Jacques Prévert
Encyclopedia
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter
. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis
considered one of the greatest films of all time.
and grew up in Paris. After receiving his Certificat d'études upon completing his primary education, he quit school and went to work in Le Bon Marché
, a major department store in Paris. Called up for military service in 1918, after the war
, he was sent to the Near East
to defend French interests there.
He died in Omonville-la-Petite
, on 11 April 1977. He had been working on the last scene of the animated movie Le Roi et l'oiseau
(The King and the Mockingbird) with his friend and collaborator Paul Grimault
. When the film was released in 1980, it was dedicated to Prévert's memory, and on opening night, Grimault kept the seat next to him empty.
movement. Together with the writer Raymond Queneau
and artist Marcel Duchamp
, he was a member of the Rue du Château group.
He was also a member of the agitprop
Groupe Octobre.
Prévert's poems were collected and published in his books: Paroles (Words) (1946), Spectacle (1951), La Pluie et le beau temps (Rain and Good Weather) (1955), Histoires (Stories) (1963), 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
),
"La grasse matinée" (Sleeping in), "Les bruits de la nuit" (The sounds of the night), and
"Chasse à l'enfant" (The hunt for the child) were set to music by Joseph Kosma
—and in some cases by Germaine Tailleferre
of Les six
, Christiane Verger, and Hanns Eisler
. They have been sung by prominent 20th century French vocalists, including Marianne Oswald
, Yves Montand
, and Édith Piaf
, as well as by the later American singers Joan Baez
and Nat King Cole
. In 1961, French singer-songwriter
Serge Gainsbourg
paid tribute to "Les feuilles mortes" in his own song "La chanson de Prévert."
More recently, the British remix DJs Coldcut
released their own version in 1993. A German version has been published and covered by Didier Caesar (alias Dieter Kaiser), which he named "Das welke Laub". "Les feuilles mortes" also bookends Iggy Pop
's 2009 album, Préliminaires
.
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). The latter often appears on critics' lists of the greatest films of all time.
His poems were the basis for a film by the director and documentarian Joris Ivens
, La Seine a rencontré Paris (The Seine Meets Paris, 1957), about the River Seine. The poem was read as narration during the film by singer Serge Reggiani
.
Prévert had a long working relationship with Paul Grimault
, also a member of Groupe Octobre. Together they wrote the screenplays of a number of animated movies, starting with the short "Le Petit Soldat" ("The Little Soldier") in 1947. They worked together until his death in 1977, when he was finishing "Le Roi et l'Oiseau" ("The King and the Bird").
Prévert adapted several Hans Christian Andersen
tales into animated or mixed live-action/animated movies, often in versions loosely connected to the original. Two of these were with Grimault, including "Le Roi et l'oiseau
", which is considered one of the greatest animated films of all time, while one was with his brother Pierre Prévert.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis
Children of Paradise
Les Enfants du Paradis, released as Children of Paradise in North America, is a 1945 French film by French director Marcel Carné, made during the German occupation of France during World War II...
considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Life and education
Prévert was born at Neuilly-sur-SeineNeuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
and grew up in Paris. After receiving his Certificat d'études upon completing his primary education, he quit school and went to work in Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché is the name of one of the best known department stores in Paris, France. It is sometimes regarded as the "first department store in the world". Although this depends on what is meant by 'department store', it may have had the first specially designed building for a store in Paris...
, a major department store in Paris. Called up for military service in 1918, after the war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he was sent to the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
to defend French interests there.
He died in Omonville-la-Petite
Omonville-la-Petite
Omonville-la-Petite is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.Ormonville is known to be the place where French poet Jacques Prévert lived his last years of his life and where he is buried....
, on 11 April 1977. He had been working on the last scene of the animated movie Le Roi et l'oiseau
Le Roi et l'oiseau
Le Roi et l'oiseau is a 1980 traditionally-animated feature film directed by Paul Grimault...
(The King and the Mockingbird) with his friend and collaborator Paul Grimault
Paul Grimault
Paul Grimault was one of the most important French animators. He made many traditionally animated films that were delicate in style, satirical, and lyrical in nature....
. When the film was released in 1980, it was dedicated to Prévert's memory, and on opening night, Grimault kept the seat next to him empty.
Poetry
Prévert participated actively in the SurrealistSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
movement. Together with the writer Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau was a French poet and novelist and the co-founder of Ouvroir de littérature potentielle .-Biography:Born in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Queneau was the only child of Auguste Queneau and Joséphine Mignot...
and artist Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
, he was a member of the Rue du Château group.
He was also a member of the agitprop
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
Groupe Octobre.
Prévert's poems were collected and published in his books: Paroles (Words) (1946), Spectacle (1951), La Pluie et le beau temps (Rain and Good Weather) (1955), Histoires (Stories) (1963), 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
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
textbooks throughout the world.
Some of Prévert's poems, such as "Les Feuilles mortes" (Autumn Leaves
Autumn Leaves (song)
"Autumn Leaves" is a much-recorded popular song. Originally it was a 1945 French song "Les Feuilles mortes" with music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert. Yves Montand introduced "Les feuilles mortes" in 1946 in the film Les Portes de la Nuit...
