Stranger's Diary -- Paris Series

Author: Jean Cocteau (France), translated by Zhou Yifang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Do you know who Jean Cocteau is? This man who changed the entire modernist movement remains largely unknown in China. He engaged in all artistic fields and left a profound impact. His works can be understood as a condensed version of 20th-century culture. Jean Cocteau was a prolific writer, covering a vast range of topics—from poetry, novels, narrative plays, and poetic dramas to travel sketches and aphorisms, from memoirs to notebooks, from ballet reviews to film critiques, and even from pottery to painting. Despite the diverse forms, we can always find his distinctive style in his metaphors. Critics accused him of imitating everyone, but Cocteau remained faithful to his own voice, beliefs, and aesthetic throughout his life. The title "The Stranger's Diary" appropriately expresses the concerns that preoccupied Cocteau. The phrase "I am not what you imagine," Cocteau repeated with every possible tone, and no one had ever broken the mysterious aura surrounding him in the public world as he did. This persistent preoccupation constantly seeps out from the pages of this book. He speaks to us about inspiration, memory, friendship, and many other topics, seemingly aiming to unveil the mask that covers his face and meet us honestly. With his talent, he eloquently conveys this elusive, fleeting truth, making his words dazzling and revealing that Cocteau was not just a gifted writer but also a great artist.