Louis Aragon (; 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of 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 ...

movement in France. He co-founded with

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

and

Philippe Soupault Philippe Soupault (2 August 1897 – 12 March 1990) was a French writer and poet, novelist, critic, and political activist. He was active in Dadaism and later was instrumental in founding the Surrealist movement with André Breton. Soupault ini ...

the surrealist review '' Littérature''. He was also a novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (, ''Goncourt Literary Society''), usually called the Académie Goncourt (, Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1882 by the French writer and publisher Edmo ...

. After 1959, he was a frequent nominee for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

Early life (1897–1939)

Louis Aragon was born in Paris. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, believing them to be his sister and foster mother, respectively. His biological father, Louis Andrieux, a former senator for Forcalquier, was married and thirty years older than Aragon's mother, whom he seduced when she was seventeen. Aragon's mother passed Andrieux off to her son as his godfather. Aragon was only told the truth at the age of 19, as he was leaving to serve in the

First World War 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 ...

, from which neither he nor his parents believed he would return. Andrieux's refusal or inability to recognize his son would influence Aragon's poetry later on. Having been involved in

Dada 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 ...

ism from 1919 to 1924, he became a founding member of

Surrealism 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 ...

in 1924, with

and

, under the pen-name "Aragon". In 1923, during the trial of Germaine Berton, Aragon released a 29 portrait piece in ''

La Révolution surréaliste ''La Révolution surréaliste'' (English: ''The Surrealist Revolution'') was a publication by the Surrealists in Paris. Twelve issues were published between 1924 and 1929. Shortly after releasing the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'', André Bret ...

'' in support of her stating Berton "“use terrorist means, in particular murder, to safeguard, at the risk of losing everything, what seems to her— rightly or wrongly — precious beyond anything in the world”. In the 1920s, Aragon became a

fellow traveller A fellow traveller (also fellow traveler) is a person who is intellectually sympathetic to the ideology of a political organization, and who co-operates in the organization's politics, without being a formal member. In the early history of the Sov ...

of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

(PCF) along with several other surrealists, and joined the Party in January 1927. In 1933, he began to write for the party's newspaper, ''

L'Humanité (; ) is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organisation of the SFIO, ''de facto'', and thereafter of the French Communist Party (PCF), and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, would not exist." History ...

'', in the "news in brief" section. He would remain a member for the rest of his life, writing several political poems including one to

Maurice Thorez Maurice Thorez (; 28 April 1900 – 11 July 1964) was a French politician and longtime leader of the French Communist Party (PCF) from 1930 until his death. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister of France from 1946 to 1947. Pre-war Thorez, ...

, the general secretary of the PCF. During th
First International Congress of Writers for the Defence of Culture
(1935), Aragon opposed his former friend André Breton, who wanted to use the opportunity as a tribune to defend the writer

Victor Serge Victor Serge (; born Viktor Lvovich Kibalchich, ; 30 December 1890 – 17 November 1947) was a Belgian-born Russian revolutionary, novelist, poet, historian, journalist, and translator. Originally an anarchist, he joined the Bolsheviks in Janu ...

, associated with

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

Left Opposition The Left Opposition () was a faction within the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) from 1923 to 1927 headed '' de facto'' by Leon Trotsky. It was formed by Trotsky to mount a struggle against the perceived bureaucratic degeneration within th ...

. Aragon was also critical of the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, particularly after the

20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union () was held during the period 14–25 February 1956. It is known especially for First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev's " Secret Speech", which denounced the personality cult and dictator ...

(1956) during which

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 ...

personality cult A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create an ideali ...

was denounced by

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

. The French surrealists had long claimed

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

as one of their own, and Aragon published his translation of ''

The Hunting of the Snark ''The Hunting of the Snark'', subtitled ''An Agony, in Eight Fits'', is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eig ...

'' in 1929, "shortly before he completed his transition from Snarxism to Marxism", as

Martin Gardner Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing magic, scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writin ...

puts it. Witness the key stanza of the poem in Aragon's translation: Gardner, who calls the translation "pedestrian" and deems the rest of Aragon's writings on Carroll's nonsense poetry full of factual errors, says that there is no evidence that Aragon intended any of it as a joke.

