At the end of the 19th century, France had many talented poets, each of whom had a wonderful and interesting biography. Paul Verlaine was one of these outstanding lyricists. It is not for nothing that he was proclaimed the “prince of poets” and a recognized master of the symbolic movement. However, he was neither a theorist nor a leader.
The creativity and facts of the poet’s personal life are inextricably linked. Being an unbalanced and passionate person (as his biography tells us), Paul Verlaine was constantly entangled in the contradictions of his character and fate, and also sagged under the yoke of difficult life circumstances. But, as A. France rightly said: “It is unacceptable to apply the same standard to a poet and to sensible people. Paul has rights that we do not have, since he is incomparably higher and at the same time incomparably lower than all of us. He is an unconscious being and a poet who is born once in a century.”
Childhood and youth
Paul Verlaine was born in Metz in 1844. Because of his father's work (he was a military engineer), the whole family constantly moved until they settled in Paris in 1851. Here the future poet spent his school years. In 1862 he received a bachelor's degree in literature. Already in teenage years Paul developed a passion for literary creativity. He constantly read the poems of C. Baudelaire, as well as the Parnassian poets T. Gautier and T. de Bonneville. At the end of 1862, the future poet entered the Faculty of Law to study jurisprudence, but financial difficulties forced him to quit his studies and start working.
First publications
In 1866, Paul was published in the magazine Modern Parnassus. He also publishes the collection “Saturn Poems” with his own money. In Verlaine one can trace the influence on the author of the Parnassian poets, who rejected “confessional lyricism” and the romantic “seething of feelings.” In their opinion, the main criterion of beauty is the perfection of form, “harmony between the subjective and objective.” The early poems of Paul Verlaine reflect this principle very clearly. Nevertheless, the poet develops his own original style, which is characterized by melancholic intonations and the ability to convey to the reader the secret movements of the soul, its “music.”
New works
In the late 60s, Paul collaborated with several literary magazines. Also, at his own expense, in 1869 he published the collection “Exquisite Holidays.” The poems were characterized by a melancholic and playful form, allowing for conversational intonation. The poet tries rhymes that are impossible in traditional versification.
At this time, Verlaine meets a 16-year-old girl, Matilda. Flared love passion inspires Paul to write a new collection, “The Good Song.” The poems included in the book have a common rhythm. The poet's words are tender and lyrical.
Wedding and meeting with Rimbaud
In the summer of 1870, the collection “The Good Song” was published, and Verlaine immediately married Matilda. The young settle in Paris, but the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War forces them to endure the siege of the city. After 1871, Paul's melancholy intensified. This is facilitated by the fact that it did not work out personal life, and so is losing
Family relationships became even more complicated after Paul met another man. This was the famous Arthur Rimbaud. Anarchism and complete nihilism are two ideological positions that characterize Arthur’s work and his biography. Paul Verlaine, pushed by a young genius, decides to break with poetic tradition. He seriously thinks about the content of his poems.
Since the beginning of 1872, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud spent all their time together. They travel a lot around England and Belgium. Rimbaud believes that Paul needs to look for new ways of poetic creativity. They often quarrel and make up, until the climactic scandal occurs in mid-1873. Paul shoots Arthur and wounds him in the shoulder. For this, Verlaine is sent to prison for two years. He will be released in January 1875.
Romances without words
All of Paul Verlaine's poems are good, but those included in the collection “Romances Without Words” are his best poetic achievement. The collection was published in 1874, while the author was in captivity. The poems sound notes of melancholy, sadness and short-lived oblivion. Some works resemble impressionist landscapes, covered in gray mist or dissolved in fog. At the same time, the use of the visual capabilities of language and the tendency towards the synthesis of pictorial and verbal images are clearly visible.
"Poetic Art" and "Cursed Poets"
In 1882, Paul published the poem “Poetic Art,” which became a real manifesto for young symbolist poets. Although Paul himself did not advise followers of his work to engage in imitation. It's better to create your own original style. In the same year, the series “Cursed Poets” appeared, where the author talked about newest school Symbolist poets and praised T. Corbert, A. Rimbaud, S. Mallarmé and others. The success of this cycle allowed Paul to publish more own works and get good money for them. We can say that financially it was the most best time in the life of a poet. This is where his biography ends. Paul Verlaine died in 1896 from pneumonia.
Paul Cezanne born on January 19, 1839 in the ancient French town of Aix-en-Provence. The only son of a rude and greedy father, Paul, had practically nothing to do with painting as a child, but received a very good education in other areas. Studying was easy and effective for him. He constantly received school awards in Latin and Greek, and in mathematics.
Drawing and painting were included in the course of compulsory disciplines, but in his younger years Paul did not win any special laurels in this field. It is noteworthy that the annual college drawing prize went to a classmate of the young Cézanne, the future classicist Emile Zola. It is worth noting that the two outstanding Frenchmen managed to carry their strong childhood friendship throughout their lives. Yes and choice life path I was almost completely determined by Emil’s friendly advice.
In 1858, Cézanne passed the bachelor's exams at the University of Aix, entering the law school operating at the university. Completely devoid of interest in law, young Paul was forced to do so at the insistence of his domineering parent. He “suffered” at this school for two years, and during this time he firmly formed the decision to devote himself to painting.
