Although one of the most versatile artists of the twentieth century, Jean Cocteau considered himself to be primarily, even solely, a poet. Hence, for him, his works in other genres were all poetry:
poésie de roman[novelistic poetry],
poésie de théâtre[theatrical poetry] and even
poésie de critique[critical poetry], or, stretching the point yet further,
poésie graphique[graphic poetry] and
poésie cinématographique[cinematographic poetry]. As these last two categories indicate, his activities extended beyond the field of literature: his style in drawing and painting owes something to both Picasso and Matisse, but remains individual and skilful, even if his artistic achievement does not match his literary work; the cinema was a lifelong interest, although all but one of the…
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Citation: Connon, Derek Frederick. "Jean Cocteau". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 August 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=933, accessed 22 November 2024.]
