Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

artists of the 20th-century and hugely influential on the

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

and

Dadaist Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

movements, among others. The ''National Observer'' suggested that "of the artistic generation whose daring gave birth to Twentieth Century Art, Cocteau came closest to being a Renaissance man". He is best known for his novels (1923), (1928), and (1929); the stage plays (1930), (1934), (1938), (1941), and (1946); and the films '' The Blood of a Poet'' (1930), (1948), ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' (1946), ''

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

'' (1950), and '' Testament of Orpheus'' (1960), which alongside ''Blood of a Poet'' and ''Orpheus'' constitute the so-called Orphic Trilogy. He was described as "one of he

's most successful and influential filmmakers" by

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

. Cocteau, according to Annette Insdorf, "left behind a body of work unequalled for its variety of artistic expression". Though his body of work encompassed many different media, Cocteau insisted on calling himself a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, classifying the great variety of his works poems, novels, plays, essays, drawings, films as , , , , and .Francis Steegmuller "Jean Cocteau: A Brief Biography", ''Jean Cocteau and the French Scene'', Abbeville Press 1984.

Biography

Early life

Cocteau was born in

Maisons-Laffitte Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Lycée Condorcet The Lycée Condorcet () is a secondary school in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's 9th arrondissement. Founded in 1803, it is one of the four oldest high schools in Paris and also one of the most prestigious. Since its inc ...

where he met and began a relationship with schoolmate Pierre Dargelos, who reappeared throughout Cocteau's work "John Cocteau: Erotic Drawings". He left home at fifteen. He published his first volume of poems, ''Aladdin's Lamp'', at nineteen. Cocteau soon became known in

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

artistic circles as ''The Frivolous Prince'', the title of a volume he published at twenty-two.

Edith Wharton Edith Newbold Wharton (; ; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gil ...

described him as a man "to whom every great line of poetry was a sunrise, every sunset the foundation of the Heavenly City..."

Early career

In his early twenties, Cocteau became associated with the writers

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...

, and

Maurice Barrès Auguste-Maurice Barrès (; 19 August 1862 – 4 December 1923) was a French novelist, journalist, philosopher, and politician. Spending some time in Italy, he became a figure in French literature with the release of his work ''The Cult of the S ...

. In 1912, he collaborated with Léon Bakst on '' Le Dieu bleu'' for the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

; the principal dancers being Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Cocteau served in the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

as an ambulance driver. This was the period in which he met the poet

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

, artists

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

and

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (; ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the École de Paris who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern art, modern style characterized by a surre ...

, and numerous other writers and artists with whom he later collaborated. Russian impresario

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario an ...

persuaded Cocteau to write a scenario for a ballet, which resulted in ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

'' in 1917. It was produced by Diaghilev, with sets by Picasso, the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by Apollinaire and the music by

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire but was an undi ...

. "If it had not been for Apollinaire in uniform," wrote Cocteau, "with his skull shaved, the scar on his temple and the bandage around his head, women would have gouged our eyes out with hairpins." An important exponent of

avant-garde art In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable t ...

, Cocteau had great influence on the work of others, including a group of composers known as

Les Six "Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name has its origins in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in '' Comœdia'' (see Bibliography). Their mu ...

. In the early twenties, he and other members of Les Six frequented a wildly popular bar named Le Boeuf sur le Toit, a name that Cocteau himself had a hand in picking. The popularity was due in no small measure to the presence of Cocteau and his friends.

Friendship with Raymond Radiguet

In 1918 he met the French poet

Raymond Radiguet Raymond Radiguet (; 18 June 1903 – 12 December 1923) was a French novelist and poet whose two novels were noted for their explicit themes, and unique style and tone. Early life Radiguet was born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Saint-Maur, Val-de-M ...

. They collaborated extensively, socialized, and undertook many journeys and vacations together. Cocteau also got Radiguet exempted from military service. Admiring of Radiguet's great literary talent, Cocteau promoted his friend's works in his artistic circle and arranged for the publication by Grasset of '' Le Diable au corps'' (a largely autobiographical story of an adulterous relationship between a married woman and a younger man), exerting his influence to have the novel awarded the "Nouveau Monde" literary prize. Some contemporaries and later commentators thought there might have been a romantic component to their friendship. Cocteau himself was aware of this perception, and worked earnestly to dispel the notion that their relationship was sexual in nature. There is disagreement over Cocteau's reaction to Radiguet's sudden death in 1923, with some claiming that it left him stunned, despondent and prey to

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

addiction. Opponents of that interpretation point out that he did not attend the funeral (he generally did not attend funerals) and immediately left Paris with Diaghilev for a performance of ''

Les noces ''The Wedding'', or ''Svadebka (''), is a Russian-language ballet-cantata by Igor Stravinsky scored unusually for four vocal soloists, chorus, percussion and four pianos. Dedicating the work to impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the composer described ...