The son and father managed to reach a compromise - Louis Auguste equipped his son with a workshop, where he, in between legal practices, could devote time to studying artistic skills under the guidance of local artist Joseph Gibert.
In 1861, the father nevertheless sent his son to Paris for real painting training. While visiting the Atelier Suisse, the impressionable Paul Cezanne, under the influence of the local artists, quickly moved away from the academic style and began searching for his own style.
Returning briefly to Aix, Paul then followed his friend Zola to the capital again. He is trying to enter the Ecole de Bozar, but the examiners considered the work he submitted to be too “violent,” which, however, was not so far from reality.
However, 23 years is an age full of hope, and Cezanne, not too upset, continued to write. Every year he presented his creations at the Salon. But the demanding jury rejected all the artist’s paintings. Injured pride forced Cezanne to immerse himself deeper and deeper in his work, gradually developing his own style. Some recognition, along with other impressionists, came to Cézanne in the mid-70s. Several wealthy bourgeois purchased several of his works.
In 1869, Maria-Hortensia Fike became Paul's wife. They lived together for forty years. Cezanne, his wife and son Paul constantly moved from place to place, until finally, in 1885, Ambroise Vollard organized a personal exhibition of the artist. But debts associated with the death of his mother force the artist to sell the family estate. At the turn of the century, he opened his own studio, continuing to work tirelessly until October 22, 1906, when pneumonia interrupted his complex and fruitful life.
Biography
Paul Marie Verlaine (French Paul Marie Verlaine, 1844-1896) - French poet, one of the founders of literary impressionism and symbolism.
Paul-Marie was born on March 30, 1844 in Metz in the family of Nicolas-Auguste Verlaine, captain engineering troops, and Elisa-Julie-Joseph-Stephanie Dehais. IN early childhood Verlaine's family moves frequently due to his father's garrison service (Metz, Montpellier, Nimes, Sethe and Metz again).
In 1851, Paul's father retired and the family settled in the Parisian suburb of Batignelles. In 1853 Verlaine entered the Landry boarding house (32 Rue Chaptal). In 1855 he entered the seventh (primary) class of the Lyceum Bonaparte (future Condorcet).
In 1858, Verlaine began writing poetry, became acquainted with the poetry of Hugo, Banville, Gautier, Baudelaire, Lecomte de Lisle, Glatigny, and sent Victor Hugo the poem “Death” (December 12).
Since 1860, Verlaine began to be friends with Edmond Lepeletier, his future executor and biographer. In 1862, the family's financial situation worsened due to unsuccessful investments. Verlaine receives a bachelor's degree in letters (with honors in Latin), enrolls in the School of Law and takes arithmetic, hoping to pass the examination for the Ministry of Finance. Starts drinking and visiting brothels. Reading "Force and Matter" by Buchner. In 1863 he met the poet and critic Louis-Xavier de Ricard; in the Republican salon of the Marquise de Ricard (10 Boulevard Batignolles) interlocutors Verlaine- Theodore de Banville, Auguste Villiers de L'Isle-Adan, Francois Coppet, Catulle Mendez, Sully Prudhomme, José Maria Heredia. In August of the same year, Verlaine’s first publication was published in Ricard’s journal “Review of Progress” (sonnet “Monsieur Prudhomme”).
1864 - January-March. Verlaine works in an insurance company, then in the mayor's office of the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Drops out of Law School. Autumn winter. Attends the Catulle Mendes circle (Prudhomme, Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Leon Dierckx, Heredia, Albert Glatigny).
1865 - Verlaine works as a freight forwarder at the Paris City Hall. November December. Verlaine publishes an essay on Baudelaire and several poems in Ricard's new journal, Art. He meets the publisher Alphonse Lemaire, in whose bookstore (passage Choiseul, 47) future Parnassians gather. Attends the evenings of Theodore de Banville in his apartment on the rue Condé. December 30th. Father's death.
1866 - January. Verlaine and his mother move to 26 Rue Lecluse. March. The first issue of the almanac “Modern Parnassus” (publisher Alphonse Lemaire). April 28. Eight poems by Verlaine are published in the ninth book of Modern Parnassus (read by twelve-year-old Rimbaud). November. The collection “Saturnian Poems” is published (publisher Alphonse Lemaire).
1867 - February 16. Death of Eliza Dujardin (nee Moncomble), Verlaine's cousin and childhood friend, left an orphan and Eliza was taken in by Verlaine's parents. After her marriage, she helped Verlaine financially in the publication of his first collection of poetry. Verlaine is grieving the loss and seeks oblivion in absinthe. July 25. Verlaine begins to collaborate with the satirical magazine of the publicist and future Communard Eugene Vermeersch, “The Maybug”. 12th of August. In Brussels, Verlaine was warmly received by Victor Hugo. August 31. Charles Baudelaire dies in Paris. September 2. Verlaine attends Baudelaire's funeral at Montparnasse Cemetery. December. In Brussels, under the pseudonym Pablo de Erlanez, Verlaine's plaque "Girlfriends, Scenes of Sapphic Love" is published (published by Auguste Poulet-Malassy).
