France is a country that is ahead of others. It was here that the first revolutions took place, and not only social, but also literary, which influenced the development of art in the whole world. French writers and poets sought unprecedented heights. It is also interesting that it was in France that the work of many geniuses was appreciated during his lifetime. Today we will talk about the most important writers and poets of the XIX - early XX centuries, and also open the veil over interesting moments of their lives.
Victor Marie Hugo (1802–1885)
It is unlikely that other French poets can equal the scope of Victor Hugo. A writer who was not afraid to raise sensitive social topics in his novels, and at the same time a romantic poet, he lived a long life full of creative successes. Hugo as a writer was not just recognized during his lifetime - he became rich in this craft.
After the Notre Dame de Paris, his fame only increased. Are there many writers in the world who have been able to live 4 years on the street of their own name? In 79 years of life (on the birthday of Victor Hugo) a triumphal arch was erected on Eylau Avenue - actually under the writer's windows. Through it that day passed 600,000 admirers of his talent. Soon the street was renamed Victor Hugo Avenue.
After himself, Victor Marie Hugo left not only beautiful works and a large inheritance, 50,000 francs of which were bequeathed to the poor, but also a strange point in the will. He ordered the renaming of the capital of France - Paris - to Hugopolis. Actually, this is the only item that has not been implemented.
Theophile Gauthier (1811–1872)
When Victor Hugo struggled with classicist criticism, Theophile Gauthier was one of his most prominent and loyal supporters. French poets received an excellent replenishment of their ranks: Gauthier not only flawlessly mastered the technique of writing, but also opened a new era in the art of France, which subsequently influenced the whole world.
Having sustained his first collection in the best traditions of the romantic style, Theophile Gauthier at the same time excluded traditional themes from poems and changed the vector of poetry. He did not write about the beauty of nature, eternal love and politics. Moreover, the poet proclaimed the technical complexity of the verse as the most important component. This meant that his poems, while remaining romantic in form, were essentially not - feelings gave way to form.
The latest collection, Enamels and Cameos, which is considered the pinnacle of Teofil Gauthier’s work, also includes the manifesto of the Parnassian school - Art. He proclaimed the principle of "art for art's sake," which French poets unconditionally accepted.
Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891)
The French poet Arthur Rimbaud inspired more than one generation with his life and poems. At a young age, he ran away several times from home to Paris, where he met Paul Verlaine, sending him the poem “The Drunken Ship”. The friendship between poets very soon grew into a love affair. This is what caused Verlaine to leave the family.
During Rimbaud's life, only 2 collections of poetry were published, and separately, the debut verse “The Drunken Ship”, which immediately brought him recognition. It is interesting that the poet’s career was very short: he wrote all the poems between the ages of 15 and 21. And after Arthur Rimbaud simply refused to write. Flatly. And he became a merchant, selling spices, weapons and ... people to the end of his life.
Famous French poets Paul Eluard and Guillaume Apollinaire are recognized heirs of Arthur Rimbaud. His work and personage inspired Henry Miller in his essay Time of the Killers, and Patti Smith constantly talks about the poet and quotes his poems.
Paul Verlaine (1844–1896)
French poets of the end of the 19th century chose Paul Verlaine as their “king”, but there were few from the king: a rowdy and a reveler, Verlaine described the unattractive side of life - dirt, darkness, sins and passions. One of the “fathers” of impressionism and symbolism in literature, the poet wrote poems, the beauty of the sound of which can not be conveyed by any translation.
No matter how vicious the French poet may be, Rimbaud played a huge role in his future fate. After meeting young Arthur, Paul took him under his care. He was looking for housing for the poet, even for some time rented a room for him, although he was not wealthy. Their love affair lasted several years: after Verlaine left the family, they traveled, drank and indulged in pleasures as soon as they could.
When Rimbaud decided to leave his lover, Verlaine shot his wrist. Although the victim refused the application, Paul Verlain was sentenced to two years in prison. After that, he never recovered. Due to the inability to abandon the society of Arthur Rimbaud Verlaine could not return to his wife - she achieved a divorce and ruined him completely.
Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918)
The son of a Polish aristocrat born in Rome, Guillaume Apollinaire belongs to France. It was in Paris that he lived on his youth and mature years, right up to his death. Like other French poets of that time, Apollinaire sought new forms and possibilities, sought to shock - and succeeded in this.
After the publication of prose works in the spirit of deliberate immoralism and a mini-collection of poetry “The Bestiary, or Orpheus’s motorcade”, published in 1911, Guillaume Apollinaire publishes the first full-fledged poetic collection “Alcohol” (1913), which immediately attracted attention to the lack of grammar, Baroque images and color swings.
The collection "Caligrams" went even further - all the verses that were included in this collection were written in an amazing way: the lines of the works line up in different silhouettes. The reader sees a woman in a hat, a dove that takes off above the fountain, a vase of flowers ... This form conveyed the essence of the verse. The method, by the way, is far from new - the English began to give form to the poems in the 17th century, but at that moment Apollinaire anticipated the appearance of "automatic writing", which the surrealists loved so much.
The term "surrealism" belongs specifically to Guillaume Apollinaire. He appeared after the staging of his "surreal drama" "Tiresias' Sossy" in 1917. A circle of poets with him, at the head of this time, began to be called surrealists.
Andre Breton (1896–1966)
For Andre Breton, the meeting with Guillaume Apollinaire became a landmark. This happened at the front, in the hospital, where the young Andre, a medical doctor by training, served as a nurse. Apollinaire received a concussion (a shell fragment hit his head), after which he never recovered.
Since 1916, Andre Breton has been actively involved in the work of the poetic avant-garde. He meets Louis Aragon, Philippe Supo, Tristan Tzara, Paul Eluard, discovers the poetry of Lotreamon. In 1919, after the death of Apollinaire, the shocking poets began to organize around Andre Breton. Also this year, a joint work with Philip Supo, “Magnetic Fields,” written according to the “automatic writing” method, is published.
Since 1924, after the proclamation of the first Manifesto of Surrealism, Andre Breton became the head of the movement. The Bureau of Surrealistic Studies opens in his house on Fontaine Avenue, magazines begin to be published. This was the beginning of a truly international movement — similar bureaus began to open in many cities around the world.
The French Communist poet Andre Breton actively campaigned for his supporters to join the Communist Party. He believed in the ideals of communism so much that he even won the meeting with Leo Trotsky in Mexico (although at that time he was already expelled from the Communist Party).
Louis Aragon (1897–1982)
A loyal ally and comrade of Apollinaire, Louis Aragon became Andre Breton's right hand. A French poet, a communist, until his last breath, in 1920 Aragon released the first collection of poems Fireworks, written in the style of surrealism and Dada.
After the poet joined the Communist Party in 1927, his work was transformed with Breton. In some way, he becomes the "voice of the party", and in 1931 he was prosecuted for the poem "Red Front", imbued with a dangerous spirit of incitement.
Peru Louis Aragon also owns "History of the USSR." He defended the ideals of communism until the end of his life, although his last works returned a little to the traditions of realism, which was not painted in “red color”.