Editing Jean Genet (section)

===Criminal career, prison, and prison writings===
After returning to [[Paris]] in 1937, Genet was in and out of prison through a series of arrests for theft, use of false papers, [[Vagrancy (people)|vagabondage]], lewd acts, and other offences. In prison Genet wrote his first poem, "Le condamné à mort", which he had printed at his own cost, and the novel ''[[Our Lady of the Flowers]]'' (1944).

In Paris, Genet sought out and introduced himself to [[Jean Cocteau]], who was impressed by his writing. Cocteau used his contacts to get Genet's novel published, and in 1949, when Genet was threatened with a [[life in prison|life sentence]] after ten convictions, Cocteau and other prominent figures, including [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] and [[Pablo Picasso]], successfully petitioned the French President to have the sentence set aside. Genet would never return to prison.