By the time he had published The Difficulty of Being in 1947, Jean Cocteau had produced some of the most respected films and literature of the 20th century. This memoir tells the inside account of those achievements and of his glittering social circle. Cocteau writes about his childhood, about his development as an artist and the peculiarity of the artist s life, about his dreams, friendships, pain and laughter. Beyond illuminating a truly remarkable life, The Difficulty of Being is an inspiring homage to the belief that art matters.