Hilaire-Bernard de Requeleyne, baron de Longepierre (18 October 1659 – 30 March 1721) was a 17th–18th-century French playwright.

Short biography

A child prodigy, quoted in ''Enfants célèbres'' by Baillet, Baron Longepierre began by giving translations of Greek poets accompanied by scholarly notes. The coldness and infidelity of these translations earned him the sarcasm of

Jean-Baptiste Rousseau Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (6 April 1671 – 17 March 1741) was a French playwright and poet, particularly noted for his cynical epigrams. Biography Rousseau was born in Paris, the son of a shoemaker, and was well educated. As a young man, he gai ...

, who then mocked his trials at

tragedies Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

. :If the bucolic style ::Denigrated him, :He wants by the dramatic ::Be drawn :From the rank of abject authors. ::Greeks live ! Longepierre's tragedies aimed in fact to regain the perfect purity of

Greek theater Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

. His best play, ''Medea'' (1694), was first greeted coldly but triumphed when it was revived in 1728 and every time a talented actress undertook the title role. This tragedy, devoid of love, has terrifying passages, but it is static and the style is hard, verbose and declamatory. Longepierre then gave ''Sesostris'' (1695) and ''Electra'' (1702) which had little performances. Despite Rousseau's epigrams, Longepierre, who had a large fortune, enjoyed general respect and was preceptor to the

Count of Toulouse The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of county of Toulouse, Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the kingdom of the Franks, Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ru ...

, then to the

Duke of Chartres Originally, the Duchy of Chartres (''duché de Chartres'') was the ''comté'' de Chartres, a County. The title of comte de Chartres thus became duc de Chartres. This duchy–peerage was given by Louis XIV of France to his nephew, Philippe II ...

, future regent of the kingdom, of which he became ordinary gentleman. He was also private secretary of the

Duke of Berry Duke of Berry (french: Duc de Berry) or Duchess of Berry (french: Duchesse de Berry) was a title in the Peerage of France. The Duchy of Berry, centred on Bourges, was originally created as an appanage for junior members of the French royal family ...

Works

;Dramas *1694: ''Médée'', five-act tragedy, 13 February *1695: ''Sésostris'', five-act tragedy *1702: ''Électre'', five-act tragedy *1712: ''Jérusalem délivrée'', five-act

tragédie en musique Tragédie en musique (, ''musical tragedy''), also known as tragédie lyrique (, ''lyric tragedy''), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas in t ...

, music by the

Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...

, played in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

on 17 October ;Poetry and translations *1684: ''Odes d'Anacréon et de Sapho'', translated into French verse with remarks *1686: ''Idylles de Bion et de Moschus'', translated into French verse with remarks text available on Gallica
*1687: ''Discours sur les anciens'', against

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales ...

*1688: ''Idylles de Théocrite'', translated into French verse *1690: ''Idylles nouvelles'' *1719: ''Lettre à M. de Voltaire sur la nouvelle tragédie d'Œdipe'' text available on Gallica

Bibliography

Gustave Vapereau Louis Gustave Vapereau (4 April 1819 – 18 April 1906) was a French writer and lexicographer famous primarily for his dictionaries, the ''Dictionnaire universel des contemporains'' and the ''Dictionnaire universel des littérateurs''. Biography ...

: "Hilaire-Bernard de Longepierre" in ''Dictionnaire universel des littératures'', Paris, Hachette, 1876, 2 volumes

Short biography

Works

Bibliography

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