Henry Becque (1837-1899) was a French playwright whose works, such as 'Les Corbeaux' (The Ravens) and 'La Parisienne' (The Parisian Woman), are landmarks of realistic and naturalistic theater. Characterized by a dry, precise, and sometimes biting style, Becque portrayed the hypocrisies and cruelties of bourgeois society with a frankness that shocked the audiences of his time. His writing, marked by an absence of sentimentality and by the exploration of characters' hidden motivations, anticipated many of the techniques that would be explored by later playwrights. Although he did not achieve great commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation as one of the masters of French dramaturgy was consolidated posthumously, influencing generations of writers and directors. Becque died in 1907.