French · 1895–1952
French surrealist poet whose love poems and Resistance verse made him famous. Born Eugène Grindel, he adopted his grandmother's name. He co-founded Surrealism with Breton and Aragon, wrote of love for Gala (later Dalí's wife) and Nusch, and joined the Communist Party during the Occupation. "Liberté" became an anthem: RAF planes dropped it over France. His love poetry—Capital of Pain, The Rose and the Nettle—combines surrealist imagery with direct emotion. Accessible and beloved, he remains France's popular modern poet.