Jean Anouilh (1910-1987), French playwright, director, and producer, known for well-crafted and provocative plays. Born near Bordeaux, Anouilh spent most of his life immersed in the theater world of Paris. After studying law and working briefly at an advertising agency, in 1931 he became secretary to actor, director, and producer Louis Jouvet. Anouilh’s first plays, written during the 1930s, were strongly influenced by the theatrical performance styles embraced by Jouvet and by Jacques Copeau, an experimental director and producer. During and after World War II (1939-1945), Anouilh wrote plays praised for their theatrical virtuosity, although some critics felt they lacked substance. After 1948 he worked closely with director Roland Piètri, with whom he codirected several of his own plays. In later years he adapted the works of others for the stage and worked on a number of motion-picture scripts.

Anouilh’s career reflects a sustained search for an explanation of the failure of idealism in the real world. His earliest plays, including Le voyageur sans bagage (1937; translated as Traveller Without Luggage, 1959) and La sauvage (1938; Restless Heart, 1957), seek this explanation in the nature of society, emphasizing its imperfections and the limitations imposed on it by the past. Anouilh termed these plays piècesnoires (black plays) because of their relatively pessimistic tone. He later sought an explanation in the individual, emphasizing individual psychology and memory as reasons for the failure of idealism. Plays such as Le bal des voleurs (1938; Thieves’ Carnival, 1952) are more poetic and optimistic than his black plays, and the author termed them piècesroses (rose-colored plays).

During and after World War II Anouilh turned to Greek mythology for an explanation for the failure of idealism. The plays from this period include Eurydice (1942; Point of Departure, 1951) and Médée (first performed in 1937; published 1946; Medea, 1967). Antigone (1942; translated 1946), often considered to be his masterpiece, combines an interest in the personality of the individual with a new curiosity about the role of destiny prominent in myth. The play revolves around a conflict between the idealist Antigone and her realist uncle Creon over the burial of Polynices, her brother and his nephew. The conflict arises less from religious or political causes than from fate, which condemns them to play out their respective roles: Antigone breaks the law to bury her brother and Creon upholds the law, even though it means executing his niece. Anouilh’s interest in idealism and realism often leads to an unusual mixture of fantasy and reality in his plays. His other well-known plays include L’invitation au château (1947; Ring Round the Moon, 1950), L’alouette (1953; The Lark, 1955), Becket, ou, l’honneur de Dieu (1959; Becket, or, The Honour of God, 1961), Cher Antoine (1969; Dear Antoine, 1971), and La culotte (The Trousers, 1978).