Vive Henri IV!, ou, La Galigaï

by Jean Anouilh

"Vive Henri IV ! Vive notre bon roi", chantaient les Français en digérant leur poule au pot, tandis que leur souverain contemplait fièrement l'or de ses champs de blé et les flots de soie de ses bombyx. La Ligue s'était tue. Tout baignait dans le royaume. Le Diable alors, alléché par cette belle paix à mettre à mal, se glissa dans les bagages de Marie de Médicis, partie de Florence pour ses noces royales, en la personne sans grâce ni beauté, mais dangereusement intelligente, de sa suivante Léonora Galigaï, un ange très, très noir. L'ambition de cette fille, décuplée par celle de son amant et complice l'aventurier Concini, fit qu'elle manipula admirablement la reine et, à travers elle, le roi. Les maquereaux du pouvoir s'affairaient. L'opinion publique à l'âme de midinette voua bientôt un culte à sa nouvelle idole, Concino Concini, devenu amant de la reine et promu maréchal de France ; et, si un certain marquis de Lugnes n'avait pas si bien organisé son assassinat, le sieur Concini, alias maréchal d'Ancre, prenait le pouvoir. La Galigaï arrêtée et condamnée finit décapitée, ses restes brûlés sur un bûcher. La France avait eu chaud. Cette crise de notre histoire passionna Anouilh ; et il nous la raconte en faisant revivre ses personnages et leurs passions, sur scène, dans un nouveau style à ellipses bousculant le réalisme chronologique, et dans une nouvelle écriture théâtrale, qu'heureux et enthousiaste il expérimentait pour la première fois à l'occasion de ce grand polar historique.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Jean Anouilh was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades, producing works that ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, though he is best remembered for his 1944 production of Sophocles’ Antigone, which, despite passing censorship, was widely interpreted as a critique of the Vichy regime. Born to a tailor father and a violinist mother, Anouilh absorbed the theatre from an early age, attending rehearsals and reading scripts, and began writing plays at twelve. The family moved to Paris, where he attended the Lycée Chaptal and briefly studied law at the Sorbonne before leaving to work in advertising. Early in his career he wrote comic scenes for cinema and worked as secretary to director Louis Jouvet, whose mentorship and the influence of playwright Jean Giraudoux inspired Anouilh to pursue theatre seriously. He debuted with collaborative and solo plays such as Humulus le muet, L’Hermine, and Mandarine, which, though not commercially successful, led to greater recognition with Le voyageur sans bagage in 1937. Anouilh developed distinct categories for his plays, including pièces noires, or tragedies like Antigone, exploring moral integrity against compromise; pièces roses, comedic works emphasizing fantasy and freedom; pièces brillantes, witty plays set in aristocratic environments; pièces grinçantes, darker, ironic comedies; and pièces costumées, historical dramas such as The Lark and Becket, highlighting protagonists pursuing moral paths amidst corruption. His later works, often called pièces secrètes, focused on dramatists and theatre professionals, emphasizing family and intimate relationships over conventional theatrical action. Politically, Anouilh remained largely apolitical, serving in the French Army and living under German occupation, his plays often interpreted as ambivalent reflections on resistance and pragmatism. Critically, he was recognized for blending lyrical language, precise dialogue, and structured plots, producing a prolific output for over fifty years, and winning accolades including the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca, consideration for the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, and the inaugural Grand Prix du Théâtre de l'Académie française. His works continued to be performed internationally, balancing existential concerns, moral dilemmas, and humor, reflecting a nuanced perspective on human nature. By the end of his career, he had influenced French theatre deeply, navigating between realism, comedy, and tragedy, and remained a vital figure in twentieth-century drama until his death, leaving a legacy of plays that explore the tension between idealism and compromise, the demands of conscience, and the pursuit of integrity in a flawed world.