Jules Arsène Arnaud Claretie (December 3, 1840 - December 23, 1913), was a French literary figure and director of the Théâtre Français.
He was born at Limôges. After studying at the lycée Bonaparte in Paris, he became a journalist, achieving great success as dramatic critic to Le Figaro and to the Opinion nationale. He was a newspaper correspondent during the Franco-German War, and during the Commune acted as staff-officer in the National Guard. In 1885 he became director of the Théâtre Français, and from that time devoted his time chiefly to its administration.
He was elected a member of the Académie française in 1888, and took his seat in Feburary 1889, being received by Ernest Renan. The long list of his works includes:
- Histoire de la Révolution de 1870-1871 (5 vols., 1875-1876)
- Cinq ans après: l'Alsace et la Lorraine depuis l'annexion (1876)
- some annual volumes of reprints of his articles in the weekly press, entitled La Vie a Paris; La Vie moderne au théâtre (1868-1869)
- Molière, sa vie et son &oeliguvre (1871)
- Histoire de la litterature française (2nd ed. 1905)
- Candidat (1887), a novel of contemporary life
- Brichanteau, comédien français (1896)
- Les Muscadins (1874)
- Le Regiment de Champagne (1877)
- Les Mirabeau (1879)
- Monsieur le ministre (1883), and others
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