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Paul Verlaine (French Paul Marie Verlaine, 1844-1896) is one of the founders of symbolism in French and world poetry. A bright personality in the history of poetry. Certainly one of the greatest French-language poets of all time.

Verlaine is one of the representatives of the decadent school, born. in 1844 in Metz. In his first poems, published in "Parnasse contemporain", just as in his first collection of poems - "Les poèmes saturniens", Verlaine does not reveal anything original, but with his affected equanimity and coldness, admiration exclusively for the ideal of pure beauty, he adjoins Parnassian school.

Loving is the only meaning of life. And the meaning of meanings, the meaning of happiness.

Verlaine Paul

The poet discards this feigned calmness in his “Romances sans paroles,” the motives of which are a special spiritual mood that has taken possession of a person who has lost faith in old ideals and is passionately seeking new paths and a way out of the oppressive atmosphere of vulgarity; hence the search for something unnatural and supernatural, the thirst for a “beautiful death” and similar refined painful sensations. Introducing uncertainty, vagueness, and ambiguity of mood into his poems, Verlaine tries to find new metrical forms for its expression; he neglects the metrics of the classics and romantics, varying at the same time all kinds of meters, looking for special rare rhyme combinations, or completely abandons rhyme, replacing it with the harmony of the constituent parts of the verse, elusive to the ordinary ear.

After several years of silence, the poet’s soul, weary of unbelief, apparently finds solace in ardent Catholicism, and the collection “La Sagesse” (1880) reflects this new mood. In addition to the above-mentioned works, Verlaine also published “Les fêtes galantes” (1869); "La bonne chanson" (1870): "Jadis et Naguère" (1885); "Amour" (1888); "Bonheur" and "Parallèlement" (1890).

In his critical In the essay “Les poètes maudits,” Verlaine attempts to characterize the newest school of symbolist poets (aka decadents) and elevates his comrades Rimbaud, Corbière and Mallarmée to geniuses, whose works, however, are completely inaccessible to the understanding of the ordinary reader. Among this strange poetry of the decadents, which grew out of affected nervousness and real spiritual instability, some of V.’s poems cannot be denied sincerity of feeling, and he himself cannot be denied poetic sensitivity. “The soul of this sick, wild child,” Jules Lemaître said about him, “often hears music inaccessible to anyone else.”

We are familiar with Verlaine's poems from translations of our classics: Bryusov, Sologub, Ellis, Annensky, and Ariadne Efron. Talented contemporaries also translated from Verlaine: for example, Georgy Shengeli.

As a person, Verlaine is also very extraordinary. It's no joke: one day, admiring the poems sent by seventeen-year-old Arthur Rimbaud, he sent the young man money for a ticket to Paris. This began one of the most notorious scandalous stories of the nineteenth century. Rimbaud in Paris lived on the money of wealthy men and led a rather frivolous lifestyle.

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, enrolling in 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, in between legal practices, he 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 of Paul Verlaine

Paul-Marie Verlaine was born on March 30, 1844 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 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.

He began writing poetry during his school years. One of them - “Death” - was sent to Victor Hugo in 1858. 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, and 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 “Exquisite Holidays” (1868) were published. A. France and V. Hugo gave laudable reviews of the collections. However, the general public did not understand Verlaine’s poems, and for a long time his popularity passed him by.

At the end of July 1869, the poet met his future wife Matilda Mote, and in 1870 he married her, dreaming of family comfort. 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 home, wife, child and went on a trip with a friend - 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 the collections of the 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 electing the “King of Poets” in 1891 after the death of L. de Lisle, more votes were cast for Verlaine. But the recognition came too late: the writer’s health had deteriorated. The talented poet was ill and was almost constantly forced to stay in hospitals. The writer J. Renard noted in his diary in 1892: “There is nothing left of Verlaine except our cult of Verlaine.”

