Romanian modern novelist, short story writer, journalist, and correspondent member of the Romanian Academy.

His most famous writings are the novels Groapa (1957) and Principele (1969). Barbu's prose, in which the influence of neorealism has been noted, drew comparison to the works of Mateiu Caragiale, Tudor Arghezi, and Curzio Malaparte.

It was however, considered unequal by several critics, who took into measure Barbu's preference for archaisms, as well as his fluctuating narrative style.

Barbu also wrote several film scripts,some of which were for films starring his wife, the actress Marga Barbu (Florin Piersic's Mărgelatu series).