Customer Reviews

Cocteau: A Biography (Nonpareil Books, No 40)

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Cocteau seems to turn up in most unusual places. First he is praised by no less a figure than Edith Wharton, then he is hobnobbing with Proust, then off with Picasso, Diagalev, Stravinsky, and the Ballets Russes set, finally he is a film maker of the live action film of Beauty and the Beast. In between his life was filled with more living than should be allowed by law. Steegmuller's biography does justice to this life and probably will remain the definative text on the subject.

I originally picked this book up at the library and liked it so much I bought two copies: One for myself and one for a friend. This is a wonderful biography of one of the most influential men of the Arts in France. Since I don't live in France, or Paris to be exact since his influence would have been felt there the most, I don't know if forty years after his death he still influences the Arts or not. However, he was a force to be reckoned with during his lifetime and this bio gives the reader a great sense of what Paris was like from the late 1800's to the early 1960's. Fascinating.

To know Jean Cocteau, visit the chapels, tombs & monuments he left for posterity, or watch his films. If you can't, read this book.

I first saw this book in a scene from "Angels in America". Taken by itself, I wondered if was a sight gag. On a lark, I ordered it and found it to be quite real, and a very interesting worthwhile book.