Jean CocteauJean Cocteau (1889–1963) was a French writer, poet, designer, draftsman, sculptor, filmmaker, and boxing manager. His list of friends—including New Directions’ founder James Laughlin—would read like a catalog of the stars of the twenieth-century avant-garde. He died of a heart attack after being informed of the death of his friend, the singer Edith Piaf. Read More Read Less