Robert Pellevé de La Motte-Ango, marquis de Flers (25 November 1872,Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados – 30 July 1927,Vittel) was a Frenchplaywright,operalibrettist, andjournalist.[1]
He entered theLycée Condorcet in 1888 where he studied law with the initial ambition of entering diplomatic service. He met and befriended fellow student and writerMarcel Proust, and that relationship had a great influence upon him. Proust exposed Flers to art, literature, and music and his interests soon switched from law to writing, journalism, and literature. The two men enjoyed a lifelong friendship.[1]
After completing his studies, he toured throughout Asia in the mid-1890s. The event inspired his earliest writings: the novelLa Courtisane Taïa et son singe vert (1896), the short storyIlsée, princesse de Tripoli (1896), and the travel narrativeVers l’Orient (1897). Upon returning to Paris, he was approached by composerEdmond Audran to write the libretto for his operettaLa reine des reines. The worked premiered on 14 October 1896 at the Théâtre de l'Eldorado inStrasbourg. His next libretto was forGaston Serpette's vaudeville-operettaShakspeare! which premiered at theThéâtre des Bouffes Parisiens on 23 November 1899.[2]
In 1901 de Flers married Geneviève Sardou, the daughter ofVictorien Sardou. He continued to be active writing librettos. His third opera libretto,Les travaux d'Hercule (1901), marked his first collaboration with fellow playwrightGaston Arman de Caillavet and composerClaude Terrasse. Most of his remaining librettos were written with Caillavet, often for Terrasse who was their most frequent musical collaborator. Other composers for which the two men wrote librettos includeAndré Messager, andGabriel Pierné. The two men also wrote a French translation ofFranz Lehár'sThe Merry Widow in 1905 which was used throughout France during the first half of the 20th century. Their last opera collaboration was forAlfred Bruneau's 1923 operaLe jardin du paradis. De Flers also wrote the librettos forReynaldo Hahn'sCiboulette (1923) with playwrightFrancis de Croisset, andJoseph Szulc'sLe petit choc (1923).[2]
De Flers and de Caillavet also often worked together on stage plays, producing such comedies asLe Sire de Vergy (1903),Les Sentiers de la vertu (1903),Pâris ou le bon juge (1906),Miquette et sa mère (1906),Primerose (1911), andL’Habit vert (1913) among other works. He later worked frequently with playwright Francis de Croisset, producing such works asLes Vignes du seigneur (1923),Les Nouveaux Messieurs (1925), andLe Docteur miracle (1926). Although a number of his operas were successful in his day, his lasting legacy rests in his stage plays.[1]
De Flers was a member of theAcadémie française from 1920 up until his death in 1927. He spent the last six years of his life as literary editor ofLe Figaro, a position he was appointed to in 1921. He also served as the Conseiller Général ofLozère during his latter years.[1]
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