Isidore Isou

Isidore Isou, born Isidor Goldstein, was a Romanian-born French poet, film critic, visual artist, economist, and dramaturge. He was the founder of Lettrism, an art and literary movement that drew inspiration from Dada and Surrealism. An influential figure in the avant-garde scene of the mid-20th century, Isou is remembered for his revolutionary film "Traité de Bave et d'Éternité" (1951). His political writings are seen as a precursor to the May 1968 movements. Despite his wealthy upbringing, he left school at age 15 and pursued extensive self-education. He began his literary career during World War II and faced censorship and imprisonment for his novel "Isou ou la mécanique des femmes" (Isou, or the Mechanics of Women), which was considered obscene by the French authorities at the time.