At the end of the 19th century, France had many talented poets, each of whom had a beautiful and interesting biography. Paul Verlaine was one of such prominent lyrics. No wonder he was proclaimed the “Prince of Poets" and a recognized master of symbolic direction. However, he was neither a theoretician nor a leader.
Creativity and facts of the poet’s personal life are inextricably linked. Being an unbalanced and passionate nature (as his biography tells us), Paul Verlaine was constantly entangled in the contradictions of his character and fate, and also bent under the yoke of difficult life circumstances. But, as A. France rightly said: “It is unacceptable to apply the same measure to the poet and to sane people. Paul has rights that are absent from us, as he is incomparably higher and at the same time incomparably lower than all of us. He is an unconscious being and such a poet who is born once a century. "
Childhood and youth
Paul Verlaine was born in Metz in 1844. Due to the work of his father (he was a military engineer), the whole family constantly moved until it 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 his youthful years, Paul became addicted to literary work. He constantly read the poems of S. Baudelaire, as well as the Parnassian poets T. Gauthier and T. de Bonville. At the end of 1862, the future poet entered the faculty of law to study law, but material difficulties forced him to quit school and get to work.
First publications
In 1866, Paul published in the journal "Modern Parnassus." He also publishes with his own money a collection of Saturnic Poems. Verlaine's first book traces the influence on the author of Parnassian poets who refused to “confessional lyrics” and romantic “raging feelings”. In their opinion, the main criterion for the beautiful is the perfection of form, "the harmony between the subjective and the objective." Paul Verlaine's early poems very clearly reflect this principle. Nevertheless, the poet has his own original style, which is characterized by melancholy 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, he publishes in 1869 a collection of “Refined Holidays”. The poetry was characterized by a melancholy-playful form, allowing conversational intonation. The poet tries the impossible in the traditional versification of rhyme.
At this time, Verlaine met a 16-year-old girl Matilda. The flashed love passion inspires Paul to write a new collection, “Good Song”. The poems included in the book have a common rhythm. The poet's words are gentle and lyrical.
Wedding and meeting with Rimbaud
In the summer of 1870, the Good Song collection was published, and Verlaine would immediately marry Matilda. The young settle in Paris, but the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war forces them to survive the siege of the city. After 1871, Paul's melancholy intensified. This contributes to both an unsettled personal life and the loss of the Paris Commune.
Family relations became even more complicated after Paul met another French poet. It was the famous Arthur Rimbaud. Anarchism and continuous nihilism are the two worldviews that characterize the work of Arthur and his biography. Paul Verlaine, pushed by a young genius, decides to break with the poetic tradition. He seriously thinks about the content of his poems.
Since the beginning of 1872, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud spend all their time together. They travel a lot in England and Belgium. Rimbaud believes that Paul needs to look for new ways of poetic creativity. They often quarrel and reconcile, until in the middle of 1873 a climax scandal occurs. Paul shoots at Arthur and wounds him in the shoulder. For this, Verlaine is sentenced to two years in prison. It will be released in January 1875.
Romances without words
All poems by Paul Verlaine are good, but included in the collection "Romances without words" are his best poetic achievement. The collection was published in 1874, when the author was in prison. The verses sound notes of melancholy, sadness and short oblivion. Some works resemble the impressionist landscapes, covered with gray mist or dissolved in fog. At the same time, the use of the visual capabilities of the language and the tendency to the synthesis of pictorial and verbal images are clearly traced.
Poetry and Damned Poets
In 1882, Paul published the poem "Poetic Art", which became a real manifesto for young symbolist poets. Although Paul himself did not advise the followers of his work to engage in imitation. It’s better to create your own original style. In the same year, the cycle “Cursed Poets” appeared, where the author spoke about the newest school of Symbolist poets and praised T. Corber, A. Rimbaud, S. Mallarmé and others. The success of this cycle allowed Paul to publish more of his own works and get good ones for them money. We can say that financially it was the best time in the life of the poet. This concludes his biography. Paul Verlaine died in 1896 from pneumonia.