The ''Commune'' (1933–1939)

Apart from working as a journalist for ''L'Humanité'', Louis Aragon also became, along with Paul Nizan, editor secretary of the journal ''Commune'', published by the '' Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires'' (Association of Revolutionary Writers and Artists), which aimed at gathering intellectuals and artists in a common front against fascism. Aragon became a member of the directing committee of the ''Commune'' journal in January 1937, along with

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 ...

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

and

Paul Vaillant-Couturier Paul Vaillant-Couturier (; 8 January 1892 – 10 October 1937) was a French writer and communist. He participated in the founding of the French Communist Party (PCF) in 1920. Biography Born into a family of actors, Vaillant-Couturier studied la ...

. The journal then took the name of "French literary review for the defence of culture" (''« revue littéraire française pour la défense de la culture »''). With Gide's withdrawal in August 1937, Vaillant-Couturier's death in the autumn of 1937 and Romain Rolland's old age, Aragon became its effective director. In December 1938, he called as

chief editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's Editing, editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is hel ...

the young writer Jacques Decour. The ''Commune'' journal was strongly involved in the mobilization of French intellectuals in favour of the Spanish Republic.

Director of ''Ce soir'' (1937–1953)

In March 1937, Aragon was called on by the PCF to head the new evening daily ''

Ce soir ''Ce soir'' (English: "Tonight"), was a French daily newspaper founded by the French Communist Party and directed by Louis Aragon and Jean-Richard Bloch. History The newspaper was established on the initiative of the Communist Party general s ...

'', which he was charged with launching, along with the writer

Jean-Richard Bloch Jean-Richard Bloch (25 May 1884 in Paris – 15 March 1947) was a French critic, novelist and playwright. He was a member of the French Communist Party (PCF) and worked with Louis Aragon in the evening daily ''Ce soir''. Early life Jean Bloc ...

. ''Ce soir'' attempted to compete with ''

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 ...

''. Outlawed in August 1939, ''Ce soir'' was re-opened after the Liberation, and Aragon again became its lead, first with Bloch then alone after Bloch's death in 1947. The newspaper, which counted Émile Danoën among its collaborators, closed in March 1953.

World War II (1939–1945)

In 1939, he married Russian-born author

Elsa Triolet Ella Yuryevna Kagan (; – 16 June 1970), known as Elsa Triolet (), was a Russian-French writer and translator. Biography Ella Yuryevna Kagan was born into a Jewish family of Yuri Alexandrovich Kagan, a lawyer, and Yelena Youlevna Berman, ...

, the sister of Lilya Brik, a mistress and then partner of Russian poet

Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky ( – 14 April 1930) was a Russian poet, playwright, artist, and actor. During his early, Russian Revolution, pre-Revolution period leading into 1917, Mayakovsky became renowned as a prominent figure of the Ru ...

. He had met her in 1928, and she became his

muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

starting in the 1940s. Aragon and Triolet collaborated in the left-wing French media before and during World War II, going underground for most of the German occupation. Aragon was mobilized in 1939, and awarded the ''

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

'' (War Cross) and the military medal for acts of bravery. After the May 1940 defeat, he took refuge in the southern zone. He was one of several poets, along with René Char,

Francis Ponge Francis Jean Gaston Alfred Ponge (; 27 March 1899 – 6 August 1988) was a French poet. He developed a form of prose poem, minutely examining everyday objects. He was the third recipient of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1974. ...

Robert Desnos Robert Desnos (; 4 July 1900 – 8 June 1945) was a French poet who played a key role in the Surrealist movement. Early life Robert Desnos was born in Paris on 4 July 1900, the son of a licensed dealer in game and poultry at the '' Halles'' ma ...

