officially banned his entire work as "Jewish". His postwar Israel însângerat (1946), Vadul fetelor (1949) and Max ÃÂi lumea lui (1957) were unremarkable, but retained their setting within a Jewish milieu, which he barely updated to reflect current realities. Authors he translated alone or in collaboration include George Sand, Henri Murger, Pierre Daix, Sarah Bernhardt (Memoirs), O. Henry, Aziz Nesin, Konstantin Fedin, Ivan Yefremov, Arseniy Golovko, Mikhail M. Nikitin, Pyotr Pavlenko and Alexander Rekemchuk.
He won the Romanian Writers' Society Prize in 1929 and the Romanian Writers' Union Special Prize in 1979.
Peltz was a member of the Romanian Freemasonry. His daughter Tia was a painter.