'' (''The Wedding'') by the

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

. His opium addiction at the time, Cocteau said, was only coincidental, due to a chance meeting with Louis Laloy, the administrator of the Monte Carlo Opera. Cocteau's opium use and his efforts to stop profoundly changed his literary style. His most notable book, '' Les Enfants Terribles'', was written in a week during a strenuous

weaning. In ', he recounts the experience of his recovery from opium addiction in 1929. His account, which includes vivid pen-and-ink illustrations, alternates between his moment-to-moment experiences of

drug withdrawal A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...

and his current thoughts about people and events in his world. Cocteau was supported throughout his recovery by his friend and correspondent, Catholic philosopher

Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aqui ...

. Under Maritain's influence, Cocteau made a temporary return to the sacraments of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He again returned to the Church later in life and undertook a number of religious art projects.

Further works

On 15 June 1926 Cocteau's play '' Orphée'' was staged in Paris. It was quickly followed by an exhibition of drawings and "constructions" called ''Poésie plastique–objets, dessins''. Cocteau wrote the libretto for

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

's opera-oratorio ''

Oedipus rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'', which had its original performance in the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in Paris on 30 May 1927. In 1929 one of his most celebrated and well-known works, the novel '' Les Enfants terribles'' was published. In 1930 Cocteau made his first film '' The Blood of a Poet'', publicly shown in 1932. Though now generally accepted as a

film, the surrealists themselves did not accept it as a truly surrealist work. Although this is one of Cocteau's best-known works, his 1930s are notable rather for a number of stage plays, above all '' La Voix humaine'' and '' Les Parents terribles'', which was a popular success. His 1934 play '' La Machine infernale'' was Cocteau's stage version of the

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. ...

legend and is considered to be his greatest work for the theatre. During this period Cocteau also published two volumes of journalism, including ''Mon Premier Voyage: Tour du Monde en 80 jours'', a neo-

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

around the world travel reportage he made for the newspaper

Paris-Soir ''Paris-soir'' () was a French newspaper founded in 1923 and published until 1944 when it was banned for having been a collaborationist newspaper during the war. Publication history The first issue of ''Paris-soir'' came out on 4 October 1923 ...

1940–1944

Jean Cocteau I Married a Witch Maryhill Museum

Throughout his life, Cocteau tried to maintain a distance from political movements, confessing to a friend that "my politics are non-existent". According to Claude Arnaud, from the 1920s on, Cocteau's only deeply held political convictions were a marked

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

and

antiracism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

. He praised the French republic for serving as a haven for the persecuted, and applauded Picasso's anti-war painting ''

Guernica Guernica (, ), officially Gernika () in Basque, is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the municipality of Gernika-Lumo ...

'' as a cross that "

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" * Franco of Cologne (mid to late 13th cent ...

would always carry on his shoulder". In 1940, Cocteau signed a petition circulated by the Ligue internationale contre l'antisémitisme ( International League Against Antisemitism) which protested the rise of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

in France, and declared himself "ashamed of his white skin" after witnessing the plight of colonized peoples during his travels. Although in 1938 Cocteau had compared

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

to an evil

demiurge In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the Demiurge () is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. Various sects of Gnostics adopted the term '' ...

who wished to perpetrate a

Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre () in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French Wars of Religion. Traditionally believed ...

against Jews, his friend

Arno Breker Arno Breker (19 July 1900 – 13 February 1991) was a German sculptor who is best known for his public works in Nazi Germany, where he was endorsed by the authorities as the antithesis of degenerate art. He was made official state sculptor, ...

convinced him that Hitler was a pacifist and patron of the arts with France's best interests in mind. During the

Nazi occupation of France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

, he was in a ''"round-table"'' of French and German intellectuals who met at the Georges V Hotel in Paris, including Cocteau, the writers

Ernst Jünger Ernst Jünger (; 29 March 1895 – 17 February 1998) was a German author, highly decorated soldier, philosopher, and entomology, entomologist who became publicly known for his World War I memoir ''Storm of Steel''. The son of a successful busin ...

