A towering figure in the worlds of literature, cinema, and visual art, Jean Cocteau was one of the most influential creative artists of the twentieth century. In this collection of brief—often aphoristic—meditations, he reflects on the nature of beauty itself. Ranging over painters, poets, and musicians, Cocteau offers brilliant insights into the essential loneliness of the artistic vocation. As well as throwing new light on the author’s own creative achievement, Secrets of Beauty is a vital contribution to aesthetic theory
"Cocteau was as much attuned to chthonic or perverse energies as André Breton and crew. He just reached the depths with a lightness, discipline, and “hygiene” that (as with Wilde or Warhol) don’t preclude profundity." - 4columns
"Exploring a variety of arts and artists, it offers brief, allusive provocations, ranging from "Beauty hates ideas. It is sufficient unto itself," to "Poetry in films derives from unusual relationships between objects and images." Despite their brevity, this isn't a compilation to dip into at random: its overarching logic builds slowly throughout the book." - Cineaste
