Includes the plays The Hypochondriac, George Dandin and Scapin Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, dit Molière (1622-1673) was originally intended for a career at court. His legal training was to stand him in good stead as his plays often aroused the anger and hatred of many prominent social groups including the medical profession and the clergy. Molière was continually surrounded by controversy and his works were often banned. This volume contains new versions of Molière’s plays by distinguished translators Ranjit Bolt and Gerard Murphy. The Hypochondriac was Molière’s last play. He himself took the title role in the first production on the fourth performance was seized by a coughing fit and died, ending a brilliant yet turbulent career thathad lasted for over thirty years. With a foreword by Nicholas Dromgoole. Molière (born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in 1622) was a French playwright and actor-manager. Molière's main achievement was in raising the standard of French comedy to a level commensurate with French tragedy. In doing so he created a body of work that would continue to be performed for the next three centuries, providing generation after generation of performers with some of their finest roles. Born in Manchester in 1959, Ranjit Bolt was educated at Perse School and at Balliol College, Oxford. He worked as an investment analyst and advisor for eight years, before concentrating on theatre translation from the end of 1990. Ranjit Bolt's acclaimed translations for the theatre, many of which are published by Oberon Books, include works by Molière, Seneca, Sophocles, Corneille, Beaumarchais, Brecht, Goldoni and Zorilla. Used Book in Good Condition