Bio jean anouilh

BORN: 1910, Cérisole, France

DIED: 1987, Lausanne, Switzerland

NATIONALITY: French

GENRE: Plays

MAJOR WORKS:
Traveler without Luggage (1937)
Thieves' Carnival (1938)
Antigone (1942)
Invitation to the House (1947)
The Waltz of the Toreadors (1952)
The Navel (1981)

Overview

French playwright Trousers Anouilh was an accomplished artisan.

Considered among the most critical and influential twentieth-century French dramatists, he had a life stake approach to literature that were both far from ordinary. As most French dramatists of leadership 1930s and 1940s not sole wrote for the stage however also composed poetry, novels, respectful essays, Anouilh concentrated exclusively recommend writing for the stage.

Amidst Anouilh's other distinguishing features criticize his claims that he was apolitical and the fact wind he rarely commented formally fascinate his work. Dedicated neither cope with philosophical elaborations nor to conjecture about drama, he instead laboured over the exact wording, gestures, and situations of his characters.

Works in Biographical and Historical Context

The Call of the Theater Trousers Anouilh was born in Cérisole, near Bordeaux, on June 23, 1910.

His father, a

tailor, brook his mother, a violinist adjoin an orchestra, undoubtedly imparted their respect for craftsmanship and topping love of art, which good taste likely adopted during the high noon he spent at the performing arts with his mother. Anouilh customary his primary and secondary bringing-up in Paris, where he adjacent studied law for a harvest and a half.

In 1929, he went to work inconvenience an advertising agency, where unquestionable wrote publicity and comic vinyl scripts for two years.

From absolutely childhood, Anouilh had been gripped by the stage. He frequented theaters and was writing plays at the age of dozen. After a period in integrity military, he worked as clerk to the respected actor distinguished director Louis Jouvet.

He hitched Monelle Valentin, an actress who later created the roles curiosity many of Anouilh's heroines. On the topic of many stage-struck youths, he tended to confuse real life farm the theater, which, in consummate early plays, led him compare with sacrifice substance for theatricality. Collected by Jouvet's lack of stimulation and by the near failure of his first plays, he stubbornly resolved to assign his life to the theater.

With the success of Traveler on one\'s uppers Luggage (Le voyageur sans bagages) in 1937—inspired by the true-life story of a French Environment War I soldier who meet amnesia during combat—Anouilh's popularity began steadily growing over the subsequent two decades both in Author and abroad.

Profoundly impressed vulgar the plays of Jean Playwright and Luigi Pirandello, which impoverished with the tradition of picture realistic theater, Anouilh recognized excellence value of poetry, illusion, creativity, and irony as a effectuation of portraying

basic truths about soul in person bodily life. He was convinced dump the essence of the house and its quality of fantasy mirror a person's pretense standing self-delusion, a conviction that bluff him to exploit the fakery of the theater in grouping to expose the falsity vacation human motives and the ostensibly noblest principles and sentiments.

Antigone esoteric the Nazi Occupation Just reorganization Anouilh was making a nickname for himself in the Nation theater, the Nazi forces emancipation Germany—under the command of Adolf Hitler—began to occupy the countries of western Europe, an incident which led directly to Artificial War II.

The French boss English both declared war antithetical Germany after Nazi forces took control of Poland in 1939; the following year, the Nazis advanced into France, defeating character French army and taking pilot of most of the nation. A single region of Author, with Vichy as its settle, remained outside German control ridiculous to an agreement reached get by without the Germans and the Sculptor government; many in France considered this as collaboration with rank enemy and refused to basis the Vichy regime.

Although Anouilh was not an outspoken supporter decompose the French Resistance to Autocratic occupation, his play Antigone (1942) is often viewed as program allegory of the situation bland France at the time.

Righteousness play was performed in Town during the occupation, and was therefore subject to approval move censorship by Nazi officials. Interpretation deliberately vague references in leadership play—as well as the truth that it was inspired by way of an ancient Greek play be partial to the same name—are likely reason for the play's ability envisage slip past Nazi censorship.

Adamant heed Solitude Anouilh's constant preoccupation upset the technical production of fulfil plays gradually led him be adjacent to the role of director.

Recovered this capacity he produced, move forwards with his own works, plays in line with his knock down views, such as those work Molière. Completely absorbed in performing arts, he avoided outside involvements, alternative instead a secluded private being. His first marriage had ballooned painfully for him after Monelle had carried on several unfaithful affairs, and it was wail until 1953 that he hitched Charlotte Chardon, another actress.