Paul Morand Paul Morand (13 March 1888 – 24 July 1976) was a French author whose short stories and novellas were lauded for their style, wit and descriptive power. His most productive literary period was the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. He was m ...

and

Henry Millon de Montherlant Henry Marie Joseph Frédéric Expedite Millon de Montherlant (; 20 April 1895 – 21 September 1972) was a French essayist, novelist, and dramatist. He was elected to the Académie française in 1960. Biography Born in Paris, a descendant of ...

, the publisher

Gaston Gallimard Gaston Gallimard (; 18 January 1881 – 25 December 1975) was a French publisher. He founded ''La Nouvelle Revue Française'' in 1908, together with André Gide and Jean Schlumberger (writer), Jean Schlumberger. In 1911 the trio established La ...

and the Nazi legal scholar

Carl Schmitt Carl Schmitt (11 July 1888 – 7 April 1985) was a German jurist, author, and political theorist. Schmitt wrote extensively about the effective wielding of political power. An authoritarian conservative theorist, he was noted as a critic of ...

. In his diary, Cocteau accused France of disrespect towards Hitler and speculated on the Führer's sexuality. Cocteau effusively praised Breker's sculptures in an article entitled published in 1942. This piece caused him to be arraigned on charges of collaboration after the war, though he was cleared of any wrongdoing and had used his contacts for his failed attempt to save friends such as

Max Jacob Max Jacob (; 12 July 1876 – 5 March 1944) was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic. Life and career After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic c ...

. Later, after growing closer with communists such as

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (; 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the Surrealism, surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littératur ...

, Cocteau would name

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

as "the only great politician of the era". In 1940, , Cocteau's play written for and starring

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

(who died the day before Cocteau), was enormously successful.

Later years

Cocteau's later years are mostly associated with his films. Cocteau's films, most of which he both wrote and directed, were particularly important in introducing the avant-garde into

French cinema The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with prima ...

and influenced to a certain degree the upcoming

French New Wave The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French European art cinema, art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentat ...

genre. Following '' The Blood of a Poet'' (1930), his best known films include ''

'' (1946), ''

Les Parents terribles ''Les Parents terribles'' is a 1938 French play written by Jean Cocteau. Despite initial problems with censorship, it was revived on the French stage several times after its original production, and in 1948 a film adaptation directed by Cocteau ...

'' (1948), and ''

'' (1949). His final film, '' Le Testament d'Orphée'' (''The Testament of Orpheus'') (1960), featured appearances by Picasso and matador

Luis Miguel Dominguín Luis Miguel González Lucas (9 November 1926 – 8 May 1996), better known as Luis Miguel Dominguín, was a bullfighter from Spain and the son of the noteworthy bullfighter, Domingo Dominguín. Dominguín adopted his father's name to gain popul ...

, along with

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...

, who also helped to finance the film. In 1945 Cocteau was one of several designers who created sets for the Théâtre de la Mode. He drew inspiration from filmmaker

René Clair René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...

while making ''Tribute to René Clair: I Married a Witch''. The

maquette A ''maquette'' is a scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture or work of architecture. The term is a loanword from French. An equivalent term is ''bozzetto'', a diminutive of the Italian word for a sketch. Sculpture A maquette ...

is described in his "Journal 1942–1945", in his entry for 12 February 1945: In 1956 Cocteau decorated the ''Chapelle Saint-Pierre'' in

Villefranche-sur-Mer Villefranche-sur-Mer (, ; ; ) is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera and is located southwest of the Principality of Monaco, which is just west of the French-Italian ...

with mural paintings. The following year he also decorated the marriage hall at the Hôtel de Ville in

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

Private life

Jean Cocteau never hid his

bisexuality Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, ...

. He was the author of the mildly homoerotic and semi-autobiographical ''

Le Livre blanc ''The White Paper'' ( French: , alternatively ''The White Book'') is a 1928 French novel by Jean Cocteau. It is a pederastic semi-autobiographical novel about Cocteau's life, and centers on an unnamed protagonist developing his sexual identity ...