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 of the engineering troops, and Elisa-Julie-Joseph-Stephanie Dehais. In early childhood, Verlaine's family moved frequently due to his father's garrison service (Metz, Montpellier, Nîmes, 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, Leconte 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 financial situation family is deteriorating 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 Montcomble), Verlaine's cousin and childhood friend, left an orphan, 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”. August 12. In Brussels, Verlaine was warmly received by Victor Hugo. August 31st. 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 is a regular at the salon of Nina de Villar (17 Rue Chaptal); Among the guests of the salon are Berlioz, Wagner, Manet. May 6. 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). August 11. 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. September 4. 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 at 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. September 10. 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. January 13. 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 20. 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 an 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 new government and he is in serious danger, he is constantly being watched, to escape persecution, he decides to flee abroad. July. Verlaine and Rimbaud are wandering in Belgium. July 21. Matilda, 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 Abbot 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. July 4th. 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. July 5th. 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. August 8. 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” was 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 an elementary school teacher in Stickney. He 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 edition of Modern Parnassus, but former colleagues led by Anatole France, they deny him this honor. December 12. 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 position in the mayor's office (he lives in a hotel in the Bois de Boulogne area at 5 Rue Parshan).

1883 - April 7. Lucien Letinois suddenly dies of typhus. Verlaine takes his death seriously; he subsequently 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 “Long ago 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 10. 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. August-September. 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 Krantz, 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. Verlaine’s autobiographical prose “My Hospitals” is published (publisher Leon Vanier). November 10. In Marseille, Arthur Rimbaud dies of sarcoma. 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 Barrès 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 melancholy and sounding with deep melancholy, one could clearly hear the cry of despair, the pain of a sensitive and tender soul that longs for light, longs for purity, seeks God and does not find it, wants to love people can’t.”

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, “Saturnian Poems” (or “Saturnalia”; 1866) and “Gallant Celebrations” (1869), new strange images can be vaguely discerned through the traditional form.

“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 took an unexpected turn - 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 the sophisticated entertainment of the 18th century. Lyricism and irony are intricately intertwined in this book, like the work of Watteau, a French artist of the early 18th century, 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, vagueness of the reflected images, and attention to the musical sound of the 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 connected by 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 drawings, and 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.

The attitude of Verlaine's lyrical hero to nature is very complex. 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.

Name: Paul Gauguin

Age: 54 years old

Activity: painter, sculptor, ceramicist, graphic artist

Marital status: was married

Paul Gauguin: biography

He was a successful entrepreneur and in a few years managed to amass a large fortune, which would be enough to provide for his entire family - his wife and five children. But at one point this man came home and said that he wanted to exchange his boring financial work for oil paints, brushes and canvas. Thus, he left the stock exchange and, carried away by what he loved, was left with nothing.

Now the post-impressionist paintings of Paul Gauguin are valued at more than one million dollars. For example, in 2015, the artist’s painting entitled “When is the wedding?” (1892), depicting two Tahitian women and a picturesque tropical landscape, was sold at auction for $300 million. But it turned out that during his lifetime the talented Frenchman, like his colleague, never received the recognition and fame he deserved. For the sake of art, Gauguin deliberately doomed himself to the existence of a poor wanderer and traded rich life to naked poverty.

Childhood and youth

The future artist was born in the city of love - the capital of France - on June 7, 1848, while time of troubles, when the country of Cézanne and Parmesan was faced with political upheavals that affected the lives of all citizens - from ordinary traders to large entrepreneurs. Paul's father, Clovis, comes from the petty bourgeoisie of Orleans, who worked as a liberal journalist in the local newspaper National and scrupulously covered the chronicles of government affairs.

His wife Alina Maria was a native of sunny Peru, grew up and was brought up in a noble family. Alina's mother and, accordingly, Gauguin's grandmother, the illegitimate daughter of the nobleman Don Mariano and Flora Tristan, adhered to political ideas utopian socialism, became the author of critical essays and the autobiographical book “The Wanderings of the Party.” The union of Flora and her husband Andre Chazal ended sadly: the would-be lover attacked his wife and went to prison for attempted murder.