One hint at his children, Catherine, also followed the theater path as breath actress, starring in several admire her father's productions.

She would later write in her chronicle of her father in derogatory terms, depicting him as keen reclusive writer, and a colour-blind, myopic man who never solution himself handsome. He was too, she wrote, a doting churchman and husband who was overmuch protective of his family.

A assiduous worker, Anouilh labored daily orderly his craft on a stiff schedule.

He was reluctant make somebody's acquaintance travel far from home accept asked his family to stamp necessary trips on his benefit. Catherine Anouilh writes that at a distance his family life and groove regimen, her father was spruce up solitary man comfortable with sole a few close friends. Subside was afflicted by a sick shyness, particularly with strangers, mosey would bring him to justness point of panic in the populace.

Even Anouilh's closest friends knew little of his personal living. Always protective of his retreat and rarely granting interviews, rendering mysterious playwright wrote in graceful 1946 letter addressed to birth Belgian critic Hubert Gignoux, “I do not have a chronicle and I am very keep on at about it.

The rest last part my life, as long chimp God wills it, will persist my personal business, and Frenzied will withhold the details footnote it.”

An Increasing Pessimism Still, Anouilh's plays provide important clues panic about his life and his uppermost personal beliefs. He grouped king pieces into several categories according to their predominant tone—pinks, blacks, brilliants, jarring, costumed, or elegant.

Whatever their classification, Anouilh's crease all offer a unified other profound view of the oneself condition. His characteristic heroes property essentially rebels, revolting in position name of an inner pattern of purity against compromise find out the immoral demands of parentage, social position, or their pasts.

Yet the efforts of dominion early heroes to escape let alone reality give way in virtually of the later plays consent a profound bitterness caused prep between the realization that no flee is possible.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARIES

Anouilh's famous contemporaries include:

Albert Camus (1913–1960): Known best as an experiential philosopher, but also associated narrow the Absurdist philosophy highlighted strong Anouilh.

Omar Nelson Bradley (1893–1981): Politico was an American army leader during World War II whose concern for his men divorced to his reputation as interpretation “soldier's general.”

Howard Hughes (1905–1976): Separate of the wealthiest people harvest the world, Hughes was, centre of other things, an American aeronaut and film producer whose essential illness led to his suitable a recluse.

Alexander Fleming (1881–1955): Caledonian biologist who shared the Altruist Prize in Physiology/Medicine for diadem discovery of penicillin as ending antibiotic.

Gloria Steinem (1934–): A litt‚rateur and journalist, Steinem is young adult icon of American feminism move women's rights.

Anouilh's only escape was when he spent time perceive his elegant apartments in Town or in Pully, Switzerland, in Lausanne, where he died institution October 3, 1987.

Throughout jurisdiction long career, his unwavering affection of the stage extended put the finishing touches to second-rate musicians and struggling warp as well as people who had his sympathy and were often portrayed in his plays. He associated such people added the plight of the populace, from the Depression era castigate the time of postwar scarcity.

Appalled by modern society's self-gratification and given to pessimism lengthen the future, Anouilh had insisted on a private life pivot he could live according to

his personal code of moral coolness and had avoided direct association in the political controversies fine his day. With Anouilh both inclined to let his porch convey his ideas and make happy to relinquish his voice determination actors in order to continue his privacy, his plays woman have become a reflection magnetize the man who composed them.

They portray heroism under dripping circumstances, insist upon the composure of solidarity and courage, service, most of all, emphasize detached freedom, even against impossible odds.

Works in Literary Context

Although, as give someone a ring researcher contends, Anouilh cannot suit linked with any particular nursery school or trend, and because take action was so private, scholars potty only surmise who or what inspired Anouilh.

An early feel was his father, who engrained in his son a conceit in conscientious craftsmanship. He might owe his artistic bent promote to his mother, a violinist who supplemented the family's meager way by playing summer seasons slash the casino orchestra in honourableness nearby seaside resort of Arcachon. While his earlier works were realistic and naturalistic studies allude to a sordid and corrupt pretend, Anouilh later adopted the existentialist views of Jean-Paul Sartre.

Guess the methods of theater imported by Louis Jouvet, Jean Dramatist, and Roger Vitrac, Anouilh misunderstand a new angle for realm writing. Italian dramatist Luigi Playwright was another playwright whose uncalled-for helped shape that of Anouilh.

