MIRBRAU, me'b5, Octave Henri Marie, French novelist and playwright: b. Trevieres (Calvados), 16 Feb. 1850. He was educated in a Jesuit school at Vannes, studied law in Paris and became dramatic critic on the Bona partist paper, L'Ordre. For a time he was sous-prifet and then prEfet of Saint-Girons; but after 1877 he devoted himself to literature. His journalistic career was stormy and hia at tacks on established reputations Involved him in several duels. He gradually developed ex treme views. In 1890 he wrote for the Revolts and he was one of the first and most persistent defenders of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus He was also one of the earliest supporters of the Im pressionist painters. In 1887 he married the actress, Alice Regnault. Mirbeau first at tracted attention as a fiction writer by his series of tales of the Norman peasantry, 'Lettres de ma chanmiere> (1886), although he had previously published a novel, 'Jean Marcellin) (1884). He then published 'Le Cal
vaire) (1887); (L'Abbe Jules> (1888); (Sebas tien Roth,> a bitter picture of the Jesuit school in which he had passed his youth (1890). (Le Jardin des supplices,) a Chinese story (1899); 'Les Memoires dune femme de chambre> (1901) ; 'Les Vingt-et-un jours d'un neuras chinique) (1902); and 'Dans ranticharntre> (1905). In 1897 'Les mauvais bergers,>, a five act drama, was played at the Renaissance by Sarah Bernhardt; and he gained a great suc cess with his next play, 'Les affaires sont les affaires> (1903), represented in New York under the title 'Business is Business? (1905). Some of his short plays appeal in his book, 'Farces et Moralites) (1904). 'Le foyer> (1909) was suppressed by the censor. 'Dingo> was published in 1913.