Vie de Molière

A clear‑headed portrait of the man behind France’s most celebrated playwright, this biography sticks to the facts that can be trusted. It traces the modest beginnings of Jean‑Baptiste Poquelin, born in Paris in 1620 to a royal‑court upholsterer and a shop‑keeping mother, and follows his reluctant apprenticeship in the family trade. With the encouragement of a grandfather who loved the stage, he escapes the expected path, receives a Jesuit education, and absorbs the ideas of the philosopher Gassendi, whose teachings shape his moral outlook.

The narrative then moves to Poquelin’s first steps into the world of theatre, set against a Paris where itinerant troupes are giving way to more permanent companies. Joined by a handful of talented friends, he helps launch the Illustre Théâtre, a bold venture that signals his break from court service and his determination to elevate comedy. The account captures the vibrant cultural climate that nurtured his early experiments, offering listeners a vivid sense of the forces that forged a legend.