Paul-Marie Verlaine was born in Metz, France on March 30, 1844, some thirteen years after the marriage of his parents Élisa and Nicolas-Auguste, an army officer. His early years (1844-1850) were marked by frequent upheaval as the family moved around France to the towns and cities where Nicolas was successively garrisoned. Partly owing to his father’s relative affluence and partly to his mother’s excessive attention and pampering of her only child, Verlaine enjoyed a rather privileged and carefree childhood. By the time he left school with his baccalauréat in 1862, Verlaine had already penned three poems: the distinctly Baudelairian Aspiration [Aspiration] and Fadaises [Twaddle], as well as what is be

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First published 21 July 2004

Citation: English, Alan. "Paul Verlaine". The Literary Encyclopedia. 21 July 2004.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4536, accessed 9 February 2010.]