Giraudoux, Jean, << `zheer` oh DOO, zhahn >> (1882-1944), was a prominent French playwright. His work was especially noted for its stylistic elegance and poetic fantasy. Giraudoux’s dominant theme is the relationship between men and women. In many of his plays, a young woman must choose between a man who represents an impossible romantic ideal and one who can provide an unexciting but stable existence.
Giraudoux was born on Oct. 29, 1882, in Bellac, near Limoges. He had distinguished careers in the French foreign service and as a novelist before he began writing plays. His love for German culture inspired his first play, Siegfried (1928), as well as Ondine (1939). Giraudoux drew upon classical Greek sources for Amphitryon 38 (1929), Tiger at the Gates (1935), and Electra (1937). The Bible inspired his dramas Judith (1931) and Sodom and Gomorrah (1943). Giraudoux died on Jan. 31, 1944. Three popular plays were staged after his death, The Madwoman of Chaillot (1945), The Apollo of Bellac (1946), and Duel of Angels (1953).
