Max Frisch
Frisch's dramas up until the early 1960s are divided by the literary commentator into three groups: (1) the early wartime pieces, (2) the poetic plays such as "" ("Don Juan oder Die Liebe zur Geometrie") and (3) the dialectical pieces. It is above all with this third group, notably the parable "The Fire Raisers" (1953), identified by Frisch as a "lesson without teaching", and with "Andorra" (1961) that Frisch enjoyed the most success. Indeed, these two are among the most successful German language plays. The writer nevertheless remained dissatisfied because he believed they had been widely misunderstood. In an interview with Heinz Ludwig Arnold Frisch vigorously rejected their allegorical approach: "I have established only that when I apply the parable format, I am obliged to deliver a message that I actually do not have". After the 1960s Frisch moved away from the theatre. His late biographical plays "" ("Biografie: Ein Spiel") and "" were apolitical but they failed to match the public success of his earlier dramas. It was only shortly before his death that Frisch returned to the stage with a more political message, with "Jonas and his Veteran", a stage version of his arresting dialogue "Switzerland without an army? A Palaver".
René-Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt
From 1820, his successes continued, albeit with around a hundred performances for each play: "Le Drapeau blanc" ("The White Flag", 1821), "Ali Baba ou les Quarante voleurs" ("Ali Baba, or the Forty Thieves", 1822), "Le Moulin des Étangs" ("The Mill", 1826), and "La Tête de mort ou les Ruines de Pompéi" ("The Death's-Head, or the Ruins of Pompeii", 1827). Some plays were written in collaboration, like "La Muette de la forêt" ("The Mute Girl of the Forest", 1828). His last play before retiring as director of the Opéra-Comique in 1827 would be "Latude ou Trente-cinq ans de captivité" ("Latude, or 35 Years of Captivity"), written with his young disciple Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois. For nearly forty years, he maintained his energetic activities as author, theatre director and government inspector. His immense success as a dramatic author led to him being dubbed the "Corneille des Boulevards". Paul Lacroix recalled that Charles Nodier placed him in the first rank of authors of his generation. His reputation was almost as high in Russia, Germany, and England. His wealth allowed him to add many rare books to his library, the great passion of his life. A distich inscribed above the door read: "Tel est le triste sort de tout livre prêté: Souvent il est perdu, toujours il est gâté." ("Such is the sad fate of every lent book: Often it is lost, always it is marred.") And inside each of his books, a slip of paper read: "Un livre est un ami qui ne change jamais." ("A book is a friend who never changes.")