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

, Jean Prévost, Jean-Pierre Rosnay, etc., to join the Resistance, both through literary activities and as an actual organizer of Resistance acts. Otto Abetz was the German governor, and produced a series of "black lists" of authors forbidden to be read, circulated or sold in Nazi Occupied France. These included anything written by a Jew, a communist, an Anglo-Saxon or anyone else who was anti-Germanic or anti-fascist. Aragon and

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

were both on these "Otto Lists" of forbidden authors. During the war, Aragon wrote for the underground press ''

Les Éditions de Minuit Les Éditions de Minuit (, ''Midnight Press'') is a French publishing house. It was founded in 1941, during the French Resistance of World War II, and is still publishing books today. History Les Éditions de Minuit was founded by writer and ...

'' and was a member of the National Front Resistance movement. His poetry was published along texts by Vercors ( Jean Bruller), Pierre Seghers or

in Switzerland in 1943 after being smuggled out of occupied France by his friend and publisher François Lachenal. He participated with his wife in the setting up of the National Front of Writers in the southern zone. This activism led him to break his friendly relationship with Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, who had chosen

collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

. Along with Paul Éluard, Pierre Seghers and René Char, Aragon would maintain the memory of the Resistance in his post-war poems. He thus wrote, in 1954, '' Strophes pour se souvenir'' in commemoration of the role of foreigners in the Resistance, which celebrated the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans de la Main d'Oeuvre Immigrée (FTP-MOI). The theme of the poem was the Red Poster affair, mainly the last letter that Missak Manouchian, an Armenian-French poet and Resistant, wrote to his wife Mélinée before his execution on 21 February 1944. This poem was then set to music by

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (; 24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer. He released some forty albums over this period, composing the music and the majority of the lyrics. He released ...

After the war

At the

liberation of France The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany in ...

, Aragon became one of the leading Communist intellectuals, assuming political responsibilities in the '' Comité national des écrivains'' (National Committee of Writers). He celebrated the role of the general secretary of the PCF,

, and defended the Kominform's condemnation of the

Titoist Titoism is a Types of socialism, socialist political philosophy most closely associated with Josip Broz Tito and refers to the ideology and policies of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) during the Cold War. It is characterized by a br ...

regime in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Sponsored by Thorez, Aragon was elected, in 1950, to the central committee of the PCF. His post, however, did not protect him from all forms of criticism. Thus, when his journal ''Les Lettres françaises'' published a drawing by

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 ...

on the occasion of Stalin's death in March 1953, Aragon was forced to make excuses to his critics, who judged the drawing iconoclastic. Through the years, he had been kept informed of

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

repression by his Russian-born wife, and so his political line evolved.

''Les Lettres françaises'' (1953–1972)

In the days following the disappearance of ''Ce soir'', in March 1953, Aragon became the director of ''L'Humanité''s literary supplement, ''

Les Lettres françaises ''Les Lettres Françaises'' ( French for "The French Letters") is a French literary publication, founded in 1941 by writers Jacques Decour and Jean Paulhan. Originally a clandestine magazine of the French Resistance in German-occupied territo ...

''. After Khrushchev's "

Secret Speech "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" () was a report by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, made to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on 25 Februa ...

" about Stalin delivered in 1956, Aragon suffered a deep personal crisis, but it was not until the 1960s when he started openly criticizing the Soviet regime. In 1956, Aragon didn't support the Hungarian Revolution, provoking the dissolution of the ''Comité national des écrivains'', which Vercors quit, and was granted the

Lenin Peace Prize The International Lenin Peace Prize (, ''mezhdunarodnaya Leninskaya premiya mira)'' was a Soviet Union award named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel ...

, but later he condemned Soviet totalitarianism and authoritarianism, opened his magazines to dissidents, and condemned

show trial A show trial is a public trial in which the guilt (law), guilt or innocence of the defendant has already been determined. The purpose of holding a show trial is to present both accusation and verdict to the public, serving as an example and a d ...

s against intellectuals (in particular the 1966

Sinyavsky–Daniel trial The Sinyavsky–Daniel trial () was a show trial in the Soviet Union against the writers Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel in February 1966. Sinyavsky and Daniel were convicted of the offense of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda in a Moscow c ...

