Publisher's Synopsis
Jean Genet, the poet-thief and one of the 20th century's most enduring gay icons, was born in Paris in 1920. He spent much of his youth in the all-male communal life of harshly disciplinarian reformatiores. He then begged his way accross Europe as a prostitute and thief. He soon learned that his imagination was his one tool the authorities couldn't suppress and so began his path as novelist. This is a biography of profound empathy and power. Extremely well-researched this is the ultimate look at one of the most enduring iconic figures of the 20th century.