Jean Cocteau Ordre des livres

“Discomfort is the hallmark of the poet. His world is almost uninhabitable. People sense this. They enter it as little as possible, as quickly as possible, and only out of curiosity.” Widely celebrated for his work in the fields of literature, cinema, and the visual arts, Jean Cocteau was one of the twentieth century’s outstanding creative practitioners. In this collection of brief—often aphoristic—meditations, Jean Cocteau reflects on the fundamental solitariness of the artistic vocation. As well as offering fascinating insights into Cocteau’s own achievements, Secrets of Beauty is a moving testament to the artist’s need and obligation to pursue an independent path, and to the disjunction between art and “the inflexible everyday world”. Juliet Powys’s translation skilfully captures the wit and subtlety of the original French text—a vital contribution to aesthetic theory that deserves to be read as a significant work of literature in its own right.

In 1949, Jean Cocteau's reflections on his twenty-day visit to New York reveal a nuanced exploration of French and American cultures. Through his distinctive prose, he highlights the contrasting values each society places on art, liberty, and psychology. Cocteau captures America's hopeful promise while also addressing pressing social issues such as hypocrisy, sexism, and racism that must be confronted for true progress. This essay, never before translated into English, resonates with contemporary relevance, echoing the complexities of cultural identity and aspiration.

Dominique Paini was chief curator of the Cocteau exhibition at the Centre Pompidou. This English edition makes available to English readers its important essays by seventeen French authors, including several who knew Cocteau personally.

A coloring book for adults (and others) that delves into the dizzying imagination of artist/playwright/filmmaker Jean Cocteau.

Dans Folioplus classiques, le texte intégral, enrichi d'une lecture d'image, écho pictural de l'oeuvre, est suivi de sa mise en perspective organisée en six points : Vie littéraire : Les Années folles L'écrivain à sa table de travail : Le mythe revisité Groupement de textes thématique : La figure du rebelle au théâtre Groupement de textes stylistique : La réécriture du mythe : de Sophocle à nos jours Chronologie : Jean Cocteau et son temps Fiche : Des pistes pour rendre compte de sa lecture.

“Il martirio di San Sebastiano” venne scritto tra il 1910 e il 1911, frutto dell’intenso fervore creativo scaturito dall’incontro di Gabriele d’Annunzio con Claude Debussy. “Il martirio”, però, non è soltanto la felice combinazione di due artisti di così eccezionale statura, ma anche la più importante affermazione del Vate come uomo di spettacolo e “metteur en scène”, in grado di plasmare il proprio virtuosismo lirico sulle esigenze di una scintillante “partitura verbale” (qui, fra l’altro, in una lingua estranea – il francese padroneggiata con incredibile perizia), coniugandolo perfettamente non solo con le note di Debussy, ma anche con le “visioni” di uno scenografo-costumista della genialità di Bakst, la straordinaria creatività di un coreografo come Fokine e il magnetico carisma interpretativo di Ida Rubinstein. Spettacolo colossale, leggendario, accanitamente discusso, “Il martirio”, rappresentato il 22 maggio 1911 al Théâtre du Châtelet (e poi ripreso, con minime varianti, all’Opera di Parigi nel 1922 e alla Scala di Milano nel 1926), concretizzò, anche grazie a un cast irripetibile, le più ardite e folgoranti intuizioni sceniche del poeta pescarese. L’opera viene qui presentata con il testo originale francese, seguito dalla traduzione italiana di Ettore Janni, approvata dall’autore, ed è arricchita da preziose illustrazioni, foto e bozzetti di scena. Prefazione di Riccardo Reim. Con una nota di Jean Cocteau.

Le Livre Blanc, a `white paper' on homosexual love, was first published anonymously in France by Cocteau's contemporary Maurice Sachs and was at once decried as by the critics as obscene. The semi-autobiographical narrative describes a youth's love affairs with a succession of boys and men during the 1900s.

Jean Cocteau je bezesporu jednou z nejpozoruhodnějších osobností francouzské kultury 1. poloviny dvacátého století. Povahou dobrodruh a experimentátor žil svůj život naplno, vyhledával nejrůznější dobrodružství a podobně dobrodružně přistupoval i ke své tvorbě. Patřil přece k avantgardě. Přátelil se se surrealisty, miloval Picassa, propagoval ruské divadlo. Sám psal nejen verše, ale i maloval, režíroval, hrál divadlo, psal scénáře. Útlá sbírka veršů Sbohem, vy hříčky větrné je skromnou připomínkou jeho bohatě rozvětveného díla.

Pour Edith Giovanna Gassion, le destin prend la forme d'une rencontre avec Louis Leplée, l'homme qui lui donnera sa chance en la faisant débuter sur les planches de son cabaret et lui trouvera son premier nom de scène : la môme Piaf. Ainsi s'ouvre Au bal de la chance. Nous sommes en 1935, la jeune femme aura vingt ans dans quelques semaines. Mais laissons Edith nous conter la suite... L'unique autobiographie signée par Piaf fut publiée en 1958 à Genève, avec une préface de Jean Cocteau. Cette édition, augmentée d'une postface de Fred Mella, ancien soliste des Compagnons de la chanson, est présentée et annotée par le musicologue Marc Robine.