). Assisted by Pierre Daix, Aragon started in the 1960s a struggle against Soviet policies and its consequences in Eastern Europe. He published the writings of dissidents such as

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Soviet and Russian author and Soviet dissidents, dissident who helped to raise global awareness of political repression in the Soviet Union, especially the Gulag pris ...

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera ( ; ; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship ...

. He strongly supported the student movement of

May 68 May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...

, although the PCF was sceptical about it. The crushing of the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

in 1968 led him to a critical preface published in a translation of one of

's books (''La Plaisanterie''). In 1970, he supported the Nobel Prize awarded to Solzhenitsyn. Despite his criticisms, Aragon remained an official member of the PCF's central committee until his death. The monetary loss caused by ''Les Lettres françaises'' led to its ceasing publication in 1972. It was later re-founded.

The publisher

Beside his journalistic activities, Louis Aragon was also CEO of the '' Editeurs français réunis'' (EFR) publishing house, heir of two publishing houses founded by the Resistance, ''La Bibliothèque française'' and ''Hier et Aujourd'hui''. He directed the EFR along with Madeleine Braun, and in the 1950s published French and Soviet writers commonly related to the " Socialist Realism" current. Among other works, the EFR published André Stil's ''Premier choc'', which owed to the future Goncourt Academician the Stalin Prize in 1953. They also published other writers, such as Julius Fučík,

Vítězslav Nezval Vítězslav Nezval (; 26 May 1900 – 6 April 1958) was a Czechs, Czech poet, writer and translator. He was one of the most prolific avant-garde Czech writers in the first half of the 20th century and a co-founder of the Surrealism, Surrealist ...

, Rafael Alberti, Yiannis Ritsos and

. At the beginning of the 1960s, the EFR brought to public knowledge the works of non-Russian Soviet writers, such as Chinghiz Aitmatov, or Russian writers belonging to the

Khrushchev Thaw The Khrushchev Thaw (, or simply ''ottepel'')William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, London: Free Press, 2004 is the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s when Political repression in the Soviet Union, repression and Censorship in ...

, such as Galina Nikolaeva,

Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (; 18 July 1933 – 1 April 2017) was a Soviet and Russian poet, novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, publisher, actor, editor, university professor, and director of several films. Biography Early lif ...

's ''Babi Iar'' in 1967, etc. The EFR also published the first novel of

Christa Wolf Christa Wolf (; Ihlenfeld; 18 March 1929 – 1 December 2011) was a German novelist and essayist. She is considered one of the most important writers to emerge from the former East Germany.Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

, Eugène Guillevic,

Nicolás Guillén Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista (10 July 1902 – 16 July 1989) was a Cuban poet, journalist and political activist. He is best remembered as the national poet of Cuba.

, but also less known poets such a
Dominique Grandmont
Alain Lance or

Jean Ristat Jean Ristat (1 June 1943 – 2 December 2023) was a French poet and writer. Life and career Jean Ristat founded the magazine collection ''Digraph'' in 1974 in literature, 1974, as suggested by his professor of philosophy, Jacques Derrida, whic ...

Return to surrealism and death

Free from both his marital and editorial responsibilities (having ended publication of ''

Les Lettres Françaises ''Les Lettres Françaises'' ( French for "The French Letters") is a French literary publication, founded in 1941 by writers Jacques Decour and Jean Paulhan. Originally a clandestine magazine of the French Resistance in German-occupied territo ...

'' – ''

''s literary supplement – in 1972), Aragon was free to return to his surrealist roots. During the last ten years of his life, he published at least two further novels: '' Henri Matisse Roman'' and ''Les Adieux''. Aragon died on 24 December 1982, his friend

sitting up with him. He was buried in the garden of Moulin de Villeneuve, in his property of Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, alongside his wife Elsa Triolet. He was and still is a popular poet in France because many of his poems have been set to music and sung by various composers and singers: Lino Léonardi, Hélène Martin,

(the first one to dedicate an entire LP to Aragon, with his 1961 breakthrough '' Les Chansons d'Aragon'' album), Jean Ferrat, Georges Brassens, Alain Barrière,

Isabelle Aubret Isabelle Aubret (; born Thérèse Coquerelle; 27 July 1938) is a French singer best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with the song " Un premier amour". Early life Thérèse Coquerelle was born in Lille, France, on 27 Jul ...

