French Literature Reviews - 2026
Sartre's Theatre in the Pléiade Collection
Theatre and Performance
Jean-Paul Sartre, THÉÂTRE COMPLET, coll. "BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE LA PLÉIADE", Gallimard, 1664 pages, 32 ill. - 65.00 €
In Sartre's dramatic works, good and evil, the will to resist and the spirit of resignation, heroism (whether genuine or performed) and cowardice, victims and executioners, idealists and realists converse and clash across plays that draw upon every genre without adhering to any, often subverting them all. This great diversity, at least on the surface, may have masked the profound unity of an oeuvre that fundamentally constitutes a theatre of heroism and its demythologization. It is far from certain that opening-night audiences had the necessary perspective to perceive this unity. The edition published today brings this realization to light.
Even though No Exit continues to enjoy successful stage revivals, Sartre's theatre remains a theatre for reading and for the author. Gathered together in a complete edition, accompanied by unpublished scenes and outlines, accounts of original productions, and statements by Sartre and those close to him, these plays—which once served as a mirror to a now-concluded century—can finally transcend their era and be viewed with fresh eyes for what they truly are: an inquiry, akin to that of myth, into human freedom subject to extreme situations, which constitute, and will always constitute, the human condition across all times.
THÉÂTRE COMPLET: The Flies - No Exit - The Victors - The Respectful Prostitute - Dirty Hands - The Devil and the Good Lord - Kean - Nekrassov - The Condemned of Altona - The Trojan Women. Appendices: Bariona - [La Part du feu] - [Le Pari] [2005]. Edition published under the direction of Michel Contat in collaboration with Jacques Deguy, Ingrid Galster, Geneviève Idt, John Ireland, Jacques Lecarme, Jean-François Louette, Gilles Philippe, Michel Rybalka, and Sandra Teroni, 1664 pages, 32 ill., leather bound, 105 x 170 mm. Bibliothèque de la Pléiade Collection (No. 512), Gallimard -thea. ISBN 2070115283. Published: 17/03/05.
Sartre’s dramatic output occupies a significant place in twentieth-century French literature, bridging existentialist philosophy and the stage. His work often utilizes traditional theatrical forms only to subvert them, reflecting a broader intellectual movement that sought to interrogate the nature of human agency. By presenting these plays as a body of work, this edition highlights the recurring tension between individual heroism and the pressures of extreme situations. Readers interested in the development of mid-century French drama may find this comprehensive collection of his theatrical writing relevant.
The plays included in this volume, such as No Exit and The Flies, serve as an inquiry into the complexities of the human condition, specifically focusing on the intersection of ethics and personal liberty. By gathering unpublished scenes, production accounts, and authorial statements, the collection allows for a reassessment of the unity of Sartre’s oeuvre, which constitutes a theatre of heroism and its demythologization. This approach moves beyond the initial reception of his work, which was often tied to the immediate political and social context of his time.