1868 - Together with the Parnassians, Verlaine became a regular at the salon of Nina de Villar (17 Rue Chaptal); Among the guests of the salon are Berlioz, Wagner, Manet. the 6th of May. The court of the city of Lille decides to confiscate and destroy the circulation of “Girlfriends”, and sentences the publisher to a fine of 500 francs. August. Verlaine spends his holidays with relatives in Paliselle (Belgium).
1869 - February. The collection “Gallant Celebrations” is published (publisher Alphonse Lemaire). March 22. Verlaine and her mother go to Paliselle for her aunt's funeral; Verlaine is drinking, his family and local authorities call him to order; Madame Verlaine decides to marry her son to one of the Paliselle cousins. June. A musician from Nina's salon, Charles de Sivry, introduces Verlaine to his cousin Mathilde Mothe de Fleurville. July. Madame Verlaine takes her son to relatives in Fanpus (Ardennes) and returns to Paris. Verlaine is drunk. July 18-20. In a letter to Charles de Sivry, Verlaine asks for Matilda Mothe's hand in marriage (partly to avoid her Paliselle cousin), the answer is discreetly encouraging (fifteen-year-old Matilda's father takes a long time to persuade); Verlaine stops drinking and begins courtship. Autumn winter. On Tuesdays, Verlaine receives friends (Coppe, Charles and Antoine Cros, Lepeletier, Ricard, Sivry, Valade, Mathilde).
1870 - June. The collection “Good Song”, dedicated to Matilda (publisher Alphonse Lemaire, goes on sale in January 1872). 11th August. The wedding of Paul and Matilda at Notre-Dame de Clignancourt (in Montmartre); the newlyweds settle at 2 Rue Cardinal Lemoine. July-September. Franco-Prussian War. August 22. In a letter to his teacher Georges Isambard, Rimbaud admires the "Gallant festivities" and " Good song" September 2. Sedan disaster. 4 September. Proclamation of the Republic; general mobilization; Verlaine volunteers for the National Guard.
1871 - January. Prussian troops besiege Paris; bombing of the capital; Paul and Mathilde move to Boulevard Saint-Germain, where they set up a salon (among the new guests are the poet Eugene Peletan, the artist Felix Regame, and the composer Ernest Cabane). March-May. Paris Commune; Despite Thiers' order prohibiting officials from going to work, Verlaine continued to work in the mayor's office during the Commune, in the press department. Paul and Mathilde return to the Rue Cardinal Lemoine; after the fall of the Commune, fearing denunciations, they went to Verlaine’s relatives in Fanpus and Lecluse. August. They return to Paris, settle in the Mote house at 14 rue Nicolet. Late August - early September. Letters from Arthur Rimbaud to Verlaine (poems and request for support). September. Verlaine invites Rimbaud to Paris and pays for his travel. 10 September. Rimbaud in Paris; he settles with Mote, from where he is soon expelled for rudeness and uncleanliness; Rimbaud lives in turn with Banville, Charles Cros, the composer Cabanet, and the artist Foren. Verlaine and Rimbaud take part in meetings of the literary circles “Mean Boys” and “Devils”, drink, their friendship develops, as they put it, into the “cruel passion” of two poets. End of october. Verlaine's first quarrel with Matilda over Rimbaud, who is trying to snatch the Poet-Verlaine from the stifling petty-bourgeois environment of the Mote family;
October 30. Birth of Georges Verlaine, son of Paul and Matilda. End of December. At the next “Mean Boys” dinner, Rimbaud causes a scandal and easily injures the photographer Karzh with a sword cane; Rimbaud is expelled from the circle; Verlaine rents a room for him at 14 Rue Campagne-Première.
1872 - January. Henri Fantin-Latour paints the painting “Corner of the Table,” in which, among other Parnassians, he depicts Verlaine and Rimbaud. 13th of January. Quarrel between Paul and Matilda; Verlaine beats his wife and threatens to kill his son; Verlaine hides in his mother’s apartment for several days. Mid January. Mathilde takes Georges to relatives in Perigueux. Verlaine moves in with Rimbaud on rue Campagne-Première. January 20th. Verlaine writes a letter to Matilda asking her to forgive him. Beginning of February. The Mothe de Fleurville family begins divorce proceedings. March. Verlaine promises Mathilde to break up with Rimbaud; Rimbaud, at Verlaine's request, leaves for Charleville; divorce proceedings are suspended; Verlaine returns to his wife, but continues to secretly correspond with Rimbaud. Verlaine gets a job at insurance company. April. Verlaine asks Rimbaud to return. Beginning of May. A drunken Verlaine kidnaps little Georges and takes him to his mother; the next morning, Matilda asks her attorney to reopen the divorce proceedings. May 18. Rimbaud returns to Paris. May June. Verlaine threatens to kill Matilda several times. Verlaine and Rimbaud, having fun, fight with knives; Verlaine explains his wounds as fencing lessons. July 7. Verlaine goes out to get a doctor for the sick Matilda and meets Rimbaud; they decide to immediately leave Paris for Arras, where they end up in the gendarmerie, which sends them back; in Paris they change trains and travel to Brussels. In France, brutal persecution continues of those who collaborated with the authorities during the Commune or simply continued to work in institutions, many of Verlaine’s acquaintances and friends ended up in prison, Verlaine is under suspicion from the new government and he is in serious danger, he is constantly under surveillance, fleeing persecution, he decides to flee abroad. July. Verlaine and Rimbaud are wandering in Belgium. 21 July. Mathilde, accompanied by her mother, travels to Brussels to bring Paul back; They almost succeed, but Verlaine abandons them at the border station and, together with Rimbaud, who is secretly traveling on the same train, returns to Brussels. September 7-9. Verlaine and Rimbaud go to London (settle at 34-35 Howland Street). December. Rimbaud's mother, having learned that Mote is accused of having a homosexual relationship with Verlaine, orders her son to return to Charleville; Rimbaud obeys. Verlaine falls ill and calls his mother and Rimbaud to see him.
