Born in 1900, Jacques Prevert was destined to become one of the most popular poets of the twentieth century. After spending his young adulthood with artists linked with the surrealist movement, Prevert became a satirist, social critic, songwriter, writer of children's stories and television programs, and poet. Prevert's interests in the visual arts led him to produce collages and poem-commentaries in collaboration with photographers and artists. The writings of Jacques Prevert abound in economy, dynamism, and immediacy. The dominant oral character of his poetry is more like familiar conversation than formal dialogue, and questions, exclamations, and interjections are part of the poetic language. French culture abounds in Prevert's language, and his poetry asserts that the role of reason has been vastly exaggerated. The heroes of Prevert's poems are the sun, children, women, and wild animals, while their adversaries are priests, generals, guardian angels, and all oppressors. As one critic suggested, the genius of Prevert lies in the nonchalance of his art. (Forty-two footnotes are included; 18 references are attached.) (SG)