Stefan Mallarmé is an outstanding poet and writer from France who lived in the 19th century. He is the head of the symbolist school. Do you know what else Stefan Mallarmé is known for? A short biography, presented in this article, will allow you to learn more about him.
Origin, training period
The future poet was born in Paris on March 18, 1842. His father was Numa Mallarmé, who worked for the Property Office. When Stefan was 5 years old, he lost his mother, after which he was taken to the education of her parents. Stefan Mallarmé was a susceptible child. He studied first in a religious boarding house located in Othea (in 1853), and then, since 1853, he attended the Lyceum of Sansa. Education in the latter turned out to be painful for the future poet. He began to feel even more lonely after his 13-year-old sister Maria died in 1857. Mallarmé received his bachelor's degree in 1860. His father wanted Stefan to become an officer, but Mallarmé abandoned this career. Even then, he felt that he would become a poet.
Two sides of Mallarmé's life
For several months in 1862, Stefan was in London. Here he perfected his English. Returning to France in 1863, he became an English teacher at the Lyceum of Tournon. Stefan’s life since then has been divided into two parts. He was forced to teach for a small income to provide for his family, first in Tournon, then in Besancon (1866-67), in Avignon (until 1871), Paris (until 1894). The other side of his life was poetry.
First works, meeting with representatives of the Parnassus school
By the period of 1862-64. refer to the first youthful poems of this author. They show the influence of Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire. In 1864, Stefan Mallarmé met Coutle Mendes, Frederick Mistral, M.V. de Lille Adan. It is known that he became interested in the poetry of the creator of the Parnassian school, Theophil Gauthier, and began to write works in her spirit.
Soon, in 1865, his poem entitled "Afternoon Faun Rest" appeared. Mallarmé presented this work to the court of T. de Banville, who was one of the leaders of the Parnassus school. This poem is a sensual and sophisticated eclogue. The pagan joy of being pervades the entire work.
Parnassus period of creativity
On May 12, 1866, the first publication of Mallarmé took place (10 poems published in Modern Parnassus). This fact meant that the Parnassians recognized him. Then came the years of searching for new means of expressing their poetic personality (1868-73). Mallarmé wrote a fantastic tale in the late 1860s, which he called "Igitur, or Elbenon Madness." However, it was published only in 1926. In addition, he set to work on Herodias, a drama in verse. This work, unfortunately, remained incomplete. Its fragment was printed in 1871 in the second issue of the collection "Modern Parnassus".
Mallarmé - decadent, new works
In the early 1870s Mallarmé separated from the Parnassians and joined the decadents. In 1872, he wrote The Funeral Toast, dedicated to the death of T. Gauthier. This work marked the transition of Stephen to a new poetics. Acquaintance with A. Rimbaud dates back to 1872, with E. Manet - to 1873, with Emil Zola - to 1874. Stefan Mallarmé began working with a magazine called "Artistic and Literary Revival". Here in 1874, Stefan published a translation of the poem by E. Poe "The Raven". Illustrations for her were made by E. Manet. Mallarmé also collaborated with the Journal of the New World. Here he published a number of articles and essays. Publisher A. Lemerra in 1874 refused to accept for publication Mallarmé's work "Afternoon Faun Rest". Only in 1876 was it printed. In the same year, the poet wrote a sonnet called "The Tomb of Edgar Allan Poe." And in the next, 1877, a school textbook appeared, the author of which is Mallarmé. It was called "English words." The textbook on mythology was published in 1880 ("Ancient Gods"). It is an adaptation of the book of D.U. Coke.
Literary Tuesdays, fame
Malarmé began organizing its "literary Tuesdays" from 1880. They were held in his apartment, located on Roman street. Saint-Paul Roux, Gustave Caen, Paul Claudel, Henri de Rainier, Andre Gide, Paul Valerie and Pierre Luis participated in "literary Tuesdays". The French poet Stefan Mallarmé became famous in literary circles. This was greatly facilitated by P. Verlaine, who ranked him among the so-called "cursed poets" (in 1884, Verlaine wrote an essay of the same name). Also, the popularity of Mallarmé was promoted by J.-K. Huysmans. In his novel, entitled “On the contrary,” created in 1884, this writer conducted a thorough analysis of Stephen’s early poems through the mouths of Des Essent, his protagonist.
Mallarmé - head of the Symbolists
By the mid-80s of the 19th century, Mallarmé was considered the leader among decadent poets who in 1886 began to call themselves "Symbolists." His collection entitled "Poems by Stephen Mallarmé" appeared in 1887, and the next - translations of poems created by E. Poe. At the same time, along with the "dark" symbolist poems, Stephen created small in volume and understandable poems on various occasions. They were published only in 1920 ("Poems on the Occasion").
last years of life
In 1894, the author of interest to us published a collection of poems in prose and poetry. Then he left the service, deciding to completely devote his life to poetry. Mallarmé set out to create a perfect, universal book that would give a unique and comprehensive explanation of the world. After Verlaine's death in 1896, Stephen was elected the “Prince of Poets”. The publication of his experimental poem, entitled “Luck Will Never Abolish An Event,” dates from 1897. The work in form is one long phrase, there are no punctuation marks. It was printed by a ladder, and a font of different sizes was used. The poem was placed on a two-page spread. Then, in 1897, Mallarmé published a series of articles ("Music and Literature", "The Crisis of Poetry", etc.). Their common name is "Bullshit." In these works, the author expressed his thoughts that literature is in decline, that it is necessary to restore its former sacred meaning. Mallarmé Stefan, whose biography and work remains relevant, died on September 9, 1898 in Paris. Most of his texts, as well as correspondence, were published only after his death.
The meaning and features of Mallarmé's work
I must say that the poet Stefan Mallarmé, whose photo you will find in this article, appeared in French literature at the time when the need for new poetic forms and the exhaustion of old ones became obvious. He led the movement of symbolism, in which a new artistic thinking took shape theoretically, which came out with reforms of the language of poetry and paved the way for modern literature in France.
Mallarmé radically rethought the question of the purpose of poetry. He believed that she should not teach or describe. There must be something superreal in it. According to Mallarmé, poetry is the transmission of innermost meaning through the use of human language. She gives our life authenticity. The poet is a mediator between the world of people and the secrets enclosed in the universe. He can open the veil hiding the transcendent by using symbolic words. It is precisely behind them that another reality is guessed that Stephen Mallarmé so wanted to convey to us. His work testifies to the fact that he succeeded.