Jean Genet

Jean Genet was a French writer known for his controversial explorations of criminality, sexuality, and marginalised identities. His books The Thief's Journal (1949) and Our Lady of the Flowers (1943) are considered his best work. Genet's work has influenced French literature and politics.

Jean Genet was born in Paris to a single mother, who placed him in state care shortly after his birth. He spent his early years in the rural town of Alligny-en-Morvan, raised by a foster family. Despite receiving good grades at school, Genet's youth was marked by repeated run-ins with the law, resulting in his detention at the Mettray Penal Colony at the age of 15. His time there would later inspire one of his notable works, Miracle of the Rose (1946).

After leaving the Foreign Legion, Genet received a dishonourable discharge for being gay. He spent the next few years as a vagabond and criminal, which influenced his writing. Genet wrote Our Lady of the Flowers in prison. This novel is about Divine, a drag queen in Paris with a group of dangerous friends.

In Our Lady of the Flowers, themes of betrayal, desire, and identity are explored vividly. Sartre famously described the novel as 'the epic of masturbation', recognising its bold treatment of sexual and existential themes. Genet's poetic language and ability to depict beauty in the grotesque make this work a key text in 20th-century French literature.

In addition to his literary contributions, Genet became a political activist in his last years. He supported causes such as the Black Panthers and the Palestinian struggle, often travelling to conflict zones and writing about his experiences. His final work, Prisoner of Love (1986), chronicled his time with Palestinian fighters and was published posthumously.

Jean Genet died in 1986.