'' (translated as ''The White Paper'' or ''The White Book''), published anonymously in 1928. He never repudiated its authorship and a later edition of the novel features his foreword and drawings. The novel begins: Frequently his work, either literary ('' Les enfants terribles''), graphic (erotic drawings, book illustration, paintings) or cinematographic ('' The Blood of a Poet'', ''

'', ''

''), is pervaded with homosexual undertones,

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...

imagery/symbolism or

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

. In 1947 Paul Morihien published a clandestine edition of ''

Querelle de Brest ''Querelle of Brest'' () is a novel by the French writer Jean Genet. It was written mostly in 1945 and first published anonymously in 1947, limited to 460 numbered copies, with illustrations by Jean Cocteau. It is set in the midst of the port tow ...

'' by

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

, featuring 29 very explicit erotic drawings by Cocteau. In recent years several albums of Cocteau's homoerotica have been available to the general public. In the 1930s, Cocteau is rumoured to have had a very brief affair with Princess

Natalie Paley Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley (; 5 December 1905 – 27 December 1981) was a Russian aristocrat who was a non-dynastic member of the Romanov family. A daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, she was a first cousin of the last Russi ...

, the daughter of a Romanov Grand Duke and herself a sometime actress, model, and former wife of couturier

Lucien Lelong Lucien Lelong (; 11 October 1889 – 11 May 1958) was a French couturier who was prominent from the 1920s to the 1940s. His couture fashion house was one of the largest in Paris in the interwar period, and Lelong was an important figure in the m ...

. Cocteau's longest-lasting relationships were with French actors

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

and , whom Cocteau formally adopted. Cocteau cast Marais in '' The Eternal Return'' (1943), ''

'' (1946), ''

Ruy Blas ''Ruy Blas'' () is a tragic drama by Victor Hugo. It was the first play presented at the Théâtre de la Renaissance and opened on November 8, 1838. Though considered by many to be Hugo’s best drama, the play was initially met with only ave ...

'' (1947), and ''

'' (1949).

Death

Cocteau died of a heart attack at his

château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

Milly-la-Forêt Milly-la-Forêt () is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region in northern France. Geology The Forest of Fontainebleau, in the western end of which Milly-la-Forêt lies, is composed of the Oligocene Fontainebleau sand ...

Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, on 11 October 1963 at the age of 74. His friend, French singer

, died the day before but that was announced on the morning of Cocteau's day of death; it has been said, in a story which is almost certainly

apocryphal Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

, that his heart failed upon hearing of Piaf's death. Cocteau's health had already been in decline for several months, and he had previously had a severe heart attack on 22 April 1963. A more plausible suggestion for the reason behind this decline in health has been proposed by author

Roger Peyrefitte Pierre Roger Peyrefitte (; 17 August 1907 – 5 November 2000) was a French diplomat, writer of bestseller novels and non-fiction, and a defender of gay rights and pederasty. Life and work Born in Castres, Tarn, to a middle-class bourgeo ...

, who notes that Cocteau had been devastated by a breach with his longtime friend, socialite and notable patron Francine Weisweiller, as a result of an affair she had been having with a minor writer. Weisweiller and Cocteau did not reconcile until shortly before Cocteau's death. According to his wishes, Cocteau is buried beneath the floor of the Chapelle Saint-Blaise des Simples in Milly-la-Forêt.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3rd ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 8971). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle edition. The epitaph on his gravestone set in the floor of the chapel reads: "I stay with you" ().

Honours and awards

In 1955, Cocteau was made a member of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and The Royal Academy of Belgium. During his life, Cocteau was commander of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

, Member of the Mallarmé Academy, German Academy (Berlin), American Academy,

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

(U.S.A) Academy, Honorary President of the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, Honorary President of the France-Hungary Association and President of the Jazz Academy and the Academy of the Disc.

Works

Literature

Poetry

Novels

Theatre

Poetry and criticism

Journalistic poetry

Film

Director

Scriptwriter

Dialogue writer

Director of Photography

Artworks

Recordings

* ''Colette par Jean Cocteau'', discours de réception à l'Académie Royale de Belgique, Ducretet-Thomson 300 V 078 St. * ''Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel'' and ''Portraits-Souvenir'', La Voix de l'Auteur LVA 13 * ''Plain-chant'' by Jean Marais, extracts from the piece ''Orphée'' by

Jean-Pierre Aumont Jean-Pierre Aumont (born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons; 5 January 1911 – 30 January 2001) was a French film and theatre actor. He was a matinée idol and a leading man during the 1930s, but his burgeoning career was interrupted by the Second ...

