Romanian historian Neagu Djuvara dead at 101

BUCHAREST, Romania – Neagu Djuvara, Romania's best-known historian who spent decades in exile before returning home when communism ended, has died. He was 101.

Philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu remembered Djuvara on Friday for his "formidable oratory... infectious vivacity" and his "splendid diction."

Djuvara, who died Thursday in Bucharest, was a conservative, known for his wit and aristocratic air. He wrote: "From Vlad the Impaler to Dracula the Vampire," and many books on history and his own personal exile.

He graduated from the Sorbonne and fought for Romania in World War II, before becoming a diplomat. He was posted to Stockholm, resigning when the communists came to power.

In 1961, he went to Niger, where he was an adviser to the African country's foreign ministry and taught international law at Niamey University.