Jean Anouilh was a versatile playwright who gained his international reputation in the years after World War II. He wrote some 40 dramas, notable plays include Antigone, Becket or The Honour of God, and The Lark. He adapted and translated works of Sophocles and Euripides.
Early Life of Jean Anouilh
Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh was born in June 23, 1910 in Bordeau, south-western France. After studying law, he worked in advertising, wrote jokes for film scripts, and for a time was secretary to a famous French actor. He started writing drama after seeing a play by the French writer Jean Girandoux, and he later acknowledged the influence of both Girandoux and Molière on his work.
The Ermine, his first play, was staged when he was 22, but it was until he was 27-years-old that he achieved success with Traveller without Luggage. The following year he wrote Thieves’ Carnival, which is about the romantic exploits of three charming crooks during a costume party. This play became so popular that French theatres regularly revived it when they needed a sure crowd.
Anouilh’s Antigone
During World War II, when France was occupied by Germany, Anouilh wrote Antigone, based on a play written by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles.
Antigone shows the clash between a person’s individual loyalties and his duty to the law. Many people saw the play as a symbol of resistance to the Germans, while others thought it supported them. As both interpretations are covered, it was not banned by the German authorities.
Categories of Anouilh Plays
He divided his plays into categories calling some of them “dark plays,” “pink plays,” “bright Plays,” “rose-coloured plays,” and “black plays.” The black plays are the serious ones, and the rose plays are the comedies. Nearly all of his plays depict innocent people who discover the harsh realities of life, and the compromises that people make in search of the proverbial happiness.
Last Words on Anouilh
Anouilh died at the age of 77, on October 3, 1987. Like Cocteau, he told his mythical stories with human sensitivity by the use of innovative techniques. Anouilh translated the works of famous writers like Sophocles, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, and likewise, his work was also translated and adapted. For instance, Lillian Hellman adapted and translated his The Lark. His plays were successfully translated to movies, including Waltz of the Toreadors, starring Peter Sellers, and the award-winning Becket, with Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.
Works by Jean Anouilh
- The Ermine, 1932
- Traveller without Luggage, 1937
- Thieves’ Carnival, 1938
- Legend of Lovers, 1941
- Antigone, 1942
- Medea, 1946
- Ardèle, 1949
- Waltz of the Toreadors, 1952
- The Lark, 1953
- Becket, 1959
Sources:
McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
Ousby, Ian. The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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