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Jacques Prévert (pronounced [ʒak pʀeˈvɛʀ] in French) was a French poet and screenwriter who was born on February 4, 1900 in Neuilly-sur-Seine and died on April 11, 1977 in Omonville-la-Petite.
Early life
Prévert grew up in Paris where he was bored by school. He often went to theater with his father, a drama critic, and acquired a love of reading from his mother. After receiving his Certificat d'études attesting to his having completed his primary education, he quit school and went to work in Le Bon Marché department store in Paris. Then, he was called up for military service in 1918 and after the war was sent to the Near East.
Poetry
Prévert participated actively in the surrealist movement and was a member of the rue du Château group along with Raymond Queneau and Marcel Duchamp, although Prévert was really too much of a free spirit to be a member of any group.
Prévert's poems were published in his books Paroles (Words) (1946), Histoires (Stories) (1963), Spectacle (1951), La Pluie et le beau temps (Rain and Good Weather) (1955), Fatras (1971) and Choses et autres (Things and Others) (1973).
His poems are often about life in Paris and life after the Second World War. They are widely taught in schools in France and frequently appear in French language textbooks throughout the world.
Some of Prévert's poems such as Les Feuilles mortes (Autumn Leaves) were set to music by Joseph Kosma, Germaine Tailleferre of Les Six, Christiane Verger and Hanns Eisler, and were also sung by prominent 20th century French vocalists including Yves Montand and Édith Piaf as well as by the American singer Joan Baez.
Film
Prévert wrote a number of classic screenplays for the film director Marcel Carné. Among the films were Drôle de drame (Bizarre, Bizarre, 1937), Quai des brumes (Port of Shadows, 1938), Le jour se lève (Daybreak, 1939), Les Visiteurs du soir (The Night Visitors, 1942) and Les enfants du paradis (The Children of Paradise, 1945), often considered one of the greatest films of all time. His poems were also the basis for the movie La Seine a rencontré Paris (The Seine Meets Paris, 1957) by the film director and documentarist Joris Ivens, being read as narration during the film by singer Serge Reggiani.
Bibliography
Paroles (1946)
Contes pour enfants pas sages (Tales for unwise children) (1947)
Le Petit Lion, with photographs of a baby lion by Ylla (1947, reprinted 1984)
Les Bêtes, with photographs of animals by Ylla (1950, reprinted 1984)
Spectacle (1951)
Grand bal du printemps, with photographs by Izis Bidermanas (1951)
Lettre des îles Baladar (Letter from the Baladar Islands) (1952)
Tour de chant (1953)
La pluie et le beau temps (The rain and the sunny day) (1955)
Histoires (1963) (stories)
Le Cirque d'Izis, with photographs by Izis Bidermanas and original artwork by Marc Chagall (André Sauret, 1965)
Fatras (1966)
Charmes de Londres, with photographs by Izis Bidermanas (Editions de Monza, 1999)
Filmography
Prévert wrote the scenarios and sometimes the dialog in the following films:
Le Crime de monsieur Lange (1935)
Drôle de drame (1937)
Quai des brumes (1938)
Les Disparus de Saint-Agil (1938)
Le Jour se lève (1939)
Les Visiteurs du soir (1942)
Les Enfants du paradis (1943)
Les Portes de la nuit (1945)
La Bergère et le ramoneur (also titled: Le roi et l'oiseau) (animated film, 1953)
Grand Jean et Petit Jean, after Hans Christian Andersen (live action and animation).