Moliere
Moliere, pseudonym of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-73). French dramatist. The son of the royal upholsterer, he co-founded the Illustre-Theatre, an unsuccessful theatre company, in 1643. From 1645 he worked with a touring troupe. In 1658 they moved to Paris, where Moliere enjoyed his first success as a writer. The social comedy Les Precieuses ridicules (1659) attracted royal patronage for the company. Thereafter Moliere wrote and performed in a series of comedies, including Tartuffe (1664), a satirical attack on religious hypocrisy, The Misanthrope (1666), and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (1670). Moliere was frequently attacked for his biting social satire, and Tartuffe was banned for a time. He died after collapsing on stage in 1673.
