About
François de Malherbe, born around 1555 in Caen and died on October 16, 1628 in Paris, was a French poet, critic, and translator. Considered the founder of French classical poetry, he reformed the literary language by eliminating archaisms and excessive borrowings from Latin and Greek, imposing standards of clarity and technical perfection. Becoming court poet to Henry IV in 1605, then official poet to Louis XIII, he composed solemn odes, sonnets, and epigrams. His most famous poem, the Consolation to Duperier, contains the line 'And, rose, she lived as roses live.' He also translated Seneca and Livy.
* 1555-01-01 — † 1628-10-16
Major works
- Consolation à Duperierpoem
- Traité des bienfaitstranslation
- Odes à Marie de Médicisode
Key milestones
- 1605Becomes court poet to Henry IV.
- 1626His son Marc Antoine is killed in a duel.
- 1628Dies in Paris on October 16.
Themes
Reform of poetic languageClarity and technical perfectionCourt poetryTranslationConsolation
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordreference.com