Paul Verlaine

A well-known French poet associated with the Symbolist movement is Paul-Marie Verlaine (Paul Verlaine) born on March 30, 1855 in Paris. Verlaine began writing poetry at an early and his first poem was published in 1863. He learned his style by rubbing shoulders with Anatole France, Charlos Cros and Emmanuel Chabrier. His first collection Poemes saturniens in 1866 was criticized, but he was established now as a poet of originality.
Verlaine feel in love with Mathilde Maute de Fleurvill and they were married in 1870. In 1870 Verlaine enlisted with the 160th battalion of the Garde nationale. He was the controller of the Central Committee of the Paris Commune's press bureau.
In 1971 Verlaine returned to Paris and promptly abandoned his wife and their son. His new love Rimbuad (Arthur) took them to London where Verlaine shot Rimbuad in the wrist. His subsequent imprisonment provided a conversion to Roman Catholicism.
Verlaine's poetry collected in Romances sanas paroles (1874) was inspired by Verlaine's recollections of his life with Mathilde and his escapades with Rimbaud. After his imprisonment, Verlaine traveled to England and worked as a teacher in Lincolnshire. His English years produced Sagesse and he returned to France, feel in love with Lucien Letinois and wrote more poems.
Verlaine's poems were musical inspirations to Claude Debussy (Clair de Lune) and composer Poldowski set many of Verlaine's poetry to music. Verlaine died at 51 (January 8 1896) after a bought of alcoholism and drug dependence. He was buried in Paris.