Jean Racine has long been held as one of the foremost writers in the whole of French literature, though his fame rests essentially on but ten plays. His literary output beyond these plays is, moreover, surprisingly small when compared to that of writers of equal stature. He may be the French writer whose rank is most exclusively based on the quality of his work. Most of his plays are still regularly performed, some of them even in translation, in spite of their being exceptionally difficult to translate because of the particular quality of his poetry. They continue to be republished as well, especially in editions designed for use in French schools, where they have long occupied a privileged place.

Baptized on 22 December 1639, Racine was presumably born a few days before this date in the small town of La Ferté-Milon in the province of Champagne, some fifty...