Collin d'Harleville

Jean-François Collin d'Harleville

Jean-François Collin d'Harleville (30 May 1755 – 24 February 1806) was a French dramatist.

He was born at Mévoisins (Eure-et-Loir). His first dramatic success was L'Inconstant, a comedy accepted by the Comédie Française in 1780, but not produced there until six years later, though it was played elsewhere in 1784. This was followed by L'Optimiste, ou l'homme toujours content (1788), and Châteaux en Espagne (1789). His best play, Le vieux célibataire, appeared in 1793.

Among his other plays are the one-act comedy Monsieur de Crac dans son petit castel (1791), Les Artistes (1796), Les Mœurs du jour (1800) and Malice pour malice (1803).

Collin was one of the original members of the Institute of France, and died in Paris.

The 1822 edition of his Théâtre et poésies fugitives contains a notice by his friend the dramatist François Andrieux. His Théâtre was also edited by Louis Moland in 1876; and by Edouard Thierry in 1882.

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