Raymond Radiguet
Raymond Radiguet was a notable French writer and poet whose brief life spanned only two decades, from 1903 to 1923. Born in Parc St. Maur, France, he exhibited literary talent early on, publishing his first works while still a teenager. Radiguet was heavily influenced by the Dadaist movement and developed a close relationship with fellow poet Jean Cocteau, who became both his mentor and lover. This connection was pivotal in launching Radiguet's career; Cocteau facilitated the publication of Radiguet's first poetry collection in 1920 and his debut novel, "Le Diable au corps," in 1923.
Radiguet's writing is characterized by a preference for traditional poetic forms, drawing inspiration from poets like François de Malherbe and Jean de La Fontaine. Tragically, Radiguet's promising career was cut short when he succumbed to typhoid fever at the young age of twenty. Despite his limited body of work, which includes a second novel, "Le Bal du comte d'Orgel," published posthumously in 1924, Radiguet's contributions to the literary world continue to be recognized, with adaptations of his work, such as the film version of "Le Diable au corps," further extending his legacy.
Subject Terms
Raymond Radiguet
French poet, novelist, and essayist.
- Born: June 18, 1903
- Birthplace: Saint Maur des Fosses, France
- Died: December 12, 1923
- Place of death: Paris, France
Biography
French writer Raymond Radiguet began his brief life as the son of Jules-Maurice Radiguet, a political cartoonist, and Jeanne- Louise-Marie Tournier. Growing up near the Marne River in the suburb of Parc St. Maur, France, Radiguet attended a local elementary school and then the Lycee Charlemagne in Paris. At the Lycee Charlemagne, Radiguet proved himself to be an exceptional, though not entirely rule-oriented, student. He skipped school frequently, so frequently that when he was fourteen years old, his father pulled him out of the traditional system to try to educate the teenager at home. This attempt, however, was unsuccessful, and by age fifteen Radiguet was left to his own devices and interests—interests that primarily involved writing.
Radiguet devoted himself to poetry and essays and convinced his father’s friend, Andre Salmon, editor of the newspaper L’intransigeant, to provide him with his first chances for publication. Soon, Radiguet’s essays were being published by L’intransigeant as well as other Paris newspapers, and the avant-garde journals Sic, 391, and Litterature were printing the teenager’s poetry. The Dadaists took note of Radiguet’s talents and invited him into their circle.
Through the Dadaists, Radiguet met poet Jean Cocteau in 1919, and this introduction shaped Radiguet’s writing for the next four years. Both writers generally preferred formal poetic traditions to the Dadaists’ experimental efforts; Radiguet listed poets Francois de Malherbe and Jean de La Fontaine as his influences. Cocteau was fourteen years older than Radiguet and had already built his reputation and career in the literary world, and as Radiguet’s lover and mentor, the older poet helped arrange for the publication of Radiguet’s first volume of poetry in 1920. That book, Les Joues en feu (Cheeks on Fire: Collected Poems, 1976), contained the poems Radiguet had composed at age fifteen.
Cocteau also secured publication of Radiguet’s first novel, Le Diable au corps (1923; The Devil in the Flesh, 1932), convincing his own publisher to commit to the manuscript even before it was finished. Radiguet had written the book in 1920 after moving from Paris to Carqueiranne, a fishing village outside Toulon. (Cocteau and Radiguet also became lovers sometime during their friendship, though Radiguet’s relationships were usually with women.)
Le Diable au corps appeared early in 1923, and by the end of that year its author was dead. At the age of twenty, Radiguet fatally contracted typhoid fever either during or following a trip with Cocteau. Radiguet’s second novel, Le Bal du comte d’Orgel (1924; The Count’s Ball, 1929), appeared the year after his death, and in 1947 Le Diable au corps was adapted to film.
Author Works
Drama:
Les Pelicans, 1921
Long Fiction:
Le Diable au corps, 1923 (The Devil in the Flesh, 1932)
Le Bal du comte d'Orgel, 1924 (The Count's Ball, 1929)
Règle du jeu, 1957
Poetry:
Le Joues en feu, 1920 (Cheeks on Fire: Collected Poems, 1976)
Devoirs de vacances, 1921
Bibliography
Crosland, Margaret. Raymond Radiguet: A Biographical Study with Selections from His Work. Peter Owen, 1976. Includes selections from Radiguet's prose works in English translation.
Matz, Aaron. “Truants and Cuckolds.” Review of The Devil in the Flesh, by Raymond Radiguet, translated by Christopher Moncrieff. London Review of Books, vol. 35, no. 6, 21 Mar. 2013, pp. 35–36, www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n06/aaron-matz/truants-and-cuckolds. Accessed 30 June 2017. Discusses the 2012 republication of Radiguet’s novel in English, and its portrayal of adolescent love during war.
Roudiez, Leon S. “Radiguet Revisited.” Studies in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature, vol. 9, no. 2, 1985, doi:10.4148/2334-4415.1164. Accessed 30 June 2017. A reexamination of Le Diable au corps from a textual point of view, bringing linguistic and psychoanalytic theories to bear.