Due to political upheavals in France, Clovis, worried about the safety of his family, was forced to flee the country. In addition, the authorities closed the publishing house where he worked, and the journalist was left without a livelihood. Therefore, the head of the family, along with his wife and small children, went on a ship to Peru in 1850.

Gauguin's father was filled with good hopes: he dreamed of settling in a South American country and, under the auspices of his wife's parents, founding his own newspaper. But the man’s plans failed to come true, because during the journey, Clovis unexpectedly died of a heart attack. Therefore, Alina returned to her homeland as a widow along with 18-month-old Gauguin and his 2-year-old sister Marie.

Paul lived until the age of seven in an ancient South American state, the picturesque mountainous outskirts of which excite the imagination of any person. Young Gauguin was an eye-catcher: at his uncle’s estate in Lima, he was surrounded by servants and nurses. Paul retained a vivid memory of that period of childhood; he recalled with pleasure the boundless expanses of Peru, the impressions of which haunted the gifted artist for the rest of his life.

Gauguin's idyllic childhood in this tropical paradise came to an abrupt end. Due to civil conflicts in Peru in 1854, eminent relatives on his mother's side lost political power and privileges. In 1855, Alina returned to France with Marie to receive an inheritance from her uncle. The woman settled in Paris and began to earn her living as a dressmaker, while Paul remained in Orleans, where he was raised by his paternal grandfather. Thanks to perseverance and work, in 1861 Gauguin’s mother became the owner of her own sewing workshop.

After several local schools, Gauguin was sent to a prestigious Catholic boarding school (Petit Seminaire de La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin). Paul was diligent student, therefore, he excelled in many subjects, but the talented young man was especially good at French.

When the future artist turned 14 years old, he entered the Parisian naval preparatory school and was preparing to enter the naval school. But, fortunately or unfortunately, in 1865 the young man failed the exams at the selection committee, so, without losing hope, he hired a ship as a pilot. Thus, young Gauguin set off on a journey across boundless expanses of water and throughout his time traveled to many countries, visited South America, the Mediterranean coast, and explored the northern seas.

While Paul was at sea, his mother died of illness. Gauguin remained in the dark about the terrible tragedy for several months, until a letter with unpleasant news from his sister overtook him on his way to India. In her will, Alina recommended that her son pursue a career, because, in her opinion, Gauguin, due to his obstinate disposition, would not be able to rely on friends or relatives in case of trouble.

Paul did not contradict his mother’s last wishes and in 1871 he went to Paris to begin an independent life. To a young man lucky, because his mother's friend Gustave Arosa helped the 23-year-old orphaned guy get from rags to riches. Gustave, a stockbroker, recommended Paul to the company, due to which the young man received the position of broker.

Painting

The talented Gauguin succeeded in his profession, and the man began to have money. Over the course of a ten-year career, he became a respectable man in society and managed to provide his family with a comfortable apartment in the city center. Like his guardian Gustave Arosa, Paul began to buy paintings by famous impressionists, and in his free time, inspired by the paintings, Gauguin began to try his talent.

Between 1873 and 1874, Paul created the first vibrant landscapes that reflected Peruvian culture. One of the young artist’s debut works, “Forest Thicket in Viroff,” was exhibited at the Salon and received rave reviews from critics. Soon the aspiring master met Camille Pissarro, a French painter. Between these two creative people warm ones started friendly relations, Gauguin often visited his mentor in the northwestern suburb of Paris - Pontoise.

The artist, who hated social life and loved solitude, increasingly spent his free time drawing pictures; gradually the broker began to be perceived not as an employee of a large company, but as a gifted artist. Gauguin's fate was largely influenced by his acquaintance with a certain original representative of the impressionist movement. Degas supports Paul both morally and financially, buying his expressive paintings.

