Jean Cocteau published 4 novels, 2 novellas, 8 non-fiction books, 10 plays and 9 other books, beginning with Les Enfants Terribles (1929).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Jean Cocteau
Start here
Les Enfants Terribles
Jean Cocteau's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The Grand Ecart (1923)
The White Paper (1928)
Les Enfants Terribles (1929)
Diary of an Unknown (1988)
Novellas in order
Thomas the Imposter (1923)
The White Book (1969)
Non-fiction in order
Opium (1930)
Maalesh (1949)
The Hand of a Stranger (1952)
The Difficulty of (1966)
My Contemporaries (1967)
Professional Secrets (1970)
Past Tense (1987)
The Art of Cinema (1999)
Plays in order
Antigone (1922)
Orpheus (1925)
Orphée (1927)
La Machine À Écrire (1941)
L'Aigle À Deux Têtes (1946)
The Human Voice (1951)
The Infernal Machine (1963)
Two Screenplays: The Blood of a Poet [and] the Testament of Orpheus (1968)
Beauty and the Beast (1970)
Les Parents Terribles (1994)
Other books in order
A Call to Order (1926)
La Voix Humaine (1930)
The Typewriter, a Play in Three Acts (1947)
Cocteau on the Film (1951)
The Journals of Jean Cocteau (1956)
Five Plays (1961)
Drawings (1972)
world (1973)
Erotica (1991)
Film and TV adaptations
- The Eagle with Two Heads (1948)Film · from L'Aigle À Deux Têtes
About Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th century and highly influential on the Surrealist and Dadaist movements, among others. The National Observer suggested that "of the artistic generation whose daring gave birth to Twentieth Century Art, Cocteau came closest to being a Renaissance man".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Jean Cocteau FAQ
- How many books has Jean Cocteau written?
- Jean Cocteau published 4 novels, 2 novellas, 8 non-fiction books, 10 plays and 9 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Jean Cocteau's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Les Enfants Terribles.
- What is Jean Cocteau's last book?
- The Hand of a Stranger (1952).
- What is Jean Cocteau's most famous book?
- Les Enfants Terribles (1929) is Jean Cocteau's most widely read book.
- Which Jean Cocteau books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including L'Aigle À Deux Têtes (as The Eagle with Two Heads, film, 1948).
Authors like Jean Cocteau
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.