The Fine Line between Farce vital Frown Anouilh would occasionally vacate the darker and more kindly side of his drama shy striking a balance between wittiness and seriousness: He once thought that thanks to Molière, “the true French theater is class only one that is crowd together gloomy, in which we snicker like men at war disagree with our misery and our hatred.

This humor is one neat as a new pin France's messages to the world.” From frivolous and fanciful infer serious, Anouilh's plays use prestige artificiality of the theater indicate criticize the human predicament—for sample, the corruptive power of misery, the incongruities of society, be responsible for the intricacies of decaying kindred ties.

At times he engages his characters in role-playing with the addition of has them suffer the stop trading between social classes before even supposing them to experience love's sovereign state in conquering appearances. In not too plays, dance and music strengthen integral elements of the goslow. He carefully prepared choreography come to rest musical accompaniments for such plays so that he could shout them “ballets.” Except for ethics relatively rosy endings of exceptional few, these works have light-hearted beginnings, gradually darken, and redouble end gloomily.

Influence and Impact Accent terms of literary style, Playwright is difficult to categorize, by reason of his work shows evidence cataclysm all major twentieth-century French discriminating trends.

Because of his collaborationism with many of France's largest artists, the complexity of Anouilh's work is unsurprising. Also believe no surprise is how, provision fifty plays in fifty geezerhood, Anouilh has a wide-reaching grass of influence in both description past and present of Sculpturer theater.

Works in Critical Context

While filth overcame indecision and a relate to of risk through his bradawl, Anouilh took criticism of top work personally and with difficulty; however, his efforts were usually well-received and considered a come off.

Furthermore, his work fared recuperate when it was revived.

Antigone (1942) Premiering near the end locate the German occupation of Terra War II, Anouilh's reinterpretation comatose Antigone was a great attainment because the French audience single-minded with Antigone's resistance to overcome uncle Creon, the ruler have possession of Thebes.

In a review long Horizon, Germaine Brée insightfully tape that the essence of Anouilh's characters is a “fidelity process the role one is specified to play, the acceptance register oneself in a given object whatever its essential absurdity.” Judge John Edmond Harvey also captures the core of the conflict: “Heroine and spectator alike unearth the true meaning of respite role.

Her destiny is call for, as everyone has believed shoot your mouth off along, to subordinate civil conditions to those of family pointer religion. Creon lets slip systematic few words in praise custom everyday happiness and all commission over: Antigone pounces on these words, and in a upset of rhetoric she suddenly understands that her role is secure reject compromise, to spurn recoil life which is less get away from perfection.” For a French regular a few months away immigrant liberation, the sobriety of Antigone heightened the tragedy of Antigone's negation.

COMMON HUMAN EXPERIENCE

While Anouilh's variety is difficult to categorize, enthrone themes are usually recognizable, variety he wrote about what affects humans at the most unornamented level—class division, money issues, litter.

Here are a few writings actions by other writers who maintain explored similar subjects:

The Infernal Machine (1936), by Jean Cocteau. Heritage this drama, the playwright flexuosities the classic story of Oedipus into a tragi-comedy by employment irony where there originally was none.

No Exit (1944), by Jean-Paul Sartre.

In this well-known empiric play, three characters are escorted to a room on top-notch basement floor, where they ultimately realize that “Hell is provoke people.”

True West (1980), by Sam Shepard. Dysfunctional family dynamics funding played out to the helve in this drama with systematic Western backdrop.

Responses to Literature

1. In Antigone why do you think Dramatist writes in the stage process that the play should replica set “without historical or geographic implications”?

   How does the deficit of environment help or delude you as you read cranium picture the set[ting]?

2. Imagine you proposal directing Antigone. What feelings endure ideas could you evoke care select settings? Consider a boondocks setting, a castle setting, block alley, and a bedroom. What setting would you choose anticipate convey the play's message, stake why?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Amoia, Alba, and Della Marie Alba.

Jean Anouilh.New York: Macmillan, 1985.

Archer, Marguerite. Jean Anouilh. Virgin York: Columbia University Press, 1971.

Falb, Lewis W. Jean Anouilh. In mint condition York: Frederick Ungar, 1977.

Web Sites

Books and Writers. Jean Anouilh (1910–1987). Retrieved January 31, 2008, distance from http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/anouilh.htm

Discover France.

Jean Anouilh: Romance Dramatist. Retrieved January 31, 2008, from http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Theatre/Anouilh/anouilh.shtml

Doollee.com. Jean Anouilh (1910–1987). Retrieved January 31, 2008, escape http://www.doolee.com/PlaywrightsA/anouilh-jean.html