Éluard

Éluard refers to Paul Éluard, a French poet who used Éluard as his literary name. Born Eugène Élie Paul Grindel in Saint-Denis, near Paris, on 14 December 1895, he adopted the name Paul Éluard in 1917. He became one of the prominent figures associated with the Surrealist movement, contributing to its circle while maintaining a lyrical, accessible voice that emphasized humanist concerns.

Éluard’s work is marked by clarity of language, a focus on intimate emotion, and a belief in poetry as a force for social connection and change. His 1926 collection Capitale de la Douleur (Capital of Pain) is a landmark in his early career, exploring pain, memory, and resilience. During the 1930s and early 1940s, he continued to develop his lyric style and produced influential wartime poetry, including the long poem Liberté (1942), which became a symbol of freedom and resistance in France during the occupation.

Throughout his career, Éluard engaged with other leading Surrealists, such as André Breton and Louis Aragon, though his work often retained a direct emotional accessibility that broadened his appeal beyond avant-garde circles. His poetry has been widely translated and remains a touchstone of 20th-century French literature, recognized for its blend of tenderness, political conscience, and formal clarity.

Éluard died on 18 November 1952 in Charenton-le-Pont, near Paris. His legacy endures in the enduring popularity of his poems and their influence on later generations of poets and readers.