French poet and novelist. Beginning as a Dadaist, he became one of the leaders of Surrealism, published volumes of verse, and in 1930 joined the Communist Party. Taken prisoner in World War II, he escaped to join the Resistance; his experiences are reflected in the poetry of
Le Crève-coeur/Heart-break (1941) and
Les Yeux d'Elsa/Elsa's Eyes (1942).
His novels include the surrealist
Le Paysan de Paris/The Nightwalker (1926), describing the relentless decay of the European bourgeoisie, and later social-realistic novels, including
Les Communistes/The Communists (194951),
La Semaine sainte/Holy Week (1958),
La Mise à mort/The Kill (1965), and
Blanche, ou l'oubli/Blanche or Forgetting (1967).
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