Michel Bouquet Michel François Pierre Bouquet (6 November 1925 – 13 April 2022) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1947 to 2020. He won the Best Actor European Film Award for '' Toto the Hero'' in 1991 and two Best ...

Monique Mélinand Monique Mélinand (9 March 1916 – 16 May 2012) was a French film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or ...

, ''Les Parents terribles'' by

Yvonne de Bray Yvonne de Bray (12 May 1889 – 1 February 1954) was a French stage and film actress. She was born Yvonne Laurence Blanche de Bray in Paris and died there. In 1939, she and her partner Violette Morris invited Jean Cocteau to stay with them a ...

and Jean Marais, ''L'Aigle à deux têtes'' par

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; 29 October 1907 – 13 November 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born moth ...

and Jean Marais, L'Encyclopédie Sonore 320 E 874, 1971 * Collection of three vinyl recordings of ''Jean Cocteau'' including ''La Voix humaine'' by

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and ...

, 18 songs composed by Louis Bessières, Bee Michelin and Renaud Marx, on double-piano

Paul Castanier Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...

, ''Le Discours de réception à l'Académie française'', Jacques Canetti JC1, 1984 * ''Derniers propos à bâtons rompus avec Jean Cocteau'', 16 September 1963 à Milly-la-Forêt, Bel Air 311035 * ''Les Enfants terribles'', radio version with Jean Marais,

Josette Day Josette Noële Andrée Claire Dagory (31 July 1914 – 27 June 1978), better known as Josette Day, was a French film actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1919 at the age of five. When she was 18, Day was the mistress of Paul Mora ...

Silvia Monfort Silvia Monfort (, born Simone Marguerite Favre-Bertin , 6 June 1923 – 30 March 1991) was a French actress and theatre director. She was the daughter of Charles-Maurice Favre-Bertin, a French sculptor, decorator, and medalist, and was the ...

and Jean Cocteau, CD Phonurgia Nova , 1992 * ''Jean Cocteau: A Self-Portrait, A Conversation with William Fifield in French'' / ''Jean Cocteau: Un autoportrait, une conversation avec William Fifield en français'', The William Fifield Collection, Times Two Publishing Company. Part of the bilingual Cocteau Series / La série Cocteau, reissued works that include a bilingual French-English transcript of the recording; a full, book-length text of the recording in French originally published by Éditions Stock, ''Jean Cocteau par Jean Cocteau: Entretiens avec William Fifield;'' and a monograph in English originally published in the Columbia Essays on Modern Writers series, Columbia University Press, ''Jean Cocteau''. * Anthology, 4 CD containing numerous poems and texts read by the author, ''Anna la bonne'', ''La Dame de Monte-Carlo'' and ''Mes sœurs, n'aimez pas les marins'' by

Marianne Oswald Marianne Oswald (January 9, 1901 – February 25, 1985) was the stage name of Sarah Alice Bloch, a French singer and actress born in Sarreguemines in Alsace-Lorraine. She took this stage name from a character she much admired, the unhappy Oswald ...

, ''Le Bel Indifférent'' by

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English word , meaning ''wealth'' or ''prosperity'', in combination with the Old English , meaning '' strife'', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian lang ...

, ''La Voix humaine'' by

Berthe Bovy Berthe Bovy (6 January 1887 – 26 February 1977), sometimes known as Betty Bovy, was a Belgian actress who appeared in theatre, films and television programmes for over 60 years. Biography Born Berthe Marguerite Jeanne Bovy, she was the daught ...

, ''Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel'' with

Jean Le Poulain Jean Le Poulain (12 September 1924 – 1 March 1988) was a French stage actor and stage director. He attended the cours Simon in Paris and won the first prize of Comedy at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique in 1949. He was ...

