Verlaine left a deep trace in poetry, shaking the immutable foundations of romanticism and classicism.
The desire for repetition of harmony, an unusual perspective on the image of emotional experiences, musical harmony - these are the hallmarks of Verlaine's style.
Verlaine is a complex, contradictory personality, largely incomprehensible to contemporaries. He gave poetry his own unique style, based on the contrast between musicality and the dissonance of sounds. Just like in his own life. The collections of his poems open the sad world of intangible being, the universe of eternally elusive reality.
Biography of Paul Verlaine is saturated with long periods of lack of money, scandals and restlessness. All his life he suffered from severe blows of fate, practically without any resistance. His constant companion was alcohol. And, despite his fame and talent, he finally sank down and ended his days in terrible poverty.
Youth Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was born March 30, 1844 in Metz. His father, captain Nicolas Auguste Verlaine, originally from the Belgian Ardennes, served in the local garrison. Paul was the only child of his mother Eliza – Julie – Joseph – Stephanie Dehe.
Ardennes, or rather, a small house in Palizel, where Paul lived with his aunt on his paternal side, left a deep mark in the poet's soul. A lovely village surrounded by fields and gloomy forests. Here the poet spent summer vacations until the age of 18. Then with tenderness he wrote in his verses about these lands. He often drew inspiration from the sad landscapes drunk with lyricism, colors and the nature of his attractive homeland.
Further, the biography of Paul Verlaine takes us to Paris, where his family moved in 1851. The Batignell quarter, where mostly retired military men lived, became his second homeland.
Brief biography of Paul Verlaine, the beginning of the poetic path
In 1862, Verlaine received a bachelor's degree in literature. It was during this period that the future poet became acquainted with the works of Baudelaire, the literary cafes of Paris and the famous "Green Fairy" - absinthe. Verlaine said: "What a fool came up with this witch called a fairy."
Paul very quickly got tired of studying for a lawyer. He connected his future destiny with poetry: he began to actively visit literary cafes and salons, in particular, the salon of the Marquise de Ricard, which was fascinated by Parnassians. He began to see often with Leconte de Lille, who was considered the head of the whole movement, with Francois Coppe and others, as well as with Alphonse Lemer, his future publisher. During this period he published his first poems - the sonnet "Mr. Prudom", and in 1864 - the collection "Saturnic poems." The poems were released at the expense of the cousin of the author Eliza Moncomble. The book was published in a print run of 491 copies. Literary circles greeted this collection coolly.
In a short time, the poet first lost his father, then his beloved cousin. Verlaine was very worried about the departure of his dear people and was addicted to alcohol.
Marriage of Verlaine
In 1869, he met Matilda Mote de Fleurville, she became his muse. The collection "Good Songs" was released. In poetry, the poet naively described the development of his love feelings for a seventeen-year-old girl. The wedding took place on August 11, 1870. The young couple settled on Cardinal Lemoine Street in house number two, overlooking the Seine, on the fifth and last floor.
In 1871, after the Commune, Verlaine entered the service of the city hall. The couple moved to the apartment of his wife’s relatives, at number 14 on Nicole Street. But only a few weeks after their move, Rimbaud will burst into this house and forever ruin the life of the young spouses and Verlaine’s intention to begin a respectable life.
Paul Verlaine, short biography: he and Rimbaud
Verlaine himself invited Rimbaud to Paris, after he met his poems and received a letter from Arthur.
Verlaine and Rimbaud began their reckless life in Paris, full of high-profile stories and creativity. They found inspiration in each other. Revels of friends often ended in scandals. Perhaps, it was from this period that the biography of Paul Verlaine gained a tragic turn.
Under the influence of Rimbaud and alcohol Verlaine's behavior became completely immoral. He abused his young wife Matilda, who, in the end, escaped with her son George, born in October 1871.
Verlaine and Rimbaud became close. Their scandalous love and spiritual relationship lasted more than two years. During this time, Verlaine repeatedly tried to return to the family nest, but the attraction to Rimbaud won.
July 10, 1873 there was a dramatic event that forever severed relations between poets. In Brussels, Verlaine, under the influence of alcohol, shot Rambo twice and injured his left wrist. Despite the withdrawn statement of the victim, Fields was imprisoned for two years.
The period from 1871 to 1874 is the most productive in the work of both poets. The talent of one feeds the inspiration of another, giving rise to new stylistic forms.
Biography of Paul Verlaine after prison does not tell anything good. At first, his life seemed to take a calm turn. He got a job as a teacher, plunged into religion. But this lasted only two and a half years. Then his beloved student Lucien Letinois appeared in his life, because of the attachment to which and the poet's renewed binges were dismissed. He and Lucien are buying an estate in which they live happily, but not for long. Due to financial turmoil, Verlaine has to sell this estate, and Lucien dies of typhoid fever. Paul moves to live with his mother, writes the collection "Love" in memory of Lucien. Again, embarks on a wild life, drunk and scandalous.
For two months, the poet is again imprisoned for bullying his mother, after which they move to Paris, where the unfortunate woman soon dies, and Verlaine becomes completely poor.
In the last 10 years of his life, his work was finally recognized as brilliant, and the Ministry of National Education assigned him a grant. However, the biography of Paul Verlaine makes a new turn - Paul has an ulcer on his leg, which the poet can not heal. He wanders from hospital to hospital, and during breaks he drinks and wanders around the Latin Quarter.
On January 8, 1896, Verlaine died of pneumonia. His funeral procession was accompanied by thousands of fans, poets, representatives of the Parisian bohemia and close friends.
The poet was buried at the Batignolles cemetery next to his relatives.
The full biography of Paul Verlaine deserves close attention. It occupies an important place in the history of French poetry, giving it more freedom and musicality and a huge variety of new sizes and rhymes.