BOURDET, DOUARD

born 1887, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Fr. died Jan. 17, 1945, Paris French dramatist noted for his satirical and psychological analyses of contemporary social problems. Bourdet's first plays, Le Rubicon (1910) and L'Homme enchan (1923; The Man Enchained), were not successful. His reputation was secured, however, by La Prisonnire (1926; The Captive), a psychological study of the sufferings of a sexually maladjusted woman. With Vient de paratre (1928; Just Appeared), a satire on the literary world, Bourdet established a formula for the series of satirical comedies that he produced between the world wars. Notable plays in the series are Le Sexe faible (1931; The Sex Fable) and Les Temps difficiles (1934; The Difficult Times). Bourdet served as director of the Comdie-Franaise from 1936 to 1940. His later plays include Hymne (1941; Hymen) and Pre (1943; Father).