Author. He won instant fame with his precocious first novel, "The Devil in the Flesh" (1923). At turns lyrical and cynical, it describes the sexual initiation of an adolescent boy at the hands of an older woman. Radiguet based the book on his infatuation with the painter Thora Dardel, which Dardel claimed was unrequited. "The Devil in the Flesh" was filmed in 1947 and 1986. Radiguet's other books are the poetry collection "Les Joues en feu" (1920) and the novel "The Ball of Count D'Orgel" (1923). Radiguet was born in Paris. His first notoriety was as the lover of author-artist Jean Cocteau, though it is now clear he opportunistically used the older man as his ticket to Paris literary society. Radiguet pursued women under Cocteau's nose and late in 1923 became engaged to Bronia Perlmutter, a well-known model. A few weeks later he died of typhoid fever at the age of 20, his health undermined by alcohol and drugs. Although his style was undeveloped, Radiguet's writing conveys a clear sense of post-World War I disillusionment, and showed outstanding promise.
Author. He won instant fame with his precocious first novel, "The Devil in the Flesh" (1923). At turns lyrical and cynical, it describes the sexual initiation of an adolescent boy at the hands of an older woman. Radiguet based the book on his infatuation with the painter Thora Dardel, which Dardel claimed was unrequited. "The Devil in the Flesh" was filmed in 1947 and 1986. Radiguet's other books are the poetry collection "Les Joues en feu" (1920) and the novel "The Ball of Count D'Orgel" (1923). Radiguet was born in Paris. His first notoriety was as the lover of author-artist Jean Cocteau, though it is now clear he opportunistically used the older man as his ticket to Paris literary society. Radiguet pursued women under Cocteau's nose and late in 1923 became engaged to Bronia Perlmutter, a well-known model. A few weeks later he died of typhoid fever at the age of 20, his health undermined by alcohol and drugs. Although his style was undeveloped, Radiguet's writing conveys a clear sense of post-World War I disillusionment, and showed outstanding promise.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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