),
"La grasse matinée" (Sleeping in), "Les bruits de la nuit" (The sounds of the night), and
"Chasse à l'enfant" (The hunt for the child) were set to music by Joseph Kosma
Joseph Kosma
Joseph Kosma was a Hungarian-French composer, of Jewish background.-Biography:Kosma was born József Kozma in Budapest, where his parents taught stenography and typing. He had a brother, Akos. A maternal relative was the photographer László Moholy-Nagy, and another relative was the conductor Georg...
—and in some cases by Germaine Tailleferre
Germaine Tailleferre
Germaine Tailleferre was a French composer and the only female member of the famous composers' group Les Six.-Biography:...
of Les six
Les Six
Les six is a name, inspired by The Five, given in 1920 by critic Henri Collet in an article titled "" to a group of six composers working in Montparnasse whose music is often seen as a reaction against the musical style of Richard Wagner and impressionist music.-Members:Formally, the Groupe des...
, Christiane Verger, and Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler was an Austrian composer.-Family background:Eisler was born in Leipzig where his Jewish father, Rudolf Eisler, was a professor of philosophy...
. They have been sung by prominent 20th century French vocalists, including Marianne Oswald
Marianne Oswald
Marianne Oswald was the stage name of Sarah Alice Bloch, a French singer and actress born in Sarreguemines in Alsace-Lorraine. She took this stage name from a character she much admired, the unhappy Oswald in the Ibsen play Ghosts...
, Yves Montand
Yves Montand
-Early life:Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, the son of poor peasants Giuseppina and Giovanni Livi, a broommaker. Montand's mother was a devout Catholic, while his father held strong Communist beliefs. Because of the Fascist regime in Italy, Montand's family left for France in...
, and Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
, as well as by the later American singers Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
and Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
. In 1961, French singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
paid tribute to "Les feuilles mortes" in his own song "La chanson de Prévert."
More recently, the British remix DJs Coldcut
Coldcut
Coldcut are an English dance music duo, comprising Matt Black and Jonathan More. Their signature style is electronic dance music, featuring cut up samples of hip hop, breaks, jazz, spoken word and various other types of music, as well as video and multimedia.-1980s:In 1986, computer programmer Matt...
released their own version in 1993. A German version has been published and covered by Didier Caesar (alias Dieter Kaiser), which he named "Das welke Laub". "Les feuilles mortes" also bookends Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
's 2009 album, Préliminaires
Préliminaires
Préliminaires is a 2009 album by Iggy Pop, released on June 2, 2009, and inspired by Michel Houellebecq's novel La Possibilité d'une île ....
.
Film
Prévert wrote a number of screenplays for the film directorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Marcel Carné
Marcel Carné
-Biography:Born in Paris, France, the son of a cabinet maker whose wife died when their son was five, Carné began his career as a film critic, becoming editor of the weekly publication, Hebdo-Films, and working for Cinémagazine and Cinémonde between 1929 and 1933. In the same period he worked in...
. Among the films were Drôle de drame (Bizarre, Bizarre, 1937), Quai des brumes (Port of Shadows, 1938), Le Jour se lève
Le Jour se lève
Le Jour se lève is a 1939 French film directed by Marcel Carné and written by Jacques Prévert, based on a story by Jacques Viot. It is considered one of the principal examples of the French film movement known as poetic realism....
(Daybreak, 1939), Les Visiteurs du soir
Les Visiteurs du soir
The Devil's Envoys is a 1942 film by French film director Marcel Carné, famous for his romantic tragedy, Children of Paradise...
(The Night Visitors, 1942) and Les Enfants du paradis
Children of Paradise
Les Enfants du Paradis, released as Children of Paradise in North America, is a 1945 French film by French director Marcel Carné, made during the German occupation of France during World War II...
(The Children of Paradise, 1945). The latter often appears on critics' lists of the greatest films of all time.
His poems were the basis for a film by the director and documentarian Joris Ivens
Joris Ivens
Joris Ivens was a Dutch documentary filmmaker and committed communist.-Early life and career:...
, La Seine a rencontré Paris (The Seine Meets Paris, 1957), about the River Seine. The poem was read as narration during the film by singer Serge Reggiani
Serge Reggiani
Serge Reggiani was an Italian-born French singer and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight...
.
Prévert had a long working relationship with Paul Grimault
Paul Grimault
Paul Grimault was one of the most important French animators. He made many traditionally animated films that were delicate in style, satirical, and lyrical in nature....
, also a member of Groupe Octobre. Together they wrote the screenplays of a number of animated movies, starting with the short "Le Petit Soldat" ("The Little Soldier") in 1947. They worked together until his death in 1977, when he was finishing "Le Roi et l'Oiseau" ("The King and the Bird").
Prévert adapted several Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
tales into animated or mixed live-action/animated movies, often in versions loosely connected to the original. Two of these were with Grimault, including "Le Roi et l'oiseau
Le Roi et l'oiseau
Le Roi et l'oiseau is a 1980 traditionally-animated feature film directed by Paul Grimault...
