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Translated from the French by Margaret Crosland
Le Livre Blanc, a ‘white paper’ on homosexual
love, was first published anonymously in France by Cocteau’s
contemporary Maurice Sachs and was at once decried as by the
critics as obscene. It is now possible to issue it under Cocteau’s
name.
The semi-autobiographical narrative describes a youth’s
love affairs with a succession of boys and men during the
early years of this century. The young man’s self-deceptive
attempts to find fulfilment, first through women and then
by way of the church, are movingly conveyed; the book ends
with a strong plea for male homosexuality to be accepted without
censure.
The book is fully illustrated and includes many woodcuts by
the author.
‘An appealingly unhealthy blend of pure style and
impure thoughts.’ – Edmund White, Independent
on Sunday
‘Historically, politically and above all, aesthetically, this
book is a masterpiece.’ – Pink Paper
‘A wonderful book.’ – Gay Times
JEAN COCTEAU (1889 – 1963) was the owner of
a prodigious talent which spanned almost every branch of
the arts. As poet, painter, film-maker, choreographer and
novelist he achieved a genuine originality. |
