Jean Cocteau / James S. Williams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, James S., 1963-

Series:

Critical lives (London, England)

Critical lives

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cocteau, Jean, 1889-1963.

Cocteau, Jean.

Authors, French--Biography.

Authors, French.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

253 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : Reaktion, 2008.

Summary:

From the haunting beauty of his Beauty and the Beast to the unforgettable images of the Orpheus trilogy, Jean Cocteau is renowned as a leading figure in European cinema as well as a unique creative force. His prodigious output in virtually every artistic field, including poetry, fiction, theatre, dance, painting, sculpture and fashion, made him a vital presence in French cultural life for much of the twentieth century. He collaborated with artists as diverse as Diaghilev, Picasso, Edith Piaf and Man Ray.

Yet Cocteau's complex body of work has rarely been examined on equal terms with his remarkable life, which was marked by public scandal, hard drugs and continual self-transformation, including even religious reconversion. In Jean Cocteau James S. Williams offers a groundbreaking analysis that sets both the life and work within highly revealing historical and artistic contexts. It centres around Cocteau's relentless self-questioning and how this propelled a dynamic process of formal experimentation, in particular through extensive collaboration with his male companions and lovers, such as Raymond Radiguet, Jean Marais and Edouard Dermit. Williams argues that Cocteau's 'multi-work' is best viewed as a radical project in gay modernism that carries important ramifications for our contemporary understanding of being and subjectivity. An engaging and wholly accessible account, Jean Cocteau is essential reading for all those fascinated by the man and his extraordinary work.

Contents:

Introduction: The Living Artist and the Posthumous Work 7

1 Paradise Lived and Lost 18

2 Natural-born Legend 25

3 Prince in Exile 34

4 Russian Lessons 45

5 Cocteau's First War 55

6 The Greatest Battle 67

7 Happy Families 75

8 Genius of France 85

9 A Child Carrying a Cane 94

10 Annus Mirabilis/Annus Miserabilis 104

11 Lost in the Wilderness 114

12 An Ass Bearing the Lord 123

13 Miracle or Simulacrum? 131

14 Body and Blood of a Poet 142

15 Tripping Across the World 153

16 Enter Apollo 165

17 World War Redux 176

18 No Man's Land 187

19 Club Santo-Sospir 201

20 The Long Haul 214

21 Jean Cocteau is Dead, Long Live Cocteau! 225.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-250).

ISBN:

9781861893543

186189354X

OCLC:

154689984