Édouard Bourdet ( Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 26 October 1887 –

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, 17 January 1945) was a 20th-century French

playwright 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 married to the poet,

Catherine Pozzi Catherine Marthe Louise Pozzi (13 July 1882 – 3 December 1934) was a French poet and woman of letters. Early life Catherine Pozzi was born in an aristocratic and bourgeois environment at the end of the 19th century, to Samuel Pozzi, surgeon ...

; their son was Claude Bourdet.

Plays

*1910: ''Le Rubicon'' *1912: ''La Cage ouverte'', Théâtre Michel *1922: ''L'Heure du berger'' Play translated into the Portuguese language by Victoriano Braga, under the title ''A Hora do Amor'' *1923: ''L'Homme enchaîné'', play in 3 acts,

Théâtre Fémina The Théâtre Fémina or Salle Fémina was an entertainment venue located at 90 avenue des Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was inside the Hôtel Fémina, designed by the architect .R. 1907, p. 460. History Based in the ...

, 7 Novembre *1926: '' La Prisonnière'', presented in London, New York and Vienna *1927: ''

Vient de paraître ''Vient de paraître'' (french: Vient de paraître) is a French film from 1949, directed by Jacques Houssin, written by Michel Duran, and starring by Pierre Fresnay. The film also features Louis de Funès. Plot Five authors compete with each ot ...

'', comedy in 4 acts, Théâtre de la Michodière, 25 November *1929: '' Le Sexe faible'', comedy in 3 acts which ran for nearly two years at the Théâtre de la Michodière, 10 December, and was also presented in Berlin *1932: ''La Fleur des pois'', comedy in 4 acts, Théâtre de la Michodière, 4 October *1934: ''Les Temps difficiles'', play in 4 acts, Théâtre de la Michodière, 30 January, revived at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier (Comédie-Française) from 22 November to 30 December 2006, arranged by Jean-Claude Berruti *1935: ''Margot'', play in 2 acts, Théâtre Marigny, 26 November, with

Pierre Fresnay Pierre Fresnay (4 April 1897 – 9 January 1975) was a French stage and film actor. Biography Born Pierre Jules Louis Laudenbach, he was encouraged by his uncle, actor Claude Garry, to pursue a career in theater and film. He joined the company a ...

Jacques Dumesnil Jacques Dumesnil (born Marie Émile Eugène André Joly; November 9, 1903 – May 8, 1998) was a French film and television actor. Early life Jacques Dumesnil was born as Marie Émile Eugène André Joly on November 9, 1903 in Paris, Franc ...

and

Yvonne Printemps Yvonne Printemps (; born Yvonne Wigniolle; 25 July 1894 – 19 January 1977) was a French singer and actress who achieved stardom on stage and screen in France and internationally. Printemps went on the stage in Paris at the age of 12, and ...

. Mise en scène was Pierre Fresnay's and the incidental music by

Georges Auric Georges Auric (; 15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault, France. He was considered one of ''Les Six'', a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie. Before he turned 20 he ...

and

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

*1936: ''

Fric-Frac ''Fric-Frac'' is a 1939 French comedy film directed by Maurice Lehmann and Claude Autant-Lara, starring Fernandel, Arletty and Michel Simon. It tells the story of Marcel, an assistant to a jeweller, who befriends a couple of criminals who want to u ...

'', play in 5 acts, Théâtre de la Michodière, 15 October *1941: ''Hyménée'', play in 4 acts, Théâtre de la Michodière, 7 May *1942: ''

Père A name suffix, in the Western English-language naming tradition, follows a person's full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditat ...

'', Théâtre de la Michodière, 15 December

Theatre director

*1938: ''Le Vieil Homme'' by Georges de Porto-Riche,

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 ...

Filmography

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

: ''

The Weaker Sex ''The Weaker Sex'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ursula Jeans, Cecil Parker and Joan Hopkins. It was one of the most popular films at the British box office in 1948. The film's subject was what ''The Ne ...

'' by

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (194 ...

, screenplay and dialogue after his play.

Bibliography

* Denise Bourdet, ''Édouard Bourdet et ses amis'', Jeune Parque, 1963 * Roger Bordier, ''Édouard Bourdet ou le théâtre du défi'', Les Éditions de l'Amandier, 2006 * Bruno Tessarech, ''Villa blanche - A la recherche du temps perdu'', Buchet Chastel, 2005

Archival Sources

*Ellen Van Volkenburg-Maurice Browne general correspondence, 1911- (ca. 5 linear feet) are housed in the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Special Collections Library. Contain correspondence with Édouard Bourdet.
Alexander Berkman Papers, 1892-1936
(4.05 meters) are held in the

International Institute of Social History The International Institute of Social History (IISH/IISG) is one of the largest archives of labor and social history in the world. Located in Amsterdam, its one million volumes and 2,300 archival collections include the papers of major figu ...

. Contain correspondence with Édouard Bourdet

References

People from Saint-Germain-en-Laye 1887 births 1945 deaths 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French journalists Administrators of the Comédie-Française Troupe of the Comédie-Française Burials at Passy Cemetery {{France-playwright-stub