About
Théophile de Viau, born in 1590 in Clairac into a Protestant family, is a major figure of French Baroque. A poet and playwright, he opposed the classical rules of Malherbe. His only surviving play, Les Amours tragiques de Pyrame et Thisbé, was performed around 1621. Involved in the Parnasse satyrique scandal (1622), he was tried for blasphemy and sentenced to be burned, a sentence commuted to perpetual banishment after two years in prison. Protected by the Duke of Montmorency, he was exiled several times. Rediscovered in the 19th century by the Romantics, he is considered a precursor of poetic freedom.
* 1590-04-01 — † 1626-09-25
Major works
- Les Amours tragiques de Pyrame et Thisbé (1623)tragedy
- Traité de l'immortalité de l'âmephilosophical treatise
- Œuvres du Sieur Théophile (1621)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1622Involved in the scandal of Parnasse satyrique, a licentious collection published under his name.
- 1623Tried for blasphemy, sentenced to be burned then to perpetual banishment; imprisoned for nearly two years at the Conciergerie.
- 1626Dies in Paris on September 25.
Themes
poetic freedombaroquereligion and blasphemyexile and persecutiontragic love
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordreference.com · franklin.library.upenn.edu