CLARETIE, JULES ARSENE ARNAUD French writer, director of the Theatre Francais, was born at Limoges Dec. 3, 5840. He was dramatic critic to the Figaro and to the Opinion nationale, a newspaper correspondent during the Franco-German War, and during the Commune a staff-officer in the National Guard. In 1885 he became director of the Theatre Francais, and from that time devoted himself chiefly to its ad ministration. He was elected a member of the Academy in 1888. He died in Paris on Dec. 23, 1913.
The long list of his works includes Histoire de la revolution de 1870-71 (new ed., 5 vols., 1875-76) ; Cinq ans apres; l'Alsace et la Lorraine depuis l'annexioo (1876) ; some annual volumes of reprints of his articles in the weekly press, entitled La Vie a Paris; La Vie moderne au theatre (5868-69) ; Moliere, sa vie et son oeuvre (1871) ; Histoire de la lit terature f rancaise, 900-1900 (2nd ed. 1905) ; Candidat! (1887), a novel of contemporary life; Brichanteau, comgidien francais (1896) ; several plays, some of which are based on novels of his own; and 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 2894) with Mme. Calve in the part of Anita. His Oeuvres completes were published in 1897 5904. See G. Grappe, Jules Claretie (1906) .