INTRODUCTION

The son of a French poet and dramatist, Ludovic Halévy was bom at Paris on January i, 1834. He was educated at the Lycée Louis le Grand, and after leaving school entered the civil service. He began in the State Department, where he served from 1852 to 1858, was then transferred to take charge of a bureau in the Ministry of Algeria, and later, to the Corps Législatif, In the meantime he had been devoting himself to literary pursuits ; and when his success as a writer for the stage was established, he left the public service. From 1861 to 1875 ^^ furnished the librettos for Offenbach*s music. In 1877 he began to work in collaboration with Henri Meilhac, and since that time they hâve produced many theatrical pièces which hâve been represented on the stage of the Grand Opéra, the Comédie Françaisey and the Opéra Comique, Some of thèse are: Le Fandango , 1877; ^ /VAV Duc, 1878; Le Mari de la Débutante, 1879 ; Le Petit Hôtel, 1879 ; ^^ Petite Mère, 1880. In 1884 Halévy was elected a memberofthe French Academy, and gave his discours de réception in 1886. His personality is seen best in his prose works, — in his novels and short stories. Some of thèse are: Marcel, 1876; Les Petites Cardinal, 1880; Un Mariage d^Amour^ 1881 ; La