Verlaine, Paul (1844-1896)
French poet, an immediate forerunner of Symbolism in France, known for the grace, delicacy, and musical suggestiveness of his characteristic lyrics.
Among his books are Poèmes Saturniens ( 1866), a volume in the style of the Parnassians; Fêtes Galantes ( 1869), written in a Watteau-like, 18th-century mood; La Bonne Chanson ( 1870), a celebration of the poet's joy at his coming marriage; Romances sans Paroles ( 1874); Sagesse ( 1881), containing poems of religious sentiment; Jadis et Naguère ( 1884).
Verlaine was extremely erratic in personality and behavior, living a Bohemian life which took him from cafes to hospitals and prisons, and alternating between sensuality and mysticism. He loved his wife, but after their separation he engaged in liaisons of a perverted nature, the most notorious of which was with Arthur RIMBAUD. Rimbaud is considered to have had a morally corrupting influence on Verlaine but to have assisted the older man in developing a new conception of poetry. Verlaine was converted to Catholicism during the 1870's.
No comments:
Post a Comment