Georges Courteline born Georges Victor Marcel Moinaux (25 June 1858 – 25 June 1929) 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 ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

, a satirist notable for his sharp wit and cynical humor.

Biography

His family moved from

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

, at age 13, he was sent to school in Meaux and after graduation in 1876, he went on to serve in the French military before taking a job as a civil servant. Interested in poetry and authorship, he became involved writing poetry reviews and was part of a small newspaper. By the 1890s, he had begun writing plays under the name Courteline for the theatres of

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

where he lived. Gifted with a quick wit, he became a leading dramatist, producing many plays as well as a number of novels. The overall tone of his works was satirical in nature, often making fun of everything from the wealthy elitists of Paris to the bloated government bureaucracies. In 1899, Courteline was awarded the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and in 1926 was elected to the

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (Goncourt Literary Society), usually called the Académie Goncourt (Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1900 by the French writer and publisher Edmond de Go ...

. In 1929, Courteline died on his 71st birthday in Paris and was interred there in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

. Rue de Lariche, the street in the city of Tours where he was born, was renamed in his honour.

Selected works

* ''Les Gaités de l'escadron'' (1886) - a novel, subsequently dramatized for the theatre in 1895. * ''Le 51e Chasseurs'' (1887) – a novel. * ''Les Femmes d'amis'' (1888) – a novel. * ''Le Train de 8 heures 47'' (1888) – a novel. * ''Madelon, Margot et Cie'' (1890). * ''Potiron'' (1890) - recit. * ''Messieurs les ronds-de-cuir'' (1893) – a novel. * ''Boubouroche'' (1893) – a theatrical play in two acts. * ''Ah! Jeunesse!'' (1894) – a novel. * ''Ombres Parisiennes'' (1894) – recits. * ''La Peur des coups'' (1895) – theatre in one act. * ''Les Gaitiės de l'escadron'' (1895) - theatre in nine scenes. * ''La vie de caserne'' (1895) * ''Un client sérieux'' (1896) - theatre in one act. * ''Le Droit aux étrennes'' (1896) - theatre in five scenes. * ''Hortense, couche-toi!'' (1897) – theatre in one act. * ''Monsieur Badin'' (1897) – theatre in one act. * ''L'Extra-Lucide'' (1897) - theatre in one act. * ''Une lettre chargée'' (1897) – theatre in one act. * ''Théodore cherche des allumettes'' (1897) - theatre in one act. * ''Godefroy'' (1897) - theatre in one act. * ''La Voiture versée'' (1897) – theatre in one act. * ''Gros Chagrins'' (1897) – theatre in one act. * ''Les Boulingrin'' (1898) – theatre in one act. * ''Le gendarme est sans pitié'' (1899) – theatre in one act. * ''Le commissaire est bon enfant'' (1900) – theatre in one act. * ''L'Article 330'' (1900) - theatre in one act. * ''Les Marionnettes de la vie'' (1900) * ''Sigismond'' (1901) - theatre, a fantasy in one act with choir. * ''Les Balances'' (1901) – theatre in one act. * ''La Paix chez soi'' (1903) - theatre in one act. * ''L'Illustre Piégelé'' (1904). * ''L'Ami des Lois'' (1904) - three short plays. * ''Facéties de Jean de La Butte'' (1904). * ''Les tire-au-cul : les gaîtés de l'escadron'' (1904). * ''Coco, Coco et Toto'' (1905). * ''La Conversion d'Alceste'' (1905) – theatre in verse in one act. * ''Le Petit Malade'' 1905 * ''Le père Machin-Chouette : les gaîtés de l'escadron'' (1905) * ''Les Fourneaux'' (1905) * ''La Cruche'' (1909) - theatre in two acts. * ''Un visiteur sans gêne'' (1911) * ''Les Linottes'' (1912) – a novel. * ''Le Gora'' (1920) Georges Courteline 1921

Filmography

*''

The Gaieties of the Squadron ''The Gaieties of the Squadron'' (French: ''Les gaîtés de l'escadron'') is a 1913 French silent comedy film directed by Joseph Faivre and Maurice Tourneur and starring Edmond Duquesne, Henry Roussel and Henri Gouget.Waldman p.7 It is a milit ...

'', directed by Maurice Tourneur and Joseph Faivre (1913, based on the play ''Les Gaîtés de l'escadron'') *''Théodore cherche des allumettes'', directed by Andrew Brunelle (1923, based on the play ''Théodore cherche des allumettes'') *''Le Train de 8h47'', directed by

Georges Pallu Georges Pallu (1869–1948) was a French screenwriter and film director active in the silent and early sound eras.Paietta p.63 Pallu directed more than forty short and feature films during his career. He is also sometimes credited as George P ...

(1927, based on the novel ''Le Train de 8 heures 47'') *''

Fun in the Barracks ''Fun in the Barracks'' (French: ''Les Gaîtés de l'escadron '' or ''Les Gaietés de l'escadron'') is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Raimu, Jean Gabin and Fernandel. It was based on a play by Georges Courtel ...

'', directed by Maurice Tourneur (1932, based on the play ''Les Gaîtés de l'escadron'') *', directed by

André Hugon André Hugon (17 December 1886 – 22 August 1960) was a French film director, screenwriter and film producer best known for his silent films from 1913 onwards, particularly of the 1920s and into sound. Hugon was born in Algiers in 1886 w ...

(1933, based on the play ''Boubouroche'') *', directed by

Henry Wulschleger Henry Wulschleger or Henri Wulschleger (1894–1943) was a French screenwriter and film director.Crisp p.84 Selected filmography * ''Une nuit agitée'' (1920) * '' Pervenche'' (1921) (co-direction : Alfred Machin) * ''Moi aussi, j'accuse'' ( ...

(1934, based on the novel ''Le Train de 8 heures 47'') *'' The Bureaucrats'', directed by

Yves Mirande Yves Mirande (Bagneux (Maine-et-Loire), May 8, 1876 – Paris, March 17, 1957) was a French screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. Career Yves Mirande began his acting career in the theater, transitioning to movies in the silent era. F ...

(1936, based on the novel ''Messieurs les ronds-de-cuir'') *''

The Cheerful Squadron ''The Cheerful Squadron'' ( it, Allegro squadrone, french: Les gaietés de l'escadron) is a 1954 Italian-French historical war comedy film directed by Paolo Moffa and starring Vittorio De Sica, Daniel Gélin, Alberto Sordi and Silvana Pampanini ...

'', directed by

Paolo Moffa Paolo Moffa (16 December 1915 – 2004) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed seven films between 1943 and 1982. Born in Rome, Moffa started his career in the 1930s as a script supervisor. Mainly active as ...

(1954, based on the play ''Les Gaîtés de l'escadron'') *''

Scènes de ménage ''Scènes de ménage'' en, Domestic stages, is a French comedy film from 1954, directed by André Berthomieu, written by Marcel Achard, starring Bernard Blier and Louis de Funès. The scenario is based on three pieces by playwright Georges Co ...

'', directed by André Berthomieu (1954, based on the plays ''La Peur des coups'', ''La Paix chez soi'' and ''Les Boulingrin'') *'' The Bureaucrats'', directed by Henri Diamant-Berger (1959, based on the novel ''Messieurs les ronds-de-cuir'')

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Courteline, Georges 1858 births 1929 deaths Writers from Tours, France 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights French journalists 19th-century French novelists 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French male writers Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French male novelists 19th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers