French writer. His Écornifleur (1892) is a novel about a young writer's selfish exploitation of a bourgeois family. Poil de carotte (1894), an autobiographical novel about an unhappy child, reflects Renard's bitter memories. Both novels were dramatized by the author, the first as Monsieur Vernet (1903), the second with the original title (1900). Other plays include Le Plaisir de rompre (1897) and Le Pain de ménage (1898), one-act comedies. Le Vigneron dans sa vigne (1894) and Les Bucoliques (1898) are collections of essays and short descriptive tales. Renard's Journal (1925–27) gives a view of the literary figures of his day and shows his preoccupation with style and language.