Henry François Becque (9 April 1837 – 12 May 1899), was a French

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. He was born in Paris.

Life

In 1867, he wrote, in imitation of

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

, the libretto for

Victorin de Joncières Félix-Ludger Rossignol, known as Victorin de Joncières (12 April 1839 – 26 October 1903), was a French composer and music critic.Wright LA. "Victorin de Joncières". In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London & New York, 1997 ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

''Sardanapale'', but his first important work, ''Michel Pauper'', appeared in 1870. The importance of this sombre drama was first realized when it was revived at the Odéon in 1886. ''Les Corbeaux'' (1882) established Becque's position as an innovator, and in 1885 he produced his most successful play, ''La Parisienne''. Becque produced little during the last years of his life, but his disciples carried on the tradition he had created. His other works include ''Querelles littéraires'' (1890), and ''Souvenirs d'un auteur dramatique'' (1895), consisting chiefly of reprinted articles in which he does not spare his opponents. His ''Théâtre complet'' (3 vols., 1899) includes ''L'Enfant prodigue'' (Vaudeville Theatre, 6 November 1868); ''Michel Pauper'' (Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin, 17 June 1870); ''L'Enlèvement'' (Vaudeville, 18 November 1871); ''La Navette'' (Gymnase, 15 November 1878); ''Les Honnêtes Femmes'' (Gymnase, 1 January 1880); ''Les Corbeaux'' (

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

, 14 September 1882); and ''La Parisienne'' (Théâtre de la Renaissance, 7 February 1885).

Reputation

English novelist

Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...

wrote in 1910 that Henri Becque was one of the great dramatists of the 19th century, but that " no first-class modern French author is more perfectly unknown and uncared-for in England than Henri Becque."

Notes and references

;Attribution

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Becque, Henry 1837 births 1899 deaths 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French male writers