Charles Maurice Donnay (12 October 1859 – 31 March 1945) was a
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
dramatist
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just
reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...
.
Biography
Donnay was born of middle-class parents in Paris in 1859.
His father was a railway engineer and initially Donnay followed a similar profession, studying at the
École centrale des arts et manufactures
École or Ecole may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* Éco ...
in 1882.
With
Alphonse Allais
Alphonse Allais (20 October 1854 in Honfleur – 28 October 1905 in Paris) was a French writer, journalist and humorist. He was also the editor of the '' Chat Noir,'' a satirical magazine.
Life
From 1879, Alphonse Allais attended the ″Hydrop ...
, Donnay started by writing material for the celebrated cabaret ''le Chat noir''.
Donnay made his serious debut as a dramatist on the little stage of
Le Chat Noir
(; French for "The Black Cat") was a 19th century entertainment establishment in the Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard de Rochechouart by impresario Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897 not long ...
with ''Phryne'' (1891), a series of Greek scenes.
This was followed by ''Lysistrata'', a four-act comedy, was produced at the Grand Théâtre in 1892 with
Gabrielle Réjane
Gabrielle Réjane (), ''née'' Gabrielle Charlotte Réju (6 June 1856 – 14 June 1920), was a French actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The daughter of a former actor, Réjane studied at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'ar ...
in the title part.
With ''Amants'' in 1895 he won a great success, and the play was hailed by
Jules Lemaître
François Élie Jules Lemaître (27 April 1853 – 4 August 1914) was a French critic and dramatist.
Biography
Lemaître was born in Vennecy, Loiret. He became a professor at the University of Grenoble in 1883, but was already well known for h ...
as the ''Bérénice'' of contemporary French drama.
It was the first work of a series called .
His plays were performed by famous actors including
Cécile Sorel
Céline Émilie Seurre (7 September 1873 in Paris – 3 September 1966 in Trouville-sur-Mer), known as Cécile Sorel or the Comtesse de Ségur by marriage, was a French comic actress. She enjoyed great popularity and was known for her extravagant ...
, Réjane et
Lucien Guitry
Lucien Germain Guitry (13 December 1860 – 1 June 1925) was a French actor.
Life
In 1885, while living in Saint Petersburg, Guitry appeared at the French (or Mikhaylovsky) Theatre.
His son, the future actor, writer and director Sacha Guit ...
. They showed what was at the time advanced ideas on the relationship between the sexes, and used everyday language in their dialogue.
On 14 February 1907, Donnay was elected a member of the
Académie française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
, replacing
Albert Sorel
Albert Sorel (13 August 184229 June 1906) was a French historian. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature nine times.
Life
He was born at Honfleur and remained throughout his life a lover of his native Normandy. His father, a rich ma ...
.
Works
Donnay's plays included:
*''Phryné'' (1891)
*''Lysistrata'' (1892), in collaboration with
Maurice Leblanc
Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French ...
(Act II, scene 7. However, Donnay would not admit it.)
*''Folle Entreprise'' (1894)
*''Pension de famille'' (1894)
*''Complices'' (1895), in collaboration with M. Groselande
*''Amants'' (1895), produced at the Renaissance theatre with Mme
Jeanne Granier
Jeanne Granier (; 31 March 1852 – 18 or 19 December 1939) was a French soprano, born and died in Paris, whose career was centred on the French capital.Gänzl K. Jeanne Granier. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London an ...
as Claudine Rozeray
*''La Douloureuse'' (1897)
*''L'Affranchie'' (1898)
*''Georgette Lemeunier'' (1898)
*''Le Torrent'' (1899), at the
Comédie Française
*''Éducation de prince'' (1900)
*''La Clairière'' (1900)
*''Oiseaux de passage'' (1904), in collaboration with
Lucien Descaves
Lucien Descaves (; 16 March 1861 – 6 September 1949) was a French novelist.
Selected works
* ''Le Calvaire de Héloïse Pajadou'' (1883) 'Héloïse Pajadou's Calvary.'' Sunny Lou Publishing , 2021 Further reading
*
*
External link ...
*''La Bascule'' (1901)
*''L'Autre danger'', at the Comédie Française (1902)
*''Le Retour de Jérusalem'' (1903)
*''L'Escalade'' (1904)
*''Paraître'' (1906)
Comédie-Française with
Berthe Cerny
Berthe Cerny (born Françoise Berthe-Hélène-Lucie de Choudens; 31 January 1868 – 27 March 1940) was a French actress, known as an elegant blonde beauty. She had a brilliant career, interpreting both classical and contemporary roles.
She had se ...
as Christiane Margès
*''Le Ménage de Molière'' (1912)
*''Les Éclaireuses'' (1913)
*''L'Impromptu de Paquetage'' (1916)
*''Le Théâtre aux armées'' (1916)
He also published some wartime essays and addresses:
*''La Parisienne et la Guerre'' (1916)
*''Premières Impressions après'' (1917)
*''Lettres à la Dame Blanche'' (1917)
*''Pendant qu'ils sent à Noyon'' (1917)
*''La Chasse à l'Homme'' (1919)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnay, Charles Maurice
1859 births
1945 deaths
Writers from Paris
19th-century French dramatists and playwrights
20th-century French dramatists and playwrights
Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni
École Centrale Paris alumni
Members of the Académie Française