About
Victor Segalen, born in Brest in 1878, was a naval doctor, poet, ethnographer and archaeologist. After a stay in Tahiti (1903-1904) where he acquired works by Gauguin, he published Les Immémoriaux in 1907, a novel about the decline of Maori civilization. In China (1909-1914, 1917), he led archaeological missions and published Stèles (1912), a collection of prose poems. He died in 1919 in the Huelgoat forest, leaving major posthumous works such as René Leys and Équipée.
* 1878-01-14 — † 1919-05-21
Major works
- Les Immémoriaux (1907)novel
- Stèles (1912)poetry collection
- René Leys (1922)novel
- Équipée (1929)narrative
- Essai sur l'exotismeessay
Key milestones
- 1903Posted to Tahiti, he acquired works by Paul Gauguin after the painter's death.
- 1914Led an archaeological mission in Sichuan, funded by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.
- 1934His name is inscribed at the Panthéon in Paris for services rendered during World War I.
Themes
exoticismothernesscultural diversityarchaeologyprose poetry
Sources: poetryfoundation.org · heritage.bnf.fr