Born into a Jewish family in Bucharest, his parents were Leon Vitner, a clerk, and his wife Gisela (née Zoller).
From 1933 to 1935, he took part in the Marxist study circle affiliated with Cuvântul Liber magazine, to which he submitted work under the name Ion Vântu.
From 1949 and 1970, he was a professor at Bucharest's Romanian language and literature faculty, where he took the post previously held by George Călinescu.
[1] His books include volumes of essays (Pasiunea lui Pavel Corceaghin, 1949; Critica criticii, 1950; Firul Ariadnei, 1957; Meridiane literare, 1960; Prozatori contemporani, vol.
I-II, 1961–1962; Formarea conceptului de literatură socialistă, 1966; Albert Camus sau tragicul exilului, 1968; Semnele romanului, 1971; Al. Ivasiuc – în fruntarea contrariilor, 1980) as well as travel accounts (Reverii pe malurile Senei, 1978; Popas lângă Notre-Dame, 1981).