born June 23, 1910, Bordeaux, France
died Oct. 3, 1987, Lausanne, Switz.
French playwright.
After studying law, he wrote his first play, The Ermine (1932), followed by the successful Traveler Without Luggage (1937). He is best remembered for Antigone (1944), The Lark (1953), and Becket (1959), in which he used techniques such as the play within the play, flashbacks and flash-forwards, and the exchange of roles. A skillful exponent of the well-made play , he rejected naturalism and realism in favour of a return to theatricalism .