Collin d'Harleville
Jean-François Collin d'Harleville (30 May 1755 – 24 February 1806) was a French dramatist. He was born in Maintenon (Eure-et-Loir). His first dramatic success was L'Inconstant, a comedy accepted by the Comédie Française in 1780, but not produced there until six years later, though it was played elsewhere in 1784.
Also recorded as Jean-Francois Collin d'Harleville · Jean-François Collin d'Harleville
Collin d'Harleville

Jean-Jacques Karpff (1770-1829) · Public domain
- Name
- Collin d'Harleville
- Birth Name
- Jean-François Collin d'Harleville
- Born
- 30 May 1755
- Birthplace
- Maintenon (Eure-et-Loir) France
- Died
- 24 February 1806
- Place of death
- Paris, France
- Occupation
- dramatist
- Known for
- original member, Institute of France
- Nationality
- France
- Education
- Collège de Lisieux
- Languages
- French
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Documentary summary
Jean-François Collin d'Harleville (30 May 1755 – 24 February 1806) was a French dramatist. He was born in Maintenon (Eure-et-Loir). His first dramatic success was L'Inconstant, a comedy accepted by the Comédie Française in 1780, but not produced there until six years later, though it was played elsewhere in 1784.
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Note VALÉORINE
Collin d'Harleville (1755–1806) was a writer, of French nationality. The writer was born in Maintenon and died in Paris.
Collin d'Harleville was educated at Collège de Lisieux. The writer was a member of Académie Française and held the position of seat 7 of the Académie française. Collin d'Harleville lived in Mévoisins. Languages used include French.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Biography
Biography
This was followed by L'Optimiste, ou l'homme toujours content (1788), and Châteaux en Espagne (1789). His best play, Le vieux célibataire, appeared in 1793. Among his other plays are the one-act comedy Monsieur de Crac dans son petit castel (1791), Les Artistes (1796), Les Mœurs du jour (1800) and Malice pour malice (1803). Collin was one of the original members of the Institute of France, and died in Paris. The 1822 edition of his Théâtre et poésies fugitives contains a notice by his friend the dramatist François Andrieux. His Théâtre was also edited by Louis Moland in 1876; and by Edouard Thierry in 1882.

Portrait de Collin d'Harleville
Lange · Paul Tisseau, Une comédienne sous la Révolution: Marie-Élisabeth Joly, sociétaire de la Comédie-Française, 1761-1798, préface de Frantz Funck-Brentano, Paris: Éditions de La Bonne Idée, 1928
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Collin d'Harleville • Birth Name — Jean-François Collin d'Harleville • Born — 30 May 1755 • Birthplace — Maintenon (Eure-et-Loir) France • Died — 24 February 1806 • Place of death — Paris, France • Occupation — dramatist • Known for — original member, Institute of France • Notable Works — L'Inconstan, Le vieux célibataire
Works
Works
• 1786: L'Inconstant, comedy in 3 acts and in verse, Paris, Comédie-Française, 13 June, Text online • Illustration — J.-Fr. Collin d'Harleville. L'Inconstant. 1787 • Illustration — J.-Fr. Collin d'Harleville. L'Inconstant. 1787 • 1788: L'Optimiste, ou l'homme toujours content, comedy, Paris, Comédie-Française, 22 February, Text online • 1789: Les Châteaux en Espagne, comedy in 5 acts and in verse, Paris, Comédie-Française, 20 February, Text online • 1791: Monsieur de Crac dans son petit castel, ou les Gascons, comedy in 1 act and in vers with a divertissement, Paris, Comédie-Française, 4 March, Text online • Le Vieux célibataire, comedy in 5 acts and in verse, Paris, Théâtre de la Nation, 24 February, Text online • 1794: Malice pour malice, comedy in 3 acts and in verse, Paris, Théâtre Louvois, 18 pluviôse an II (6 February) • 1794: Rose et Picard, ou suite de l'Optimiste, comedy in 1 act and in verse with 1 comédie en vaudeville and couplets, music by Nicolas Dalayrac, Text online • 1796: Être et paraître, ou les Deux voisins, comedy in five acts and in verse, Paris, Théâtre de la rue Feydeau • 1796: Les Artistes, play in 4 acts and in verse, Paris, 19 brumaire an V (9 November). Text online • 1799: Melpomène et Thalie, poème allégorique en 2 chants, lu à la séance publique de l'Institut National, le 15 nivôse an VII, par le citoyen Colin Harleville (4 January) • 1800: Les Mœurs du jour, ou l'École des jeunes femmes, comedy in 5 acts and in verse, Paris, théâtre français de la République, 7 thermidor an VIII (26 July). Text online • 1803: Le Veuf amoureux ou la Véritable amie, comedy in three acts and in verse, Paris, Comédie-Française, 30 March. • 1803: Le Vieillard et les jeunes gens, comedy in five acts, in verse, Paris, Théâtre Louvois, 15 prairial an XI (4 June). • 1804: Il veut tout faire, comédie épisodique in 1 act and in verse, Paris, Théâtre Louvois, 21 pluviôse an XII (11 February). • 1808: Les Querelles des deux frères, ou la Famille bretonne, comedy in 3 acts, in verse, Paris, Théâtre de l'Impératrice, 17 November. • Œuvres de Collin d'Harleville (4 volumes, 1821). Text online 1 2 3 4
Identity
Identity
Collin d'Harleville is recorded with the occupation comedy writer.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1755–1806
The full dated record · 4 entries
1755
Collin d'Harleville was born in 1755 at Maintenon.
1805
Théâtre et poésies fugitives de Jn.-Fois. Collin d'Harleville,... 1: L'Inconstant; L'Optimiste; Les Châteaux en Espagne (1805) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
1805
Théâtre, et poésies fugitives de Jn.-Fois. Collin d'Harleville digitised by Internet Archive.
1806
Collin d'Harleville died in 1806 at Paris.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Mévoisins
Residences
Maintenon.
Birth place
Paris.
Death place
Primary material
Digitised editions and texts
The authorities additionally record the headings Jean-Francois Collin d'Harleville and Jean-François Collin d'Harleville.
Collin d'Harleville, Collin d'Harleville (1805) — Internet Archive
Holdings and surviving copies
Where the work is held
Holdings and surviving copies
Collin d'Harleville, The identifiers under which Collin d'Harleville may be traced in institutional catalogues.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 118669761, Collin d'Harleville, Jean F..
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q715955: Collin d'Harleville
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Collin d'Harleville”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 118669761, Collin d'Harleville, Jean F..Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessauthority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Died at
1- ParisPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Collin, Harleville, Jean-François Collin d', Harleville, Jean F. d', Collin d'Harville, Jn.-Fois. Harleville, Jean-François Collin- and Collin-d'Harleville.
Théâtre et poésies fugitives de Jn.-Fois.
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