1873 - Beginning of January. Verlaine's mother arrives in London. Mid January. Rimbaud arrives in London (Verlaine's mother pays for his travel). Beginning of February. Madame Verlaine returns to Paris. End of March. Verlaine wants to return to Paris and make peace with Mathilde. April, 4. Verlaine leaves for Belgium, first to visit his mother's acquaintance Abbe Delon in Namur, from where he writes to Matilda, asking for a meeting and reconciliation (in response, Matilda asks not to bother her with letters), then to Geonville to visit relatives, where he finishes “Songs Without Words” and learns English . April 9-10. Rimbaud returns to Charleville, where he begins Summer in Hell. May 24-25. Verlaine and Rimbaud go to London and live in two small rooms on the top floor of 8 Great College Street (now 8 Royal College Street). June. Verlaine again wants to return to Matilda; constant quarrels with Rimbaud. 4th of July. After another quarrel Verlaine leaves for Brussels, leaving Rimbaud without money, and settles in the Liegeois Hotel; from Brussels he writes letters to his wife, mother and Rimbaud, threatening suicide. 5'th of July. Verlaine's mother arrives in Brussels. July 8. Rimbaud arrives in Brussels; he insists on his return to Paris, Verlaine is against it. July 10. In the morning, Verlaine buys a revolver and gets drunk; at about three o'clock in the afternoon at the hotel, Verlaine shoots Rimbaud and wounds him in the wrist; Verlaine and his mother take Rimbaud to the hospital; Rimbaud continues to insist on his departure; Verlaine and his mother accompany him to the station; on the way, Verlaine threatens to shoot himself; frightened Rimbaud rushes to the policeman for help; Verlaine's arrest, despite the fact that Rimbaud renounces all his charges. July 11. Verlaine is placed in the "Little Carmelites" pre-trial detention center. July 20. Rimbaud returns to Charleville, to the Roche farm, where he will finish Summer in Hell. 8 August. A Brussels court sentences Verlaine to two years in prison. August 27. Verlaine is transferred to solitary confinement in Mons.
1874 - March. Through the efforts of Edmond Lepeletier, “Songs without Words” are published in Sens (printing house of Maurice Lhermitte). Division of property with Matilda; Verlaine is sentenced to pay alimony; He is going through a religious crisis and confesses.
1875 - January 16. Liberation of Verlaine. February. The last meeting of Verlaine and Rimbaud in Stuttgart; Verlaine's religiosity irritates Rimbaud; Rimbaud asks Verlaine to hand over the manuscript of “Illuminations” to the poet Germain Nouveau (with whom he traveled to England in the spring of 1874) for possible publication. March. Verlaine leaves for England; gets a job as a teacher primary school in Stickney. Meets in London with Germain Nouveau and gives him “Illuminations” (Nouveau will return them to Verlaine in the fall of 1877, having not found a publisher). October. Verlaine sends his poems to Paris for publication in the third issue of Modern Parnassus, but former colleagues led by Anatole France, they deny him this honor. 12 December. Last letter Verlaine to Rimbaud.
1876-1877 - Verlaine teaches Latin, French and drawing in Stickney, Boston and Bournemouth.
1877 - October. Verlaine returns to France. He gets a job as a teacher at a Catholic college in Rethel. There he meets Lucien Letinois and actually adopts him.
1878 - Spring-summer. Verlaine sees his son twice and unsuccessfully tries to renew his relationship with Matilda.
1879 - End of summer. Verlaine gets drunk in the company of his students, and it turns out that he has a criminal record; Verlaine leaves Rethel and goes to London with Letinois.
1880 - March. Verlaine buys a farm in Junivville in the name of Letinois's parents and settles there next to the family of Lucien, who is engaged in agriculture. December. The collection “Wisdom” is published (publisher Victor Palme).
1882 - As a result of unsuccessful business management by Letinois's parents, the farm in Juniville is sold for debts. July. Verlaine returns to Paris to establish literary connections and unsuccessfully tries to get a place in the mayor's office (he lives in a hotel in the Bois de Boulogne area at 5 Rue Parchan).
