He was particularly inspired by Walt Whitman. In 1918, Jean Paulhan “discovered” him and introduced him to André Breton and Louis Aragon. This was his introduction to the Surrealist movement. After a marital crisis, he travelled, returning to France in 1924. Éluard’s writings of this period reflect his tumultuous experiences: he had another bout of tuberculosis and separated from Gala when she left him for Salvador Dalí. In 1934, he married Nusch (Maria Benz), a model and a friend of his friends Man Ray and Pablo Picasso, who was considered somewhat of a mascot of the surrealist movement. During World War II, he was involved in the French Resistance. He battled also with his poems, such as his 1942 poem Liberty and Les sept poèmes d’amour en guerre (1944). His work was quite militant, yet simple…