Flowers for Jean Genet

Josef Winkler (born in Carinthia, Austria in 1953) grew up in unhappy circumstances that included a strained relationship with his father and with the community in which he lived, as well as a distaste for farm life.His discovery of Genet's work and life proved decisive for Winkler's attempt to come to terms with his own sexuality. In Flowers for Jean Genet Winkler pays tribute to his liberator, Genet. Winkler describes his search for the facts of his mentor's life in this highly personal, eclectic biography, showing the life to which Genet was subjected by an uncomprehending and hostile society. Only in the last years of his life were Genet's literary accomplishments granted recognition. Among other honors he was awarded the Prix National, the highest French decoration.