1883 - April 7. Lucien Letinois suddenly dies of typhus. Verlaine takes his death seriously; he later dedicates a series of 25 poignant poems to him, mourning the untimely death of his adopted son; they will be included in the collection “Love.” July-September. Verlaine's mother buys a farm in Coulom from Lucien's parents and moves there with her son. Verlaine drinks again.
1884 - March. Vanier publishes a collection of Verlaine's essays on Arthur Rimbaud, Tristan Corbières and Stéphane Mallarmé entitled "The Damned Poets". November. The collection “Once Upon a Time and Recently” is published (publisher Leon Vanier).
1885 - February. After a quarrel, Verlaine's mother hides from him with his neighbors; Verlaine breaks into the neighbors' house, becomes violent, and threatens to commit suicide if she does not return home; Madame Verlaine takes her son to court. March 8. Verlaine is selling a house in Coulom. March 24. The Vouziers court sentences Verlaine to a month in prison and a fine of 500 francs. May. The divorce of Verlaine and Matilda is officially finalized. July. Verlaine and his mother move to Paris (they live in the dead end of Saint-Francois, 6 - rue Moreau, 5). August. Due to arthritis, Verlaine cannot walk. November. Verlaine is working on a series literary portraits"People of our days." Harbingers of glory: the first song based on poems by Verlaine (Ernest Amédée Chausson - based on the poem “And the White Moon...”, collection “The Good Song”); literary caricature of Verlaine in the parody collection by Henri Beauclair and Gabriel Vicker "Formlessnesses, decadent poems of Adore Flupet".
1886 - January. Gustave Kahn and Jean Moreas found the newspaper Symbolist. January 21. Mother dies. Matilda achieves a settlement agreement, according to which she pays Paul’s debts, and takes Madame Verlaine’s inheritance (20,000 francs) to pay for unpaid alimony; Verlaine is left without a livelihood. February. Verlaine's aunt dies, he inherits 2,400 francs. February March. Verlaine's affair with the prostitute Marie Gambier; when the inheritance dries up, Marie leaves Verlaine. Spring. Verlaine meets the artist and coupletist Frédéric-Auguste Casals (their friendship will continue until Verlaine's death). April 10th. The first issue of the newspaper "Decadent" by Anatole Baju and Maurice du Plessis. September 18. Moreas published a manifesto of symbolism in the literary supplement to the newspaper Le Figaro, in which Verlaine was named the forerunner of the new poetic school (together with Baudelaire and Mallarmé). October November. Verlaine's prose "Memoirs of a Widower" and "Louise Leclerc" are published by Leon Vanier's publishing house. October 30. Mathilde marries Bianvenu-Auguste Delporte and, due to the change of surname, lifts the ban on the publication of Rimbaud’s “Illuminations,” which Verlaine imprudently left in the fall of 1877 for the keeping of Charles de Sivry (Matilda’s cousin). November 1886 - March 1887. Verlaine lies in the hospital.
1887 - Verlaine wanders from hospital to hospital. September. He meets prostitute Philomena Boudin, who becomes his mistress.
1888 - January. Jules Lemaitre publishes the article “Paul Verlaine, Symbolists and Decadents” in the Blue Journal. March. The collection “Love” is published (publisher Leon Vanier). Verlaine checks into a hotel at 14 Rue Royer-Collard, then moves to a hotel at 216 Rue Saint-Jacques; organizes literary “environments”. August. The second edition of the "damned poets", supplemented by essays about Marcelina Debord-Valmore, Auguste Villiers de L'Isle-Adam and "poor Lélian" (Pauvre Lélian - an anagram of the name Paul Verlaine). November 1888 - February 1889. In the hospital. Charles Maurice publishes Vanier's book "Paul Verlaine".
1889 - February. Verlaine checks into a hotel at 4 Rue Vaugirard and resumes “Wednesdays.” June. The collection “Parallel” is published (publisher Leon Vanier). July August. In the hospital. Aug. Sept. At the expense of friends, he is treated at a resort in Aix-les-Bains. September 1889 - February 1890. In the hospital.
1890 - February. Verlaine moves in with Philomena on Rue Saint-Jacques. July. The Ministry of Public Education pays Verlaine an allowance of 200 francs. December. The collection “Dedications” is published (publisher Leon Vanier); A collection of Verlaine’s erotic poems “Women” is published clandestinely in Brussels (publisher Kistemekers).
1891 - January-February. In the hospital. May. At the benefit performance of Verlaine and Paul Gauguin, the Theater of Art presents Verlaine’s play “One and the Other.” Verlaine meets Eugenie Kranz, a former dancer and friend of Philomena; Eugenie becomes Verlaine's mistress and soon ruins him. May June. The collection “Happiness” and the play “One and the Other” are published (published by Leon Vanier), and Verlaine’s “Selected Poems” are published by the Fasquel publishing house (Charpentier Library series). October 1891 - January 1892. In the hospital. November. It turns out autobiographical prose Verlaine “My Hospitals” (publisher Leon Vanier). 10th of November. Arthur Rimbaud dies of sarcoma in Marseille. December. The collection “Songs for Her” is published (published by Leon Vanier).
