Antonin Artaud

Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (pronounced [ɑ̃tɔnɛ̃ aʁto]; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director, widely recognized as one of the major figures of twentieth-century theatre and the European avant-garde, and known for his raw, surreal and transgressive themes. He conceptualized the Theatre of Cruelty movement with essays and plays and wrote experimental texts with themes of introspection, mysticism, drug use, unorthodox politics, and his experiences with schizophrenia.