Paul Verlaine

About

French Symbolist poet whose famous works include Romances sans paroles and Poemes saturniens. He was involved in the Parisian literary salon scene and was a contemporary of Anatole France, Charles Cros, and other prominent nineteenth-century intellectuals.

Before Fame

He published his first poem in 1863 in the literary journal La Revue du Progres.

Trivia

He spent his last years in destitution, suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.

Family Life

He abandoned his wife, Mathilde, to pursue an affair with Arthur Rimbaud.

Associated With

Composer Claude Debussy set many of Verlaine's poems, including the famous "Clair de lune," to music.