1892 - January-February. After leaving the hospital, he lives with Eugenie for some time; as soon as the money runs out, Eugenie leaves Verlaine. April. In the “Library of the Holy Grail” series, the collection “Secret Masses” is published. August-October. In the hospital. November 2-14. At the invitation of Dutch writers, Verlaine travels to Holland to give lectures on literature. December 1892 - January 1893. In the hospital.
1893 - January. Verlaine and Eugenie settle at 9 Rue Fosse-Saint-Jacques. February-March. At the invitation of Belgian writers, Verlaine travels to Belgium to give lectures on literature. May June. The collections “Elegies”, “Odes in Her Honor” and autobiographical prose “My Prisons” (publisher Leon Vanier) are published. June-November. In the hospital; erysipelas on the left leg, regular punctures; Philomena visits Verlaine in the hospital. August. Verlaine nominates his candidacy for the French Academy to replace the deceased Hippolyte Taine. October. Verlaine does not get Taine's chair. November. Verlaine moves in with Philomena. November December. At the invitation of English writers, Verlaine goes to give lectures in London, Oxford and Manchester. December. A book of Verlaine’s lectures, “Two Weeks in Holland,” is published (publishers Blok and Vanier). Verlaine moves in with Eugenie at 187 rue Saint-Jacques.
1894 - April. Verlaine moves in with Philomena. May. The collection “In Limbo” is published (published by Leon Vanier). May-July. In the hospital; tries to restore relations with Eugenie. August. Elected “Prince of Poets” instead of the deceased Charles Lecomte de Lisle; Verlaine's friends, led by Maurice Barres and Robert de Montesquiou-Fezansac, establish a monthly pension for him (150 francs); The Ministry of Public Education pays Verlaine an allowance of 500 francs (two of the same allowances will be paid in February and September 1895). October. Performance of Verlaine's play "Madame Aubin" at the Prokop cafe. Verlaine leaves Eugenie and moves in with Philomena. December. The publishing house of the magazine "La Plume" (series "Literary and Art Library") publishes a collection of "Epigrams". December 1894 - January 1895. In the hospital.
1895 - February. Verlaine moves in with Eugenie. May. Verlaine's Confession is published by the End of the Century publishing house. September. Together with Eugenie he moves to 39 Rue Descartes. Verlaine's condition deteriorates sharply. October. The Complete Works of Arthur Rimbaud with a Preface by Verlaine.
1896 - January 7. Verlaine confesses. At night he falls out of bed, Eugenie cannot lift him, and Verlaine spends the whole night on the cold floor. January 8. Verlaine dies of pneumonia. January 10. Funeral service in the Church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont and solemn burial in the Batignolles cemetery. February. The collection “Flesh” is published in the “Literary and Art Library” series. December. The collection “Invective” is published (published by Leon Vanier).
1899 - Coming out full meeting Verlaine's works in five volumes (publisher Leon Vanier).
1904 - A collection of Verlaine’s erotic poems “Hombres” (“Men”) is published clandestinely, published by Albert Messen, Vanier’s heir.
1907 - A book of Verlaine’s notes, “A Frenchman’s Travels through France,” is published (publisher Albert Messen).
1911 - May 28. A monument to Verlaine by Auguste de Niederhausern-Rodo is unveiled in the Luxembourg Gardens.
1913 - The collection “Biblio-Sonnets” is published (publisher Henri Floury).
1926 - The first volume of Verlaine's unpublished works is published (published by Bodinier).
1929 - The second and third volumes of Verlaine's unpublished works are published (publisher Albert Messen).
Verlaine's poetry
“Verlaine was clearer than his students,” wrote M. Gorky, “in his poems, always melancholic and sounding with deep melancholy, one could clearly hear the cry of despair, the pain of sensitive and tender soul“, which thirsts for light, thirsts for purity, seeks God and does not find it, wants to love people but cannot.”
Verlaine's poetic creativity began in the traditions of the Parnassian school. His youthful poems reflected a desire for clarity of images and sculptural speech. But already in Verlaine’s first mature collections “Saturn Poems” (or “Saturnalia”; 1866) and “Gallant Celebrations” (1869) through traditional form you can vaguely make out new strange images.
“Saturn Poems” opens with an appeal to the “sages of former days”, who taught that those who are born under the sign of the constellation Saturn have a restless imagination, lack of will, pursue the ideal in vain and experience a lot of grief. Through the mask of an objective sage, the features of the generation of the end of the century and Verlaine’s own face were clearly visible.
The very images of the “Saturn Poems” sometimes split into two. The ordinary suddenly turned unexpected side- the smoke drew strange figures in the sky:
The moon left spots on the walls
Obtuse angle.
Like the number five bent back
Black smoke rose above the sharp roof.
The wind languished like the groan of a bassoon.
There was a firmament
Colorless grey. He was calling someone on the roof,
Meowing pitifully, the frozen cat.
And I, I walked, dreaming of Plato,
In the evening hour,
About Salamis and Marathon...
And the gas blinked at me like a blue thrill.
- “Paris Sketch”, translation by V. Bryusov
The images in the play of light and shadow were broken before our eyes: She was playing with a cat. Strange,
In the shadows that thickened all around,
Suddenly the essay appeared unexpectedly
Either white paws, then white hands.
