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Culture, history,
language, travel,
and more!
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JEAN ANOUILH - French Dramatist
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One of the most
popular French dramatists since World War II, Jean Anouilh
{ah-noo-ee'}, b. June 23, 1910, d. Oct. 3, 1987, was sometimes called
a mere entertainer. Choreography and music are often integrated into
his plots; yet a seriousness and a pessimistic view of life lie
beneath his farce and caricature. His protagonists usually reject
compromise--and thus life. The result is either death or a retreat into
illusion that becomes untenable. Happy resolutions are patently like
fairy tales. His lovers are usually confronted by insurmountable
money problems because one is poor and the other wealthy.
Anouilh's collected
works are color titled after the dominant mood of each. His two
collections of pieces noires, or black plays, include Eurydice
(1941), which is a modernization of the Orpheus legend, and
Antigone (1944), an immensely popular and frequently performed
modernization of Sophocles' play set in World War II France. It
stresses the grim choice between practical compromise and unbending
idealism. The best of the pink, or lighter, plays are Thieves'
Carnival (1938; Eng. trans., 1952) and Time Remembered
(1939; Eng. trans., 1955). The witty pieces brillantes, or glittering
plays, include Ring Round the Moon (1947; Eng. trans., 1950),
Colombe (1951; Eng. trans., 1952), and The Rehearsal
(1950; Eng. trans., 1961). The pieces grincantes, or grating plays,
return to the caustic earlier mood and include four devastating
comedies: Ardele (1949; Eng. trans., 1959), The Waltz of
the Toreadors (1952; Eng. trans., 1956), Ornifle (1955;
Eng. trans., 1970), and Poor Bitos, or The Masked
Dinner (1956; Eng. trans., 1963).
Of Anouilh's
pièces costumées , or history plays, the most
important are The Lark (1953; Eng. trans., 1955), about Joan
of Arc, and Becket, or The Honor of God (1959; Eng.
trans., 1962).
Myron Matlaw, Professor of English, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing.
Source: 1997 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia v.9.0.1
Bibliography: Marguerite Archer, Jean Anouilh (1971);
H.G. McIntyre, The Theatre of Jean Anouilh (1981);
Leonard C. Pronko, The World of Jean Anouilh (1961).
Image Source: Anouilh backstage, helping an actor with his costume - Reuters/Bettmann.
Playwright Biographies:
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