Paul Verlaine

Alan English (St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra)
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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 believed to be his first poem

La Mort [Death]

which was sent to Victor Hugo, along…

2859 words

Citation: English, Alan. "Paul Verlaine". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 July 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4536, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4536 Paul Verlaine 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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