The poetry of Eluard is that of the real world and its natural sensations and feelings. The main themes that stand out are love, brotherhood and kindness. His imagery is characterized by its appeal to the senses and the importance of concrete objects and of everyday things.

In these translations by Gilbert Bowen, the best work of Paul Eluard, perhaps the most popular of twentieth century French poets, has been collected in a bilingual edition. This edition contains a representative selection of poems from different periods and different aspects of his vast output.