About
Stéphane Mallarmé, born Étienne Mallarmé in 1842 in Paris, is a major French poet of the 19th century. Orphaned of his mother at age five, he experienced early bereavements that fueled his quest for the ideal. An English teacher, he moved in literary circles and became the leader of Symbolism. His work, marked by suggestion and rejection of reality, culminates in 'L'Après-midi d'un faune' and 'Un coup de dés'. He hosted the famous 'Tuesdays' literary gatherings and profoundly influenced poetry and literary theory in the 20th century.
* 1842-03-18 — † 1898-09-09
Major works
- L'Après-midi d'un faune (1876)poem
- Poésies (1887)poetry collection
- Divagations (1897)prose collection
- Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard (1897)typographic poem
- Hérodiadedramatic poem
Key milestones
- 1863Marries Maria Gerhard and begins his career as an English teacher.
- 1884Paul Verlaine brings him to public attention in 'Les Poètes maudits'.
- 1897Publishes 'Un coup de dés', an innovative typographic poem.
Themes
the ideal and the realsuggestion and mysterydeath and mourninglanguage and poetrychance and necessity
Sources: data.bnf.fr · britannica.com · poetryfoundation.org