Born in Berința village, Copalnic-Mănăștur commune, Maramureș County, Buzura graduated from the Gheorghe Șincai High School in Baia Mare and attended the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj (1958–1964), specializing in psychiatry.

[1] Buzura's first published work was the 1963 collection of short stories, Capul Bunei Speranțe ("Cape of Good Hope").

[1] He continued to publish regularly after that date, receiving critical acclaim and being awarded the Romanian Writers' Union prize three times, for the successive works Absenții ("The Absentees"), Fețele tăcerii ("The Faces of Silence"), and Vocile nopții ("The Voices in the Night").

[1] His best known novel is the best-selling Orgolii [ro] (1977), which tells the story of surgeon Ion Cristian, a victim of the corruption of the medical system.

[2] The novel was adapted to the screen in 1982, from a scenario written by Buzura himself; the homonymous movie [ro], directed by Manole Marcus, featured Victor Rebengiuc in Cristian's role.