Giraudoux, (Hippolyte) Jean 1882-1944
French writer

He was born in Bellac, Limousin. After a brilliant academic career at the �cole Normale Sup�rieure, Paris, and extensive travel, he joined the diplomatic service and became head of the French Ministry of Information during World War II, until his affiliations became suspect. As a poet and novelist he was much affected by psychoanalytic theories, and pioneered an Impressionistic technique in literature, exemplified particularly in Provinciales (1909), Simon le Path�tique (1918), and his reflection on his war experiences, Retour d'Alsace, ao�t 1914 (1916, 'Return from Alsace in August 1914'). His plays are mainly fantasies based on Greek myths and biblical lore, satirically treated as commentary on modern life. They include La Folle de Chaillot (1945, Eng trans The Madwoman of Chaillot, 1949), La Guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu (1935) and Pour Lucr�ce (1953). The last two were translated as Tiger at the Gates (1955) and Duel of Angels (1958) by Christopher Fry. He also wrote literary criticism, some short stories, and two film scripts.

Bibliography: L LeSage, Giraudoux: his life and works (1959)