One of them, furtively angry,
I caressed my mistress,
Melting under a silk glove
Merciless Claw Agate.
The other one also harbored anger
And she smiled sweetly at the beast...
But the Devil was here, keeping them.
And in the dark bedroom, on the bed,
Under the ringing laughter of women, they burned
Four phosphorus lights.
- “Woman and Cat”, translation by V. Bryusov
The second collection of poems, “Gallant Celebrations,” depicted sophisticated entertainment XVIII centuries. Lyricism and irony are intricately intertwined in this book, like Watteau’s - French artist early XVIII c., on whose canvases ladies and gentlemen perform an exquisite and slightly sad performance:
Looking into your soul, through gentle eyes,
I would see an exquisite landscape there,
Where fancy masks roam with lutes,
With the Marquise Pierrot and Colombina the page.
They sing love and praise voluptuousness,
But the melody of the string sounds in a minor key,
And it seems that they themselves do not believe in happiness,
And their song is fused with the radiance of the moon.
With the radiance of the moon, sad and beautiful,
In which, drunk, the nightingale sings to him,
And the stream cries in vain languor,
A brilliant stream falling into a water cannon.
- translation by V. Bryusov
The deliberately whimsical construction of the poems of the first two collections, the whimsicality, the vagueness of the reflected images, the attention to musical sound lines prepared the appearance of Verlaine’s best poetic book, Romances Without Words (1874). The very name of the collection testifies to Verlaine’s desire to enhance the music of the verse. Musical harmony, according to the teachings of Plato, should connect the human soul with the Universe, and Verlaine sought through music to understand the being living within him. This path seemed to Verlaine innovative and the only true one. Almost simultaneously, in the poem “Poetic Art,” he put forward the demand for musicality as the basis of impressionist poetics: “Music comes first.”
"Romances Without Words" are not related a single theme. Here and love lyrics, urban motifs, and especially the theme of nature. Whatever Verlaine wrote about, everything was colored by his melancholy, his vague melancholy. Verlaine's view of the world is reminiscent of the landscapes of impressionist artists. He also loved to depict rain, fog, evening twilight, when a random ray of light captures only part of an unclear picture. When drawing, for example, a journey into the garden, Verlaine only names the objects he sees. But they do not exist separately from the light in which they bathe, from the trembling of the air that surrounds them. The existence of things is important to Verlaine not in their material, not in their volumetric forms, but in what animates them - in the mood. In Verlaine's poetry we observe the dematerialization of things.
Verlaine did not strive for a holistic reproduction of the material world. In “Romances Without Words” the poet finally abandoned the traditions of the Parnassians - the bright decorativeness and graphic precision of their drawing, from historical paintings. Verlaine rarely resorted to a sequential story. There are almost no events in his poems. If they sometimes appeared in Verlaine, then dressed in a foggy flair or in the form of a stylized fairy tale, in view of a series of images, one after another, as they were depicted in his inner gaze. It was as if he was deliberately turning away from the real sources in the world and in the history of people in order to turn to his heart.
Even nature, so often praised by Verlaine, the impressionistic landscapes of his poems were essentially landscapes of the poet’s soul.
Attitude lyrical hero Verlaine to nature is very difficult. Nature is so close to the poet that he often moves away for a while, is replaced by a landscape, and then comes to life in it again. The degree of Verlaine’s personal penetration into nature is so high that, walking along the plains he praised, along the streets of the outskirts saturated with spring air, looking out of the window with the poet into the lilac twilight, listening to the monotonous sound of the rain, we are, in essence, not dealing with paintings and voices of nature, but with the psychology of Verlaine himself, whose soul merged with the sad and beautiful world.
Verlaine's landscape is no longer a traditional background or accompaniment to human experiences. The world itself is likened to the passions and sufferings of the poet. This shift in emphasis in Verlaine is caused not by the strength of the passions that control him, but by the amazing subtlety of feelings that he extends to everything to which his gaze is turned. Every tree, leaf, raindrop, bird seems to make a barely audible sound. All together they form the music of Verlaine’s poetic world.
Outside of this peculiarity, outside of this music there is no poetry of Verlaine. This is where the origins of the difficulty, and sometimes the impossibility, of translating Paul Verlaine's poems into other languages lie. Valery Bryusov, who did a lot of translations of Verlaine’s poetry in Russia, complained about the constantly lurking danger of “turning ‘Romances without Words’ into ‘Words without Romances’.” The very combination of French vowels, consonants and nasal sounds that captivate in Verlaine’s poetry turns out to be indescribable.
Paul Marie Verlaine(fr. Paul Marie Verlaine) - French poet, one of the founders of literary impressionism and symbolism
Paul-Marie Verlaine was born March 30, 1844 years in the city of Metz, in the family of a military engineer. After his father’s resignation, the family moved to Paris, where the poet spent his school years.
In 1858, Verlaine began writing poetry and sent Victor Hugo the poem “Death”
In 1862, he graduated from the Lyceum and entered the law faculty of the university. But due to the family’s financial problems, in 1864 he began working as a small employee in an insurance company, then in the mayor’s office of one of the Parisian districts, and soon in the village town hall.
