MOLIER - The Misanthrope - A comedy in five acts (translated by BOY-ZELEÑSKI) (1930)

The Misanthrope is a comedy of manners from 1666. It was writtenunder the influence of Molière's experience resulting from his constant efforts to win the support of the king and stay in the court salons, an opportunity he gained after the success of his earlier plays. The playwright had to constantly compete with other authors and defend himself against critics of his works in order to retain the favor of the ruler and the court. In addition, repeatedly invited to the salons of the French capital, he was treated there as a man inferior to the nobility (he bore only the honorary title of upholsterer and valet to His Majesty the King). Already in his earlier work The Improvisation at Versailles, Molière made an allusion to a planned work that would capture the Parisian salons in a satirical manner.

Additional inspiration for the love plot of The Misanthrope came from Molière's marital experiences. His wife, the actress Armand, was extraordinarily beautiful and popular; subsequent performances gained her new admirers, many of whom were drawn from the nobility. The scenes in which Alcest, suffering from jealousy, reproaches Celimena and then relents, captivated by her dexterity and beauty, contain a strong autobiographical charge.

Printed by Krakow Publishing Company

Translated and compiled by Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński

Format: 178 x 129 mm

Published in 1930, 144s.

Very good condition, bookbinding, decorative signature on title page.