Background
Crébillon was born on January 13, 1674 in Dijon where his father, Melchior Jolyot, was notary-royal.
(Par combien de mépris, de tourments, de rigueur, N'avez-v...)
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(Catilina Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillon père,...)
Catilina Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillon père, auteur dramatique français (1674-1762) Ce livre numérique présente «Catilina», de Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, édité en texte intégral. Une table des matières dynamique permet d'accéder directement aux différentes sections. Table des Matières -01- Présentation -02- Acteurs -03- Acte I -04- Acte II -05- Acte III -06- Acte IV -07- Acte V
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(Électre Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillon père, ...)
Électre Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillon père, auteur dramatique français (1674-1762) Ce livre numérique présente «Électre», de Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, édité en texte intégral. Une table des matières dynamique permet d'accéder directement aux différentes sections. Table des Matières -01- Présentation -02- Acteurs -03- Acte I -04- Acte II -05- Acte III -06- Acte IV -07- Acte V
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(Atrée & Thyeste Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillo...)
Atrée & Thyeste Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillon père, auteur dramatique français (1674-1762) Ce livre numérique présente «Atrée & Thyeste», de Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, édité en texte intégral. Une table des matières dynamique permet d'accéder directement aux différentes sections. Table des Matières -01- Présentation -02- Acteurs -03- Acte I -04- Acte II -05- Acte III -06- Acte IV -07- Acte V
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Crébillon was born on January 13, 1674 in Dijon where his father, Melchior Jolyot, was notary-royal.
Having been educated at the Jesuits' school of the town, and at the College Mazarin, Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon became an advocate and was placed in the office of a lawyer named Prieur at Paris.
But in 1731, in spite of his long seclusion, he was elected member of the French Academy; in 1735 he was appointed royal censor, and in 1745 Mme de Pompadour presented him with a pension of 1000 francs and a post in the royal library.
But in 1705 Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon succeeded with Idom&nee, in 1707 his Atree et Thyeste was repeatedly acted at court; Electra appeared in 1709; and in 1711 he produced his finest play, the Rhadamisle et Zenobie, which is his masterpiece and held the stage for a long period, although the plot is so complicated as to be almost incomprehensible.
But his Xerxes (1714) was only once played, and his Semiramis (1717) was an absolute failure.
His three years' attendance at court had been fruitless. Envy had circulated innumerable slanders against him.
Oppressed with melancholy, he removed to a garret, where he surrounded himself with a number of dogs, cats, and ravens, which he had befriended; he became utterly careless of cleanliness or food and solaced himself with constant smoking.
He returned to the stage in 1726 with a successful play, Pyrrhus-, in 1748 his Catalina was played with great success before the court; and in 1754, when he was eighty years old, appeared his last tragedy, Le Triumvir at. Crebillon died on the 17th of June 1754.
The enemies of Voltaire maintained that Crebillon was his superior as a tragic poet.
The spirit of rivalry thus provoked induced Voltaire to take the subjects of no less than five of Crebillon's tragedies-S emir Amis, Edectre, Catilina, Le Triumvirat, Atree-as subjects for tragediesof his own.
The so-called Eloge de Crebillon (1762), really a depreciation, which appeared in the year of the poet's death, is generally attributed to Voltaire, though he strenuously denied the authorship.
He was first imprisoned and afterwards forced to live in exile for five years at Sens and elsewhere.
With Alexis Piron and Charles Colie, he founded in 1752 the gay society which met regularly to dine at the famous " Caveau, " where many good stories were elaborated.
From 1759 onwards he was to be found at the Wednesday dinners of the Pelletier, at which Garrick, Sterne, and Wilkes were sometimes guests.
The most famous of his numerous novels are Les Amours de ZZokinizul, Roi des Kofirans (1740), in which " Zeokinizul " and " Kofirans " may be translated Louis XIV and the French respectively; and Le Sopha, conte moral (1740), where the moral is supplied in the title only.
This last novel is given by some authorities as the reason for his imprisonment.
(Atrée & Thyeste Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillo...)
(Par combien de mépris, de tourments, de rigueur, N'avez-v...)
(Catilina Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillon père,...)
(Électre Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, dit Crébillon père, ...)
("Xerxès" de Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon. Dit Crébillon pè...)
Quotations:
"Every moment of life is a step toward the grave. "
"Fear made the gods; audacity has made kings. "
In 1707 Crébillon had married a penniless girl, who died, leaving him two young children.