"I recognize in thieves, traitors and murderers, in the ruthless and the cunning, a deep beauty - a sunken beauty"

Jean Genet’s reflection on the “deep beauty” he perceives in thieves, traitors, and murderers, as well as the ruthless and cunning, is an exploration of the allure present in society’s outcasts and transgressors. Rather than accepting commonplace judgments of criminality and betrayal as wholly negative, Genet gestures towards an alternative, almost reverential gaze, one that seeks aesthetic and even existential value where others see only detritus. By describing the beauty as “sunken,” he draws attention to its hidden, obscured nature, suggesting that what is condemned on the surface may simultaneously embody a profound form of grace or allure that mainstream morality is blind to.

Genet’s insight is intertwined with his life and work, which consistently rebelled against conformity and the sanctity of social norms. He views those who transgress society’s laws not only as damaged or wrong but as possessing a unique and complicated radiance. Beauty, for Genet, is not limited to what is pure, innocent, or harmonious; it can be found precisely where tradition teaches us not to look, among the taboo, the marginalized, and the despised. This “deep beauty” challenges perceptions and demands a confrontation with the shadows of human experience.

He frames acts of cunning and ruthlessness as expressions of humanity’s will and complexity: qualities despised publicly, yet privately, perhaps unconsciously, venerated for their boldness and authenticity. The attraction might come from the courage required to live outside the law, the assertion of individuality, or the refusal to be tamed by social expectation. Genet’s sentiment invites compassion and appreciation for lives and stories that lie buried beneath scorn, requesting that observers look beneath the obvious and find meaning in the very places society rejects. In this way, Genet elevates the abject, seeking redemption and recognition for what is otherwise cast aside, unveiling a beauty profound precisely because it is hidden and hard-won.