Jacques B. Brunius

Jacques B. Brunius, French actor, director and writer, was born Jacques Henri Cottance in Paris on September 16, 1906, died Exeter, Devon (UK), on April 24, 1967. He was cremated in Sidmouth, with a tribute by Mesens.

Assistant director to Luis Buñuel on L'Âge d'or, he appeared in more than 30 movies, using several alternate names: Jacques Borel, J.B. Brunius, Jacques-Bernard Brunius, Jacques Brunius, Brunius, J.B.Brunius. He acted in many of the early, more political, movies of his friend Jean Renoir. He married French-English actress Cecile Chevreau in 1951. Their son Richard was born in 1956.

Member of the surrealist group in France and then in England, with his friend E.L.T. Mesens, Conroy Maddox, Ithell Colquhoun, Simon Watson Taylor and Roland Penrose. Brunius attacked Toni del Renzio, who was married to Colquhoun and who was attempting to reanimate an inactive English group in 1942–3. Brunius' countersigned the tract Idolatry and Confusion, which condemned and mocked del Renzio unjustifiably. In reality, Mesens feared a takeover of the group leadership by del Renzio.

He never missed an opportunity to defend surrealism, and participated in many a radio show. In 1959, he undertook a vigorous defense of the poetic valor of nursery rhymes.

The text was published by John Lyle in Transforma(c)tion n°7 under the title Language and lore of children.

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