In search of inspiration and a break from the bustling capital of France, the master packed his suitcase and set off on a trip. So he visited Panama, lived with Van Gogh in Arles, and visited Brittany. In 1891, remembering a happy childhood spent in his mother’s homeland, Gauguin left for Tahiti, a volcanic island whose vastness gives free rein to his imagination. He admired the coral reefs, dense jungles where juicy fruits grow, and the azure seashores. Paul tried to convey all the natural colors he saw on the canvases, due to which Gauguin’s creations turned out to be original and bright.

The artist observed what was happening around him and captured what he observed with a sensitive artistic eye in his works. So, the plot of the film “Are you jealous?” (1892) appeared before Gauguin’s eyes in reality. Having just bathed, two Tahitian sisters lay down in relaxed poses on the shore under the scorching sun. From the girl’s dialogue about love, Gauguin heard discord: “How? You're jealous! Paul later admitted that this painting is one of his favorite creations.

In the same 1892, the master painted the mystical canvas “The Spirit of the Dead Does Not Sleep,” made in dark, mysterious purple tones. The viewer sees a naked Tahitian woman lying on a bed, and behind her a spirit in a dark robe. The fact is that one day the artist’s lamp ran out of oil. He struck a match to illuminate the space, thereby frightening Tehura. Paul began to wonder if this girl could take the artist not for a person, but for a ghost or spirit, which the Tahitians are very afraid of. These mystical thoughts of Gauguin inspired him with the plot of the picture.

A year later, the master painted another picture called “Woman Holding a Fruit.” Following his style, Gauguin signs this masterpiece with a second, Maori, title Euhaereiaoe (“Where are [you] going?”). In this work, as in all of Paul’s works, man and nature are static, as if merging together. This painting was originally purchased by a Russian merchant; currently the work is located within the walls of the State Hermitage. Among other things, the author of "The Sewing Woman" in recent years life wrote the book "NoaNoa", published in 1901.

Personal life

In 1873, Paul Gauguin proposed marriage to the Danish woman Matte-Sophie Gad, who agreed and gave her lover four children: two boys and two girls. Gauguin adored his first-born Emil, who was born in 1874. Many of the master’s paintings of brushes and paints are decorated with the image of a serious boy, who, judging by the works, was fond of reading books.

Unfortunately, family life the great impressionist was not cloudless. The master’s paintings were not sold and did not bring in the income they once had, and the artist’s wife was not of the opinion that heaven was in the hut with her dear one. Due to the plight of Paul, who could barely make ends meet, quarrels and conflicts often arose between the spouses. After arriving in Tahiti, Gauguin married a young local beauty.

Death

While Gauguin was in Papeete, he worked very productively and managed to paint about eighty canvases, which are considered the best in his career. But fate prepared new obstacles for the talented man. Gauguin failed to achieve recognition and fame among admirers of creativity, so he plunged into depression.

Because of the dark streak that came in his life, Paul attempted suicide more than once. State of mind the artist was born of poor health; the author of “A Breton Village in the Snow” fell ill with leprosy. The great master died on the island on May 9, 1903 at the age of 54.

Unfortunately, as often happens, fame came to Gauguin only after his death: three years after the death of the master, his canvases were put on public display in Paris. In memory of Paul, the film “The Wolf on the Doorstep” was made in 1986, where the role of the artist was played by famous actor Hollywood. The British prose writer also wrote a biographical work, “The Moon and a Penny,” where Paul Gauguin became the prototype for the main character.

Works

1880 – “Sewing Woman”
1888 – “Vision after the Sermon”
1888 – “Cafe in Arles”
1889 – “Yellow Christ”
1891 – “Woman with a Flower”
1892 – “The spirit of the dead does not sleep”
1892 - “Oh, are you jealous?”
1893 – “Woman Holding a Fruit”
1893 – “Her name was Vairaumati”
1894 – “The Evil Spirit’s Fun”
1897–1898 – “Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?
1897 – “Never Again”
1899 – “Collecting fruits”
1902 – “Still Life with Parrots”