Nicole Rieu Nicole Rieu (born 16 May 1949) is a French singer, best known outside France for her participation in the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest. Rieu signed her first record contract with AZ Records in 1969. In 1973 she was spotted by the larger Barcl ...

, Monique Morelli, Marc Ogeret, Marjo Tal, ''et al.'' Many of his poems set to music by Jean Ferrat have been translated into German by Didier Caesar (alias Dieter Kaiser) and are sung by his Duo.

Bibliography

Novels and short stories

* ''Anicet ou le Panorama, roman'' (1921) * ''

Les Aventures de Télémaque :''"Les Aventures de Télémaque" is also the title of a 1922 seven-chapter story by Louis Aragon.'' ''Les Aventures de Télémaque, fils d'Ulysse'' () is a didactic novel by François Fénelon, Archbishop of Cambrai, who in 1689 became tutor to ...

'' (1922) * ''Le Libertinage'' (1924) * '' Le Paysan de Paris'' (1926) * '' Le Con d'Irène'' (1927, published under the pseudonym Albert de Routisie) * '' Les Cloches de Bâle'' ("Le Monde réel", 1934) * ''Les Beaux Quartiers'' ("Le Monde réel", 1936, Renaudot Prize winner) * '' Les Voyageurs de l'Impériale'' ("Le Monde réel", 1942) * '' Aurélien'' ("Le Monde réel", 1944) * ''Servitude et Grandeur des Français. Scènes des années terribles'' (1945) * ''Les Communistes'' (6 volumes, 1949–1951 et 1966–1967 – "Le Monde réel") * '' La Semaine Sainte'' (1958) (published in English in 1959 as

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

) * '' Le Fou d'Elsa'' (1963) * '' La Mise à mort'' (1965) * ''Blanche ou l'oubli'' (1967) * '' Henri Matisse, roman'' (1971) * '' Théâtre/Roman'' (1974) * '' Le Mentir-vrai'' (1980) * '' La Défense de l'infini'' (1986) * '' Les Aventures de Jean-Foutre La Bite'' (1986)

Poetry

* ''Le Musée Grévin'', published under the pseudonym François la Colère by the Editions de Minuit * ''La Rose et le réséda'' * ''Feu de joie'', 1919 * ''Le Mouvement perpétuel'', 1926 * ''La Grande Gaîté'', 1929 * ''Persécuté persécuteur'', 1930–1931 * ''Hourra l'Oural'', 1934 * ''Le Crève-Cœur'', 1941 * ''Cantique à Elsa'', 1942 * ''Les Yeux d'Elsa'', 1942 * ''Brocéliande'', 1942 * ''Le Musée Grevin'', 1943 * ''Complainte de Robert le Diable'', 1945 * ''La Diane française'', 1945 * ''En étrange pays dans mon pays lui-même'', 1945 * ''Le Nouveau Crève-Cœur'', 1948 * ''Le Roman inachevé'', 1956 * ''Elsa'', 1959 * ''Les Poètes'', 1960 * '' Le Fou d'Elsa'', 1963 * ''Il ne m'est Paris que d'Elsa'', 1964 * ''Les Chambres, poème du temps qui ne passe pas'', 1969 * ''Demeure de Malkine'', 1970

Essays

* ''Une vague de rêves'', 1924 * ''Treatise on Style'', 1928 (French: ''Traité du style'') * ''Pour un réalisme socialiste'', 1935

References

External links

*
J'arrive où je suis étranger
poem with music, listenable on-line.
Les Lettres Françaises
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aragon, Louis Works by Louis Aragon 1897 births 1982 deaths Poets from Paris Dada Recipients of the Lenin Peace Prize Members of the Front National (French Resistance) movement French medical writers French surrealist writers 20th-century French poets 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French male writers French erotica writers French communist writers French communist poets Communist members of the French Resistance French military personnel of World War I Prix Renaudot winners French male poets French male novelists Military personnel from Paris