", which is considered one of the greatest animated films of all time, while one was with his brother Pierre Prévert.
Books
- Paroles (1946)
- Le Petit Lion, illustrated by YllaYllaYlla was the pseudonym of Camilla Koffler , a Hungarian photographer who specialized in animal photography. At the time of her death she "was generally considered the most proficient animal photographer in the world."...
(1947, reprinted 1984) - Contes pour enfants pas sages (Tales for naughty children) (1947)
- Des Bêtes, illustrated by YllaYllaYlla was the pseudonym of Camilla Koffler , a Hungarian photographer who specialized in animal photography. At the time of her death she "was generally considered the most proficient animal photographer in the world."...
(1950, reprinted 1984) - Spectacle (1951)
- Grand bal du printemps, with photographs by Izis BidermanasIzis BidermanasIsraëlis Bidermanas , who worked under the name of Izis, was a Jewish-Lithuanian photographer who worked in France and is best known for his photographs of French circuses and of Paris....
(1951) - Lettre des îles Baladar (Letter from the Baladar Islands) (1952)
- Tour de chant (1953)
- La pluie et le beau temps (Rain and sunshine) (1955)
- Histoires (1963) (Stories)
- Le Cirque d'Izis, with photographs by Izis BidermanasIzis BidermanasIsraëlis Bidermanas , who worked under the name of Izis, was a Jewish-Lithuanian photographer who worked in France and is best known for his photographs of French circuses and of Paris....
and original artwork by Marc ChagallMarc ChagallMarc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
(André Sauret, 1965) - Fatras (1966)
- Charmes de Londres, with photographs by Izis Bidermanas (Editions de Monza, 1999)
Selected filmography
Prévert wrote the scenarios and sometimes the dialogue in the following films:- Le Crime de monsieur LangeThe Crime of Monsieur LangeThe Crime of Monsieur Lange is a 1936 film directed by Jean Renoir about a publishing cooperative...
(1935) - Drôle de drame (1937)
- Quai des brumes (1938)
- Les Disparus de Saint-Agil (1938)
- Le Jour se lèveLe Jour se lèveLe Jour se lève is a 1939 French film directed by Marcel Carné and written by Jacques Prévert, based on a story by Jacques Viot. It is considered one of the principal examples of the French film movement known as poetic realism....
(1939) - RemorquesRemorquesRemorques is a 1941 French drama film directed by Jean Grémillon. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert and André Cayatte , based on novel by Roger Vercel. The film stars Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud and Michèle Morgan...
(1941) - Les Visiteurs du soirLes Visiteurs du soirThe Devil's Envoys is a 1942 film by French film director Marcel Carné, famous for his romantic tragedy, Children of Paradise...
(1942) - Les Enfants du paradisChildren of ParadiseLes Enfants du Paradis, released as Children of Paradise in North America, is a 1945 French film by French director Marcel Carné, made during the German occupation of France during World War II...
(1945) - Les Portes de la nuit (1945)
- Le Petit Soldat (The Little Soldier) (short animated film, 1947), with Paul GrimaultPaul GrimaultPaul Grimault was one of the most important French animators. He made many traditionally animated films that were delicate in style, satirical, and lyrical in nature....
, after The Steadfast Tin SoldierThe Steadfast Tin Soldier"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier's love for a paper ballerina. After several adventures, the tin soldier perishes in a fire with the ballerina. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A...
by Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."... - La Bergère et le ramoneur (The Shepherdess and the Chimney SweepThe Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep"The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen . The tale follows the romance between a china shepherdess and a china chimney sweep who are threatened by a carved mahogany satyr who wants the shepherdess for his wife...
) (animated film, 1953), with Paul Grimault after tale by Hans Christian Andersen, later revised and finished as Le Roi et l'oiseau - Le Petit Claus et le Grand Claus, by Pierre Prévert, after the tale Little Claus and Big Claus by Hans Christian Andersen (live action and animation, 1964)
- Le diamant (The diamond) (short animated film, 1970), with Paul Grimault, complement to L'Aveu of Costa-GavrasCosta-GavrasCosta-Gavras, is a Greek filmmaker, who lives and works in France, best known for films with overt political themes, most famously the fast-paced thriller, Z...
- Le Chien mélomane (The Music-Loving Dog) (short animated film, 1973), with Paul Grimault
- Le Roi et l'oiseauLe Roi et l'oiseauLe Roi et l'oiseau is a 1980 traditionally-animated feature film directed by Paul Grimault...
(animated film, 1980), with Paul Grimault
See also
- Le Mondes 100 Books of the CenturyLe Monde's 100 Books of the CenturyThe 100 Books of the Century is a grading of the books considered as the hundred best of the 20th century, drawn up in the spring of 1999 through a poll conducted by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde....
, a list which includes Paroles
External links
- Jacques Prévert: Prévert's poetry in English.
- Poems with music: Le jardin, La chanson du geolier, Déjeuner du matin, Sables Mouvants.
- Podcast: Audio reading of the poem «Barbara»
- English translation of the poem «Barbara»
- Podcast: Audio reading of the poem «Le cancre»
- Bibliographie nationale française audiovisuel