Paul Éluard was one of the most important of the early surrealists. Born in Paris in 1895, Éluard first became involved with the Dada movement, and after the war, disgusted by the commonly accepted laws of bourgeois morality, involved himself with surrealism. His fame as a poet began withCapitale de la Douleur (1926) and continued over the next 26 years with over 50 books.Une Leçon de Morale (A Moral Lesson) appeared in 1949, three years before his death.