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{{Short description|French poet and screenwriter (1900–1977)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name =Jacques Prévert
| image = Jacques Prévert en 1961 dans le film Mon frère Jacques par Pierre Prévert.jpg
| caption =Jacques Prévert in 1961
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1900|2|4}}
| birth_place = [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]], France
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1977|4|11|1900|2|4}}
| death_place = [[Omonville-la-Petite]], France
| occupation = Poet, screenwriter
| genre = Poetry
| movement = [[poetic realism]]
| signature = Jacques Prévert signature.svg
| website =
}}
'''Jacques Prévert''' ({{IPA|fr|ʒak pʁevɛʁ|lang}}; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the [[Poetic realism|poetic realist]] movement, and include {{Lang|fr|[[Children of Paradise|Les Enfants du Paradis]]}} (1945). He published his first book in 1946.
==Life and education==
Prévert was born in [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]] 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. In 1918, he was called up for military service in the [[First World War]]. After this, he was sent to the [[Near East]] to defend French interests there.
==Death==
[[File:PrévertTrauner.JPG|thumb|upright|Prévert's grave, next to that of [[Alexandre Trauner]]]]
He died of lung cancer 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. His dog Auto was given to a family friend after his death.
==Poetry==
When Prévert was attending primary school, he at first hated writing. Later, he participated actively in the Surrealist movement.<ref name=bio/> Together with the writers [[Raymond Queneau]] and [[Marcel Duhamel]], he was a member of the Rue du Château group.<ref>[http://www.cine-zoom.com/theatre/2136-jacques-prevert-paris-la-belle.html?start=2 Jacques Prévert, PARIS THE BEAUTIFUL – The period of the Rue du Chateau]</ref> He was also a member of the [[agitprop]] theater company ''[[:fr:Groupe Octobre|Groupe Octobre]]'' where he helped craft a left-wing cinema in support of the causes of the [[Popular Front (France)|Popular Front]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Shaughnessy |first1=Martin |title=Jean Renoir |date=2000 |publisher=Manchester University Press |page=104}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Blakeway |first1=Claire |title=Jacques Prévert: Popular French Theatre and Cinema |date=1990 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press |page=140}}</ref> Prévert remained supportive of [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] causes throughout his life. In 1971, he wrote a poem in support of the communist [[Angela Davis]] after her [[Marin County courthouse incident|arrest]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kaplan |first1=Alice |title=Dreaming in French: The Paris Years of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis |date=2013 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |page=265}}</ref>
[[File:Lycée Jacques Prévert - Boulogne-Billancourt.jpg|thumb|right|A large number of educational institutions bear the name of ''Jacques Prévert'' (Here, the [[Secondary education in France|lycée]] Jacques-Prévert in [[Boulogne-Billancourt]])]]
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 published worldwide. Some, such as "Déjeuner du Matin", are also often taught in American upper-level French classes, for the students to learn basics.
Some of Prévert's poems, such as "Les feuilles mortes" ("[[Autumn Leaves (1945 song)|Autumn Leaves]]"), "L'Addition", "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, [[Marjo Tal]], and [[Hanns Eisler]]. They have been sung by prominent 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".<ref name=cherries>[http://www.dutempsdescerisesauxfeuillesmortes.net/fiches_bio/oswald_marianne/oswald_marianne.htm The time of the cherry leaves, A site devoted to songs at the end of the Second Empire] (in French)</ref> "Les feuilles mortes" was also translated into German by the German poet and [[Liedermacher]] (singer-songwriter) [[Wolf Biermann]], titled "Welke Blätter", and was performed by him and others.
The British remix DJs [[Coldcut]] released their own version in 1993. Another 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]]''.
Prévert's poems are translated into many languages worldwide. Many translators have translated his poems into English. The poet and translator [[Suman Pokhrel]] has translated some of his poems into [[Nepali language|Nepali]].
==Films==
Prévert wrote a number of screenplays for the film director [[Marcel Carné]]. Among them were the scripts for {{Lang|fr|[[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 ''[[Children of Paradise]]'' ({{Lang|fr|Les Enfants du Paradis}}, 1945). The last of these regularly gains a high placing in [[List of films considered the best|lists of best films ever]] and earned him an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.<ref name=bio>[http://www.notablebiographies.com/supp/Supplement-Mi-So/Pr-vert-Jacques.html Encyclopedia of World Biography: Jacques Prévert]</ref><ref>[http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-greatest-foreign-language-films/les-enfants-du-paradis-1945 50 Greatest Foreign Language Films] [[Total Film]], The modern guide to movies</ref>
His poems were the basis for a film by the director and documentarian [[Joris Ivens]], ''[[The Seine Meets Paris]]'' (''La Seine a rencontré Paris'', 1957), about the [[River Seine]]. The poem was read as narration during the film by singer [[Serge Reggiani]].<ref>[http://www.ivens.nl/film57.htm La Seine a rencontré Paris] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414183825/http://www.ivens.nl/film57.htm |date=14 April 2012 }}</ref> In 2007, a filmed adaptation of Prévert's poem "To Paint the Portrait of a Bird" was directed by Seamus McNally, featuring T.D. White and Antoine Ray- English translation by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
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 "The Little Soldier" ("Le Petit Soldat", 1947). They worked together until his death in 1977, when he was finishing ''[[Le Roi et l'oiseau|The King and the Mocking Bird]]'' (''Le Roi et l'Oiseau''), a second version of which was released in 1980. 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 ''The King and the Mocking Bird'', while another was with his brother [[Pierre Prévert]] ([[:fr:Pierre Prévert|fr]]).