In 1863, it was first published, it was the sonnet “Mr. Prudhomme”, which testified to the passion for the Parnassus group. In the second half of the 60s he joined this group. During this period, the poet was interested in rhetoric, foreign languages, read a lot Sh.-O. Sainte-Beuve, C. Baudelaire, T. Banville, attended literary salons. He was greatly impressed by L. de Lisle, around whom young writers grouped, who published the collection “Modern Parnassus”, in which Verlaine was also published. But the writer was looking for his own path, different from the objectivist “one-sided” poetry of the Parnassians. Charles Baudelaire's book “Flowers of Evil” gave impetus to the development of impressionistic impressions and symbolistic images.
In the 60s, the collections “Saturn Poetry” (1866) and “Gallant Holidays” (1868) were published. However, the general public did not understand Verlaine's poems, long time popularity passed him by.
1865 - Verlaine works as a freight forwarder at the Paris City Hall.
At the end of July 1869, the poet met his future wife Matilda Mothe, and in 1870 he married her. The collection “Good Song” (1870) includes works that he dedicated to his wife. However, hopes for a happy family life did not materialize
In February 1871, the writer received a letter from the small provincial town of Charleville from the then unknown 18-year-old Arthur Rimbaud with several of his poems. The force with which they were written aroused interest, and in a letter of response, Verlaine invited the young man to Paris. Having met, they became friends, and Verlaine, despite his age superiority, fell under the influence of Rimbaud’s strong nature.
In 1872, hiding from persecution for participating in the Paris Commune, the poet left his home, wife, child and went on a trip with his friend Rimbaud - to England, and then to Belgium. Traveling around Europe, Verlaine and Rimbaud searched - together and separately - for their place in art.
During a quarrel in June 1873, P. Verlaine wounded A. Rimbaud with a revolver shot, for which he was sentenced by a Brussels court to two years in prison. In addition, the court learned about the poet's communist past. In prison, he wrote poems that were included in the collection “Romances Without Words” (1874). This is the pinnacle of Verlaine's musicality.
In prison, the poet learned that his wife had filed for divorce. When he left prison on January 16, 1875, no one met him at the gate except his old mother.
Feeling loneliness, Verlaine again sought support from Rimbaud and met him in Schuttgart. This meeting turned out to be their last: returning home to drunk, they quarreled and started a fight on the banks of the Neckar. They never saw each other again. Returning to Paris, and then moving to London, Verlaine tried to improve his life: he taught languages, was engaged in agriculture, but in the end he completely devoted himself to literary work.
In the 70-80s, the poet increasingly turned to God. The religious mood was reflected in his collection “Wisdom” (1881).
In 1884, the collection “Once and Recently” and a book of literary critical articles “Damned Poets” were published, which included essays about six poets, including Arthur Rimbaud, Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Verlaine himself.
The poet’s aesthetic principles receive perfect form in collections last period“Love” (1888), “Happiness” and “Songs for Her” (1891).
The writer led a galaxy of young poets. His poems gained incredible popularity. At the traditional ceremony of election of the “King of Poets” in 1891 after the death of L. de Lisle, large quantity votes were cast for Verlaine.
But the recognition came too late: the writer’s health had deteriorated. Talented poet last years I was sick and almost constantly had to stay in hospitals.
Paul Verlaine (30.03.1844, Metz, – 8.01.1896, Paris), French poet. Born into the family of an officer. He began to write under the influence of the Parnassians, but also the romantics and Charles Baudelaire.
Verlaine is one of the founders of the symbolist movement. In “Saturn's Poems” (1866) and “Gallant Celebrations” (1869), along with strictly sculptured images in the manner of the Parnassians, melodious, melancholic, dull-sounding poems characteristic of Verlaine appear.
In the book of poems “Song pure love” (1870) Verlaine brings the vocabulary and syntax of poetic speech closer to simple conversation.
In 1871, Verlaine did not submit to the Versailles people, remained in Paris and served in the press bureau of the Paris Commune. After the “bloody week” until 1877, he lived mainly in the provinces, leaving for Belgium and England.
In 1874, he published a book of poems, “Romances Without Words,” which largely determined the aesthetics of symbolism. Sincere, simple songs alternated there with poems, symbolically conveying, through minor sound and rhythm, pointless melancholy and submission to it. In the poem “Poetic Art”
Verlaine half-jokingly advised to achieve the inaccuracy, nuances, and musicality of the verse that attracts the imagination.
The collections of poems “Far and Close” (1884), “Parallel” (1889), articles about Arthur Rimbaud, Stéphane Mallarmé and others (“Damned Poets”, 1884) are ambivalent. Decadent tendencies are intensifying here, but at the same time the poet warns his new supporters against decadent excesses and publishes revolutionary poems (the poem “The Vanquished” in the collection “Far and Near”). “The most intimate of poets,” according to Valery Bryusov, Verlaine was more humane than other French symbolists; he enriched poetry with subtle lyricism, giving it intense musical expressiveness. He died in poverty.
