BRIEUX, bre-é, Eugene, French drama tist: b. Paris 1858. He became a journalist and ultimately drifted into play-writing in 1890 with (Ménage d'artistes,' which at once became very popular: Previous to this he had made several more or less unsuccessful efforts in this field. After his first success (at the Theatre Libre), he became, almost immediately, one of the best known dramatists of France, and he produced play after play, all distinguished by a deep in sight intq the social problems of the day and keen satirical qualities, and yet he handles tenderly the foibles of mankind and the weak nesses of the characters he meets in the cosmo politan life of Paris. With his characters, how ever rough gems they may be, he is ever sym pathetic; but his shafts are always keen and sure for hypocrisy, cant and sham. The shams and shortcomings of the educational system of France, the rottenness and temptations of pub lic life, the insincerity and uselessness of fash ionable charity and slumming, the doctrine of heredity, the unhappy life of of the middle class, owing to the restraints Imposed upon them by custom, divorce, gambling and betting, the many injustices worked by the law, the life of the Parisian shop girl, the unfortunate women who become mothers without the law, all form subjects of his dramas and powerful agents for his reform zeal to which he owes his brilliant success rather than to notable qualities as a lit erary artist. He was elected member of the
Academy in 1909. Among his popular plays are 'Blanchette) (1892) ; 'M. de
(1892) ; 'L'Engrenage' (1894) ;
Bien, faiteurs' (1896) ; 'L'Evasion> (1896) ; 'Les trois Filles de M. Dupont' (1897) ; (Le Resul tat des Courses> (1898) ; 'Le Berceau> (1899);
Robe Rouge' (1900); 'Les Remplacantes> (1901 ;
Avaries' (1901) ;