Cocteau, Jean

Cocteau, Jean
(1889-1963)
   writer
   A leading and influential French writer, poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, painter, and filmmaker, Jean Cocteau was born in Maisons-Laffitte, near Paris. He was a poor student who early dropped out of school, but at age 16, he met the actor Edouard de Max, who launched his career as a poet. Cocteau gave a reading of his work in 1908 and his first volume of verse, La lampe d'Aladin, which appeared the next year, quickly established him as an important writer. Eventually, Cocteau's versatility, unconven-tionality, and enormous output in virtually all artistic and literary fields brought him international acclaim. Despite this, he insisted that he was essentially a poet and that all of his work was poetry. As a leading member of the surrealist movement, he would also have great influence on the work of many others. Cultivating the friendship of many diverse individuals, Cocteau soon broadened his views and areas of productivity. In 1909, he met the impresario Sergey Diaghilev, who encouraged him to create ballet scenarios. During World War I, Cocteau served as an ambulance driver and, during that period, met Guillaume appolinaire, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and many other writers and artists with whom he later collaborated or who influenced his work. He was also inspired by the writings of Stéphane mallarmé and arthur rimbaud. His first novels were Le Potomak (1913), Thomas l'Imposteur (1922), and Le Grand Écart (1923). In 1923, he became addicted to opium after the tragic death of his companion, Raymond Radiquet. He described his recovery in Opium: journal d'un désintoxication (1930). During his recovery he produced other major works, including the dramas Orphée (1926), based on his favorite Greek myth, and La machine infernale (1934), and a novel, Les enfants terribles (1929), and his first film, Le sang d'un poète (1930). His films, most of which he wrote and directed, were instrumental in bringing surrealism to French cinema. A number of them, in particular La belle et la bête (1945), Orphée (1950), Les enfants terribles (1950), and Le testimentd'Orphée (1959), are regarded as modern classics. He was elected to the adadémie française in 1955.

France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present . 1884.

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  • Cocteau, Jean — born July 5, 1889, Maisons Laffitte, near Paris, France died Oct. 11, 1963, Milly la Forêt, near Paris French poet, playwright, and film director. He published his first collection of poems, La Lampe d Aladin, at age 19. He converted to… …   Universalium

  • Cocteau, Jean — (1889 1963)    Director and screenwriter. Jean Cocteau was born in Paris to a family from the wealthy Parisian bourgeoisie. Cocteau s father, a lawyer, was an important force in the young Cocteau s life, and he was deeply affected when his father …   Guide to cinema

  • Cocteau, Jean — (1889 1963)    Director and screenwriter. Jean Cocteau was born in Paris to a family from the wealthy Parisian bourgeoisie. Cocteau s father, a lawyer, was an important force in the young Cocteau s life, and he was deeply affected when his father …   Historical Dictionary of French Cinema

  • Cocteau, Jean — (Maurice Cocteau / July 5, 1889, Maison Lafitte, Yvelines, France October II, 1963, Milly la Forêt, Essonne, France)    The son of a lawyer and amateur painter who killed himself when Cocteau was ten years old, he was a poet, playwright, novelist …   Encyclopedia of French film directors

  • Cocteau, Jean — (7/5/1892 Mainson Laffitte 10/11/1963 Milly la Foret) (France); aka Cocteau, Clement Eugene Jean Maurice    Novelist, dramatist, draughtsman, filmmaker, and poet. Major literary figure of the 20th century, also produced numerous homoerotic… …   Dictionary of erotic artists: painters, sculptors, printmakers, graphic designers and illustrators

  • Cocteau, Jean — • КОКТО (Cocteau) Жан (5.7.1889 11.10.1963)    франц. поэт, драматург, художник, режиссёр. Чл. Ин та Франции (1955). Учился в лицее Кондорсе. Для К. характерны разнообразие и непостоянство творч. устремлений; чрезвычайно восприимчивый к худож.… …   Кино: Энциклопедический словарь

  • Cocteau, Jean — ► (1889 1963) Polígrafo francés. Eterno innovador, se dedicó a la literatura y también a la pintura y al cine, con películas como Orfeo (1949). Autor de novelas, piezas teatrales, ensayos y poesía, participó en las vanguardias. Entre sus obras… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cocteau,Jean — Coc·teau (kŏk tōʹ, kôk ), Jean. 1889 1963. French author and filmmaker who worked in nearly every artistic medium but is best known for the novel Les Enfants Terrible (1929), the play The Infernal Machine (1934), and the film Beauty and the Beast …   Universalium

  • Cocteau — Cocteau, Jean …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Jean Cocteau — en 1923. Bibliothèque nationale de France Nom de naissance Maurice Eugène Clément Jean Cocteau …   Wikipédia en Français

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