Jacques Charon Jacques Charon (27 February 1920 – 15 October 1975) was a French actor and film director. Born in Paris, Charon trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) and made his début at the Comédie-Française in 1941. Du ...

and Jean Cocteau, discourse on the reception at the Académie française, with extracts from ''Les Parents terribles'', ''La Machine infernale'', pieces from ''Parade'' on piano with two hands by

Georges Auric Georges Auric (; 15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault, France. He was considered one of ''Les Six'', a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie. Before he turned 20 h ...

and

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

, Frémeaux & Associés FA 064, 1997 * Poems by Jean Cocteau read by the author, CD EMI 8551082, 1997 * ''Hommage à Jean Cocteau'', mélodies d'

Henri Sauguet Henri-Pierre Sauguet-Poupard (18 May 1901 – 22 June 1989) was a French composer. Born in Bordeaux, he adopted his mother's maiden name as part of his professional pseudonym. His output includes operas, ballets, four symphonies (1945, 1949, ...

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...

Louis Durey Louis Edmond Durey (; 27 May 18883 July 1979)Randel, Don Michael (1996)The Harvard biographical dictionary of music, p. 232. Harvard University Press. . was a French composer. He was among the Les Six group of composers. Life Louis Durey was bor ...

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

Jean Wiener Jean Wiener (or Wiéner) (19 March 1896, 14th arrondissement of Paris – 8 June 1982, Paris) was a French pianist and composer. Life Wiener was trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied alongside Darius Milhaud, and worked wit ...

, Francis Poulenc,

Maurice Delage Maurice Charles Delage (13 November 1879 – 19 or 21 September 1961) was a French composer and pianist. Life and career Maurice Charles Delage was born and died in Paris. He first worked as a clerk for a maritime agency in Paris, and later a ...

, Georges Auric, Guy Sacre, by Jean-François Gardeil (baritone) and

Billy Eidi Billy Eidi (born 17 May 1955) is a French classical pianist of Lebanese background. Biography Born in Egypt, Eidi completed his first musical studies at the Beirut Conservatory (in the classes of Zafer Dabaghi and Leila Aouad), where he graduate ...

(piano), CD Adda 581177, 1989 * ''Le Testament d'Orphée'', journal sonore, by Roger Pillaudin, 2 CD INA / Radio France 211788, 1998

Journals

Stamps

*1960: Marianne de Cocteau

Footnotes

References

* Breton, André (1953). ''La Clé des champs'', p. 77. Paris: Éditions du Sagittaire. * ''Crucifixion'' translated into Bengali by

Malay Roy Choudhury Malay Roy Choudhury (29 October 1939 – 26 October 2023) was an Indian Bengali poet, playwright, short story writer, essayist and novelist who founded the Hungryalist movement in the 1960s. Early life and education Malay Roy Choudhury was ...

Steegmuller, Francis Francis Steegmuller (July 3, 1906 – October 20, 1994) was an American biographer, translator and fiction writer, who was known chiefly as a Flaubert scholar. Life and career Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Steegmuller graduated from Columbia Un ...

(1970). ''Cocteau: A Biography''. Boston: Atlantic-Little Brown & Company. . *

External links

Jean Cocteau Papers
at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

* * * * *
Jean Cocteau short Biography

Cocteau CMEF Cap d'Ail

*

Raquel Bitton Raquel Bitton (born in Marrakesh, Morocco) is a French and Spanish language singer, actress and playwright. Biography In 1970, as a teenager, Bitton moved to San Francisco with her parents and brothers. She began to learn the songs from the Fren ...

: ''The Sparrow and the Birdman'', a drama focusing on the relationship of Cocteau to

*
Maison Jean Cocteau – Cocteau's former home
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cocteau, Jean 1889 births 1963 deaths People from Maisons-Laffitte Lycée Condorcet alumni French ballet librettists 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights French experimental filmmakers French fantasy writers French film directors French illustrators French novelists 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French poets French male screenwriters Writers from Île-de-France Prince des poètes Christian poets Christian novelists Les Six French gay writers French LGBTQ film directors French LGBTQ screenwriters LGBTQ Roman Catholics Surrealist filmmakers French surrealist artists French stamp designers French Roman Catholics Members of the Académie Française Members of the Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique Commanders of the Legion of Honour French LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights French LGBTQ poets French LGBTQ novelists Painters of the Return to Order 20th-century French screenwriters 20th-century French LGBTQ people

Biography

Early life

Early career

Friendship with Raymond Radiguet

Further works

1940–1944

Later years

Private life

Death

Honours and awards

Works

Literature

Poetry

Novels

Theatre

Poetry and criticism

Journalistic poetry

Film

Director

Scriptwriter

Dialogue writer

Director of Photography

Artworks

Recordings

Journals

Stamps

See also

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links