Jean Cocteau: The Rebel Poet Who Rewrote French Art

Born on July 5, 1889, in Maisons-Laffitte, France, Jean Cocteau defied every convention placed before him. Raised in a well-off family, he was forever changed when his father died by suicide, an early trauma that haunted him throughout his creative journey. Although he struggled in formal education and was expelled from school, Paris’s thriving arts scene became his real classroom. Surrounded by some of the 20th century’s greatest innovators—Picasso, Diaghilev, and Stravinsky—Cocteau absorbed inspiration like oxygen.

His talent refused to be boxed in. He crafted poems, novels, plays, ballets, and surreal films that were decades ahead of their time. Cocteau’s close relationship with young writer Raymond Radiguet fuelled both his passion and his heartbreak. After Radiguet’s untimely death, Cocteau channelled grief into bold works that challenged tradition. His long-standing partnership with actor Jean Marais would further define both his personal and professional life, producing films now considered classics of poetic cinema.

Openly gay in an era when most hid in shadows, Cocteau never married and had no children. His refusal to conform extended beyond sexuality to artistic form and personal philosophy. And yet, the French cultural establishment ultimately recognised his brilliance. In 1955, he was inducted into the Académie française, and he was honoured as a Commander of the Légion d’honneur. His films Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus remain seminal works that blur the line between dreams and storytelling.

Artists from across decades and continents have drawn from his legacy. David Bowie nodded to Cocteau’s theatrical aesthetic. Andy Warhol admired his fusion of fame and art. Pedro Almodóvar’s cinematic flair echoes Cocteau’s lyrical vision. Even French New Wave directors like Jean-Luc Godard owe him a debt of gratitude.

And his words? Still razor-sharp. “The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth,” Cocteau declared. He also advised, “What the public criticises in you, cultivate. It is you.” Advice to remember the next time someone tells you you’re too weird to succeed.