His father, Pincu Solomonovici [ro], was a Jewish medical doctor and a university professor who studied the history of Moldavian medicine.
Starting in 1972, he wrote various columns for literary magazines such as Convorbiri Literare, Contemporanul, and Cronica.
Between 1995 and 1999, he was also the host of a 5-minute daily TV programme on correct usage of the Romanian language ("Doar o vorbă săț-i mai spun", a title containing a deliberate, provocative mistake), which was broadcast first by Tele7ABC (1995), then ProTV (1995–1996), TVR1 (1997–1999), and again TVR1 (2006–2008).
In 2003, he resigned from PSD and joined the Greater Romania Party (PRM), running for the Senate in Suceava County in 2004.
Pruteanu was also critical of the Romanian entertainment industry, especially of low-quality TV programmes and manele, which he called "intellectual manure".