Reflections on life and art from the legendary filmmaker-novelist-poet-genius.
By the time he published The Difficulty of Being in 1947, Jean Cocteau had produced some of the most respected films and literature of the twentieth century, and had worked with the foremost artists of his time, including Proust, Gide, Picasso and Stravinsky.
This memoir tells the inside account of those achievements and of his glittering social circle. Cocteau writes about his childhood, about his development as an artist, and the peculiarity of the artist’s life, about his dreams, friendships, pain, and laughter. He probes his motivations and explains his philosophies, giving intimate details in soaring prose. And sprinkled throughout are anecdotes about the elite and historic people he associated with.
Beyond illuminating a truly remarkable life, The Difficulty of Being is an inspiring homage to the belief that art matters.

At one traumatic stage in his life, Cocteau became addicted to opium. Here he describes not only his extraordinary experiences when taking the drug, but also his sufferings while being treated for opium poisoning. Cocteau also reminisces about some of his closest friends, including Nijinsky and Proust, and provides revealing insights into his own life and the creation of some of his masterpieces.

The literary and cinematic legend gives his no-holds-barred account of a dangerous addiction.In this classic study Cocteau vividly describes his extraordinary experiences while taking opium, the drug to which he owed his 'perfect hours' but which, inevitably, exacted its price. It also contains reminiscences of some of Cocteau's closet friends, including Nijinsky and Marcel Proust, and provides revealing insights into the creation of such masterpieces as Orphee and Les Enfants terribles.