==Bibliography==
These include compilations of his poetry but also collaborations with Marc Chagall and [[Humanist photography|Humanist photographers]] on patriotic and poignant albums of imagery of post-war Paris.
* ''[[Paroles]]'' (1946)
* ''Le Petit Lion'', illustrated by [[Ylla]] (1947, reprinted 1984)
* ''Contes pour enfants pas sages'' (''Tales for naughty children'') (1947)
* ''Des Bêtes'', illustrated 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'' (''Rain and sunshine'') (1955)
* ''Histoires'' (''Stories'') (1963)
* ''Les Halles: L'Album du Coeur de Paris'', with photographs by [[Romain Urhausen]] (Editions des Deux Mondes, 1963)
* ''Le Cirque d'Izis'', with photographs by [[Izis Bidermanas]] and original artwork by [[Marc Chagall]] (André Sauret, 1965)
* ''JON WAY'' (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:
* ''[[Baleydier]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Ciboulette (film)|Ciboulette]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Hotel Free Exchange]]'' (1934)
* ''[[If I Were Boss (1934 film)|If I Were Boss]]'' (1934)
* ''[[The Crime of Monsieur Lange|Le Crime de monsieur Lange]]'' (1936)
* ''[[27 Rue de la Paix]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Moutonnet]]'' (1936)
* {{Lang|fr|[[Drôle de drame]]}} (1937)
* ''[[Quai des brumes]]'' (1938)
* ''[[Ernest the Rebel]]'' (1938)
* ''[[Les Disparus de Saint-Agil]]'' (1938) ([[:fr:Les Disparus de Saint-Agil|fr]])
* ''[[Le Jour se lève]]'' (1939)
* ''[[The Mysterious Mr. Davis]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Remorques]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Les Visiteurs du soir]]'' (1942)
* ''[[A Woman in the Night]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Summer Light (film)|Summer Light]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Goodbye Leonard]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Children of Paradise|Les Enfants du paradis]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Les Portes de la nuit]]'' (1945)
* ''[[The Bellman (film)|The Bellman]]'' (1945)
* ''Le Petit Soldat'' (''The Little Soldier'') (short animated film, 1947), with [[Paul Grimault]], after ''[[The Steadfast Tin Soldier]]'' by [[Hans Christian Andersen]]
* ''[[Mystery Trip]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Lovers of Verona]]'' (1949)
* ''[[La Bergère et le ramoneur]]'' (''The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep'') (animated film, 1953), with Paul Grimault after tale by Hans Christian Andersen, later revised and finished as ''Le Roi et l'oiseau''
* ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Le Petit Claus et le Grand Claus]]'' ([[:fr:Le Petit Claus et le Grand Claus|fr]]), 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-Gavras]]
* ''Le Chien mélomane'' (''The Music-Loving Dog'') (short animated film, 1973), with Paul Grimault
* ''[[Le Roi et l'oiseau]]'' (animated film, 1980), with Paul Grimault
==See also==
*[[Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario]]
*[[Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century|''Le Monde'''s 100 Books of the Century]], a list which includes ''Paroles''
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Refbegin}}
* {{IMDb name|name=Jacques Prévert|id=0699535}}
* [http://xtream.online.fr/Prevert/indexeng.html Jacques Prévert]: Prévert's poetry in English.
* [http://sedulia.blogs.com/sedulias_translations/2005/04/remember_barbar.html English translation of the poem «Barbara»]
* [http://bibliographienationale.bnf.fr/DSAM/CuA_05.H/IndexAuteurPhysique-94.html Bibliographie nationale française audiovisuel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207075858/http://bibliographienationale.bnf.fr/DSAM/CuA_05.H/IndexAuteurPhysique-94.html |date=7 February 2009 }}
* Merrian, E., "[https://newrepublic.com/article/90518/jacques-prevert-1900-1977 Jacques Prévert, 1900–1977]," ''New Republic.'' 9 July 1977. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
{{Refend}}
{{Jacques Prévert}}
{{Surrealists}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prevert, Jacques}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Neuilly-sur-Seine]]
[[Category:French male screenwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century French screenwriters]]
[[Category:Pataphysicians]]
[[Category:French surrealist writers]]
[[Category:Legion of Honour refusals]]
[[Category:20th-century French poets]]
[[Category:French male poets]]
[[Category:20th-century French male writers]]
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