Charles Pierre Baudelaire

1821 - 1867 *

one of the greatest French poets of the 19th century

Ch. Baudelaire was born in Paris in 1821. While studying law at the Ecole de Droit he became addicted to opium and hashish. He also contracted syphilis at that time, from which he was to die. He attained his majority in 1842. He lived with Jeanne Duval, a woman who inspired his first cycle of love poems Black Venus regarded as the finest erotic poems in the French language. During this period he composed most of the poems that later became part of Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil). The poems were finally published in 1957. The author was prosecuted, found guilty of obscenity and blasphemy and fined. Les Fleurs du Mal were seen by many generations as an example of depravity and obscenity.

He became a professional writer publishing reviews. In 1847 he published his only novel La Fanfarlo. In 1952 he discovered writings of Edgar Alan Poe. From 1952 to 1965 he was involved in translation of Poe's works and writing critical essays. Later, two other women inspired two next cycles: Apollonie-Aglae Sabatier for cycle of White Venus and an actress Marie Daubrun for cycle of Green Eyed Venus. Baudelaire died unrecognised with some of his works unpublished.

His critical essays on art are regarded as a breakthrough in literary critics. Baudelaire presents a conscious poet who is able to decipher the meaning from his/her poetics. A poet who is at the same time a critic of his/her art. It is believed that modern French poetry starts with the publication of The Flowers of Evil. The poet based his innovative imagery on the traditional poetry such as Dante's Inferno. The initial title for The Flowers of Evil was The Limbus. Baudelaire uses also romantic symbol and incorporates into poems the spirit of baroque with its praise for form, putting stress on ugliness, terror, contrasts and obsession with death. The traditional poetics became the basis for Baudelaire from which he then moved to modernity. He created a new poetry with a new language presenting a man who exists nowhere with a longing for unattainable ideal.

          Source: Classics Network Editorial Team

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Miscellaneous

		Links to Baudelaire -- a comprehensible site with links related to Baudelaire, analysis, texts, critical writings etc. http://home.carolina.rr.com/alienfamily/... Editorial Rating: Number of Visitors: 756 0 users have rated it an average of 0 stars     [rate it] Baudelaire -- biography, a wide collection of his writings, analysis http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/bau/... Editorial Rating: Number of Visitors: 655 0 users have rated it an average of 0 stars     [rate it] Les Fleurs du Mal in English -- translation into English: Spleen and Ideal, Parisian Tableaux, Wine, The Flowers of Sickness and Evil, Revolt, Death http://home.carolina.rr.com/alienfamily/... Editorial Rating: Number of Visitors: 638 0 users have rated it an average of 0 stars     [rate it] Baudelaire, life and works -- biography, early writings to later years, analysis, selected poems translated into English http://www.veinotte.com/baudelaire/index... Editorial Rating: Number of Visitors: 563 0 users have rated it an average of 0 stars     [rate it] Biography -- Baudelaire's life with photos of people important to him http://www.class.uidaho.edu/eng258_1/Bau... Editorial Rating: Number of Visitors: 221 0 users have rated it an average of 0 stars     [rate it] Biography -- short biography of Baudelaire and a list of works http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/baudelai.htm Editorial Rating: Number of Visitors: 158 0 users have rated it an average of 0 stars     [rate it]

     

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Additional searches

Baudelaire at Encarta Encyclopedia

Baudelaire at Britannica Encyclopedia

Baudelaire at Xrefer.com