كولومب

by Jean Anouilh, جان أنوي, يحيى سعد (Translator)

A dark, ironic comedy about the theatre that gets battered by the translation of Louis Kronenberger, whose style is Brooklyn rather than Bordeau. A new translation is desperately needed by Stoppard, Durang or Guare.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, French Literature

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Jean Anouilh was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades, producing works that ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, though he is best remembered for his 1944 production of Sophocles’ Antigone, which, despite passing censorship, was widely interpreted as a critique of the Vichy regime. Born to a tailor father and a violinist mother, Anouilh absorbed the theatre from an early age, attending rehearsals and reading scripts, and began writing plays at twelve. The family moved to Paris, where he attended the Lycée Chaptal and briefly studied law at the Sorbonne before leaving to work in advertising. Early in his career he wrote comic scenes for cinema and worked as secretary to director Louis Jouvet, whose mentorship and the influence of playwright Jean Giraudoux inspired Anouilh to pursue theatre seriously. He debuted with collaborative and solo plays such as Humulus le muet, L’Hermine, and Mandarine, which, though not commercially successful, led to greater recognition with Le voyageur sans bagage in 1937. Anouilh developed distinct categories for his plays, including pièces noires, or tragedies like Antigone, exploring moral integrity against compromise; pièces roses, comedic works emphasizing fantasy and freedom; pièces brillantes, witty plays set in aristocratic environments; pièces grinçantes, darker, ironic comedies; and pièces costumées, historical dramas such as The Lark and Becket, highlighting protagonists pursuing moral paths amidst corruption. His later works, often called pièces secrètes, focused on dramatists and theatre professionals, emphasizing family and intimate relationships over conventional theatrical action. Politically, Anouilh remained largely apolitical, serving in the French Army and living under German occupation, his plays often interpreted as ambivalent reflections on resistance and pragmatism. Critically, he was recognized for blending lyrical language, precise dialogue, and structured plots, producing a prolific output for over fifty years, and winning accolades including the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca, consideration for the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, and the inaugural Grand Prix du Théâtre de l'Académie française. His works continued to be performed internationally, balancing existential concerns, moral dilemmas, and humor, reflecting a nuanced perspective on human nature. By the end of his career, he had influenced French theatre deeply, navigating between realism, comedy, and tragedy, and remained a vital figure in twentieth-century drama until his death, leaving a legacy of plays that explore the tension between idealism and compromise, the demands of conscience, and the pursuit of integrity in a flawed world.

Reviews

[Sketchbook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love: "What is this mania to love someone all one's life? Why should we?" ~ Bravo, M. Anouilh. ~ The play has the potential to be wonderful. The US (Bwy) translation is a bore.

An artificial comedy abt the theatre and sex : Anouilh examines a doltish husband whose insipid young wife joins his mum's theatre company in Paris and instantly finds economic and sexual independence. The characters are all one-dimensional, but Anouilh's heart is in its perfect cynical place. The French theatre has no try-out towns, like Limoges or Bordeaux as NYC has Boston and DC. So, this play needs to be reshaped. Rewrite the young husband, diminish his ingenue wife, and showcase the flamboyant actress mum.

Where is Louis Kronenberger, longtime theatre critic of TIME, who did the translation? He would take a line like 'la plume de ma tante,' for ex, and come up with 'the pen of my aunt.' The French word 'merde' has a musicality. He vulgarizes it as "crap." This boorish man wrecks the play in English (1954). Let's have a new adaptation by someone like Tom Stoppard. This ironic comedy is a patisserie. Kronenberger's writing belongs on a delicatessen menu..and director Harold Clurman is out of his element.

The play is in desperate need of a new translation/adaptation.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in french.
I generally struggle with plays so it wasn't exactly a surprise when I struggled with this one as well, however the character of Colombe was pretty interesting and charismatic in the third and fourth act, and Jean Anouilh's writing is always amazing.

[Andrea Putrino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les cacas sont beaux? Le caca c'est tout l'enfant.
Un enfant qui a de beaux cacas, c'est un enfant qui profite.

[Karim Rhayem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through this simple play with a minimalistic plot and decor, Anouilh explores the clash between the extremes of our society: introverts and extroverts, fame and passivity, silence and pride, to make us think about the consequences of fame and media that's slowly consuming us and formatting our minds.

[Julie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jolie pièce moderne qui dépeint des enjeux encore contemporains et touchant les mœurs féminines, ce qui est acceptable ou non, ce qui est supportable ou non. La pièce fait réfléchir mais le dénouement est à mon sens un peu faible.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to play this modern and funny character!

[amshu · Rating 4 out of 5]

colombe girlbossed her way through this play. we stan. (sidenote: all the men in this book absolutely repulsed me)

[zuperclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colombe you go girl

[Co :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

Colombe ma star, à bas les hommes (en plus comme on a le même prénom je me sentais trop connectée à elle, bref girlboss)

[am · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mais qu'est-ce que c'est que cette manie de vouloir que ce soit pour la vie, l'amour? Pourquoi cela vous démange-t-il comme cela, l'éternité? Qu'est-ce que cela signifie d'abord: pour la vie? Les chapeaux, les chaussures, les bijoux, cela se change; les maisons on en déménage. Demande aux médecins, ils te diront qu'au bout de sept ans il n'y a pas une cellule de ton corps qui n'ait changé. On vieillit, on pourrit sur place, on mijote son petit cadavre à feu couvert toute sa vie pour qu'il soit fin prêt le jour où les vers s'y mettront; on se décompose depuis qu'on est né et tu voudrais qu'il n'y ait que les sentiments qui ne changent pas?

Que ça fait du bien de terminer quelque chose. J'ai cru que ma panne de lecture allait me bloquer indéfiniment -- Et quelle lecture!
C'est une longue pièce qui donne un grand coup à ce que l'on attend du théâtre, en utilisant des personnages qui vivent en dehors de la réalité, pour remettre le lecteur/spectateur, lui-même!, sur ses pieds.
Se prendre des claques au théâtre, c'est plutôt rare. Il y a des pièces qui m'ont bouleversé, mais j'ai rarement lu une pièce comme celle-ci. Un mélange de grand bol d'air frais et de beaucoup de gêne. J'ai adoré.

C'est intéressant ; le théâtre dans la pièce -car les personnages sont des comédiens et/ou des costumiers, poètes, directeurs de théâtre etc-, est une véritable société à lui seul. Madame Alexandra tire la ficelle de son monde. Elle en est la cruelle impératrice, capricieuse, avare, égoïste, et est à la fois admirée et détestée.
Madame Alexandra a mis en scène toute sa vie personnelle, afin de donner quelque chose qui puisse plaire au public, au détriment de Julien. Il a beaucoup souffert et il ne méritait pas cette mère.
Tout est faux autour d'elle. Les flatteries qu'elle reçoit sont fausses, même celles qui viennent de son propre fils, Armand. Tout le monde joue la comédie dans cette pièce, ce qui la rend encore plus intéressante. Les personnages de cette pièce de théâtre jouent la comédie entre eux, en se mentant, en étant hypocrite, jaloux, lâches, et jouent un drame lorsqu'ils sont sur scène.
Et c'est drôle que Colombe se soit trouvée, et ait trouvé la véritable "elle" dans ce milieu.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

کلمب به فارسی ترجمه شده و یک بار هم در تالار موزه توسط جمعی از تیاتری های حرفه ای روی صحنه آمده است. با این همه تردید دارم که بصورت یک کتاب هم منتشر شده باشد.