High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Jean Genet (French: ; (1910-12-19)December 19, 1910 – April 15, 1986(1986-04-15)) was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing. His major works include the novels Querelle of Brest, The Thief`s Journal, and Our Lady of the Flowers, and the plays The Balcony, The Blacks, The Maids and The Screens.