Sir Arthur Wing Pinero

British playwright. Born in London. He became an actor at the age of 19, and eventually turned to playwriting, encouraged by the famous actor Henry Irving. He spent more than 50 years in the theatre, during which time he wrote over 50 plays of various styles. He first gained popularity with farce-style comedies such as The Judge (1885), The Mistress (1886), and Dandy Dick (1887), and there is a strong opinion that this was where he really excelled. However, the works that established his reputation were so-called problem plays, written under the influence of Ibsen, and following the success of The Prodigal (1889), he published After Tanqueray (1893) and The Notorious Mrs. Ebsmith (1895), among others, depicting the conflict between society and the protagonists in a realistic manner with a structure that skillfully captures the interest of the audience. He went a step further with works such as Triloni at the Wells Theatre (1898), making him one of the pioneers of modern British drama.

[Shushiro Murakami]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イギリスの劇作家。ロンドン生まれ。19歳で俳優となり、やがて名優ヘンリー・アービングの勧めもあって劇作に転じた。劇壇生活は50年以上、その間にさまざまな傾向の戯曲50余編を残している。『裁判官』（1885）、『女教師』（1886）、『ダンディ・ディック』（1887）など、まず人気を得たのは笑劇（ファルス）風の喜劇で、こういう分野にこそ彼の本領はあるとする意見も強い。だがその名声を確立した作品はイプセンの影響の下に書いたいわゆる問題劇で、『放蕩児(ほうとうじ)』（1889）の成功をきっかけに『タンカレーの後(のち)ぞい』（1893）、『名うてのエブスミス夫人』（1895）などを発表、社会と主人公たちとの葛藤(かっとう)を、観客の興味を巧みにとらえる構成をもった写実的な手法で描いた。この作風を一歩越えたとされる『ウェルズ座のトリローニ』（1898）のようなものもあり、イギリス近代劇への道を開く先駆者の1人となった。

［村上淑郎］

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