Jacques Prévert was born on the 4th February 1900, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Famous poet, scriptwriter, and close friend of artists Picasso and Montand, he was a prominent figure of the post-war cultural scene in Paris. Known for the phenomenal success of his collection of poems "Paroles" and his key role in the French surrealist movement, Prévert's early childhood days was far from the successful figure he later became.
             Prévert's younger childhood days were a very happy time for him. He had fond memories of this time and this was often reflected in his work. However, when Prévert was 7 years old (in 1906) his father, André lost his job; and the idyllic, carefree childhood young Jacques had once known, disappeared all at once. The family moved to a hotel in the poorest quarters of Paris. Prévert's world was turned upside down, into that of a working-class Paris and its Parisian street urchins. Childhood is a recurrent metaphor of poetic imagination and eternal youth, and is a prevalent feature in his work in "Paroles". It is believed that Prévert's own childhood has had a strong influence on his ideas – both positively and negatively. The purpose of this essay is to discuss this idea.
             Prévert's father finally got a job working in the central office for the poor of Paris. He would find families and assess their financial situation. His father was dealing with some of the poorest people in the city. Prévert – who was only seven years old at the time – evokes this memory in the poem "La Grasse Matinée" – Lazy Day. This is a poem, which vividly evokes the reader's imagination and tells the tale of the torment of someone unable to get food or drink and therefore he must commit a crime to obtain these items. The repetition of the words "café-crème" (coffee with cream) is contrasted with "café-crime",(coffee with a crime); this is effective because the word "café" has been repeated so the reader expects it to b...