Tzara

Tristan Tzara, born Samuel Rosenstock (also rendered Samy Rosenstock) on 16 May 1896, and died 25 December 1963, was a Romanian poet and performer who became one of the central figures of Dada, the early 20th-century avant-garde movement that emerged during World War I. He adopted the surname Tzara early in his career and became a prominent spokesperson for Dada’s anti-art and anti-bourgeois stance.

Born in Moinești, Romania, into a Jewish family, Tzara left Romania in the mid-1910s as avant-garde ideas spread across Europe. He settled in Zurich in 1915–1916, where he helped form the Dada circle at Cabaret Voltaire, collaborating with Hugo Ball, Richard Huelsenbeck, and others. He published Dadaist poetry and organized performances that sought to overturn conventional art and rationality. In 1918, he wrote and circulated the Dada Manifesto, articulating the movement’s emphasis on randomness, collage, and spontaneity.

With the collapse of Dada in the 1920s, Tzara continued to write in multiple languages and lectured internationally. He spent extended periods in Paris, remaining associated with the European avant-garde and helping to popularize Dada ideas in French-speaking circles. His later work blended linguistic experimentation with political and social commentary, reflecting a continued interest in exploring language as a living medium.

Legacy: Tzara is regarded as a foundational figure of Dada, and his insistence on erasing boundaries between art and life influenced subsequent movements, including Surrealism and conceptual art. His career helped spread Dada beyond Zurich to Paris, Berlin, and elsewhere, shaping 20th-century poetry and performance.