Jules Arsène Arnaud Claretie (December 3, 1840 - December 23, 1913), was a French literary figure and director of the Théâtre Français.

He was born at Limôges. After studying at the lycée Bonaparte in Paris, he became a journalist, achieving great success as dramatic critic to Le Figaro and to the Opinion nationale. He was a newspaper correspondent during the Franco-German War, and during the Commune acted as staff-officer in the National Guard. In 1885 he became director of the Théâtre Français, and from that time devoted his time chiefly to its administration.

He was elected a member of the Académie française in 1888, and took his seat in February 1889, being received by Ernest Renan. The long list of his works includes:

• Histoire de la Révolution de 1870-1871 (5 vols., 1875-1876)
• Cinq ans après: l'Alsace et la Lorraine depuis l'annexion (1876)
• some annual volumes of reprints of his articles in the weekly press, entitled La Vie à Paris; La Vie moderne au théâtre (1868-1869)
• Molière, sa vie et son œuvre (1871)
• Histoire de la littérature française (2nd ed. 1905)
• Candidat (1887), a novel of contemporary life
• Brichanteau, comédien français (1896)

Several plays, some of which are based on novels of his own:

• Les Muscadins (1874)
• Le Régiment de Champagne (1877)
• Les Mirabeau (1879)
• Monsieur le ministre (1883), and others

Also the opera, La Navarraise, based on his novel La Cigarette, and written with Henri Cain to the music of Massenet. La Navarraise was first produced at Covent Garden (June 1894) with Emma Calve in the part of Anita. His Œuvres complètes were published in 1897.

Reference

• This entry incorporates public domain text originally from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica.