French poet Paul Eluard: biography and creativity

Among the French poets of the 20th century there are many truly talented individuals. Despite the fact that the historical events in Europe "undermined" people's need for quality and new literature, groups of creative personalities were able to create a new art that eventually found favor among the people.

One of the founders of the "new literature" was Paul Eluard. The poet survived many tragedies, but did not stop on the way to his main goals - creating new views on life and improving language forms. What became famous for Paul Eluard, where he was born, than he lived, his creative successes and personal setbacks - all this is a must-know for a lover of classical French literature.

The young years of the poet

Eugene-Emil-Paul Grendel (pseudonym Paul Eluar) was born on December 14, 1895 in the city of Saint-Denis, France. Already in 1908, thanks to the profitable transactions of Father Paul, who was engaged in real estate, the family moved to Paris. In general, Grendeli lived in prosperity, could afford a good home and rest, although they were not very rich.

Eugene-Emil-Paul grew up as an intelligent child with great potential. He without problems enters the higher elementary academy, receives the certificate with high marks. In the plans - the continuation of training and a wonderful career.

But a trouble-free future undermined health: in 1912, while traveling to Switzerland, the future great poet was found to have pulmonary insufficiency, then - tuberculosis. The study had to be dropped and went to the sanatorium until 1914. But despite the health problems, the period turns out to be quite prosperous, and Paul Eluard meets his future wife - Elena Diakonova. Beautiful, intelligent, intelligent girl liked Paul at first sight.

The girl immediately captivates Paul's heart, and he begins to write his first works. As after the poet says, the first verses were filled with youthful maximalism, they were written clumsily, but sensually. Then there is the first collection, which Eluard gives at his own expense.

"Gala," as Elena Eluard calls gently, is forced to leave for Russia. The lovers wanted to marry, but Paul's mother was against such an alliance. In the future, this woman will affect the poet, and will become the main muse. Although in the first place is always creativity, on the second, Paul Eluard - a family considered. The photos that have survived to this day show that he put first place in self-actualization.

War - as a new stage of creativity

In 1914, Eluard was mobilized to the front. Several years, because of health problems, Paul is forced to "sit out" in the hospital. There he first meets the war "face to face", begins to think about his life.

Until 1917, Eluard never gets to the front. Bad health makes you aware of yourself, useful to the army, it can not be. Then there are his new works, which combine youthful dreams and the heavy fate of war. There is even a small notebook of poems "Debt", where Paul first signed the pseudonym Eluar - the name of the grandmother.

At the front, the poet gets only a few weeks, where, due to poor conditions, he starts complications with his health. This experience was forever imprinted in the memory of the poet and influenced him. Paul understood that a new era was coming, he understood the difference in the soldier's life in the trenches and the soldier at home.

New postwar era

In 1917, Gala returns to France, and Paul finally takes her as his wife. Elena and military memories become the main inspirers of the poet, give him the desire to live. A year later the daughter of Cecile is born in the family, and Paul releases the collection "Poems for Peace Time".

Postwar France does not inspire the hopes of the intelligentsia. Representatives of art or adjusted to new foundations and popular trends, or "sunk into the centuries." The language and culture of the periodicals became standardized, and a need arose for something new.

Dadaism in the work of Eluard

Soon Paul Eluard "finds himself" among the representatives of the society "Dada". People gathered there with similar destinies, those who were interested in the cultural development of France and Europe. There the future great poet was able to find not only close ones in the spirit of acquaintances, but also to start literary experiments.

Soon, Paul begins to release his own magazine called "Proverbe" (Proverbe). Many of his works are published there, as well as the works of other Dadaists. But relations with colleagues deteriorate, their views diverge, and in 1924 Paul, after a fight with one of the members of the group, ends his activities in Dada, although for many years remains the ideological inspirer of the group.

The period of surreal creativity

In 1924 in the life of Eluard comes a dark strip. Problems in the family, quarrels with parents, the lack of "associates" in the work of bad influence on the mood of the poet, and he decides to go to Marseilles. After the publication "To die because you do not die," he abruptly leaves without warning anyone, and even the closest relatives, including his wife, consider him dead.

After six months of traveling around the world, after a letter to him to Asia his wife comes along with Max Ernst, and after arriving home, Paul joins the group "Corpse." Worldviews of pamphleteers who considered surrealism the ideal creativity of the future, liked the writer and uncovered the new boundaries of his poetry and prose.

In time, Europe learned that Paul Eluard was a French poet, worthy of being called great. His personality inspired people in the revolution, his works found new admirers every day, and Paul himself found new, unusual and even strange facets of his skill.

Love Triangle: Eluard, Gala and Dali

Witnesses of that era claim that Paul's relationship with his wife was unusual. Both were free from each other, but at the same time, they remained together for many years. They say that Paul and Gala even openly changed each other, but at the same time, they were true to their family.

In 1929 Gala and Paul go to a new friend of the poet - Salvador Dali. Paul Eluard himself wanted to introduce his wife to the genius, while not realizing that the acquaintance would turn into a love triangle. The feelings between Dali and Gala appeared almost immediately, and this new union went to both of them.

Paul Eluard, although he was saddened by the departure of his wife, did not arrange scandals and hysterics. He just left, going on a round-the-world trip. In the future, Salvador Dali will even draw a portrait of Paul and thank him for the new "muse". Soon it will turn out that Gala will really help Dali develop his talent and reach the heights of creativity.

Paul Eluard, whose biography was already full of various unfortunate moments, barely survived this parting.

New love of Eluard

Paul is not left alone for long, and soon the role of "the main muse" is occupied by Maria Benz - a dancer, singer and writer under the pseudonym Nush. She was different from the intelligent Gala with her modesty, simplicity and calmness. Nush had a rather difficult fate, which affected her behavior. She was born and grew up in a family of strolling artists, so she knew all the "delights" of street life.

Nush opened up new facets of Pavel's talent, brought in his work a new concept of the word "love." For a long 16 years, Nush remained the center of the spiritual universe of the poet. Love dies when suddenly in 1934 Nush dies in one of the streets of Paris.

The Second World War Period

Even before fascist Germany began a military conflict, Paul had a negative attitude towards the regime. In his opinion, it is important to preserve equality in the state. In 1939, the poet was mobilized to the front against Hitler.

At the front, he discovered not only the new facets of talent, having published several books of patriotic poetry, but also showed himself as an underground worker. For many years, Paul's main task was to free France from the invaders and restore peace on its territory.

Since 1942 in France began to mass executions of the adherents of the communist regime, and Paul became a member of the Communist Party. The desire to get rid of fascist oppression became the main thing in the life of the poet, and found a display in the lyrics. Patriotic literature has become a new facet of the work of Paul Eluard, and France's hope of liberation. Paul Eluard, whose work has survived many changes, remained in the memory of France, mostly as a revolutionary poet, a freedom fighter.

last years of life

The death of Nush influenced the poet. He was left alone in this world and did not find himself in it. For a while he even thought about suicide. The war ended, the muse died and Paul did not find himself in this world. For many years his works were filled with spiritual grief, bordering on patriotic joy for his state.

His last love - Dominica, he meets shortly before his death. In 1952, at the age of 57, the poet died of a heart attack. Paul Eluard, whose years of life fell on difficult times for the country, left a great cultural heritage in the history of France.

Paul Eluard: interesting facts from the biography

• After the death of the poet, thousands of Parisians accompanied him on his last journey.

• In 1952, Eluard performed in Moscow on the anniversary of Victor Hugo.

• In 1952 he became the winner of the Peace Prize.

• Until the end of his days, Paul corresponded with his ex-wife, in the hope that she would return to him. She, out of respect for her ex-husband, did not marry Dali until the poet died.

• After meeting Picasso, Paul wrote the work "Victory of Guernica."

• Leaflets with the work of Paul Eduar threw airplane over Paris during World War II.