Selected Poems of Guillaume Apollinaire

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918) was a French poet, writer, critic, and art theorist. He was born in Rome as Guillaume Albert Vladimir Alexandre Apollinaire de Kostrowitzky, but later became a naturalized French citizen. He is renowned as one of the most significant French poets of the 20th century. Apollinaire’s notable works include “Zone,” “La Chanson du mal-aimer,” and “Le Pont Mirabeau,” which have inspired numerous lyrical adaptations.

Apollinaire also experimented with calligrams, which are poems presented as visual artworks. He championed various artistic avant-garde movements of his time, such as Cubism and Orphism, both as a poet and a theoretician.

Apollinaire is recognized as a precursor of surrealism, coining the term in his drama “Les Mamelles de Tirésias” (1917). His upbringing and life were marked by complexity of circumstance, including his mother’s origins in the Russian Empire, and his diverse early education in various locations, including Nice and Belgium.

In 1900, Apollinaire moved to Paris, where he struggled financially. He worked as a bank employee and wrote for Le Matin. Over time, however, he established himself as a poet and journalist, building connections with artists, including Pablo Picasso, and becoming an art critic.

Despite various personal challenges, including legal issues and a brief imprisonment, Apollinaire continued to write prolifically, publishing collections such as “Le Bestiaire ou Cortège d’Orphée” and “Alcools.” In 1914, he attempted to enlist in the French army but was initially rejected due to his nationality. He later served during World War I.

Apollinaire married his wife Jacqueline (Amélia Emma Louise Kolb) in 1918, who later published many of his works posthumously. His life was tragically cut short by the Spanish flu, and he died on November 9, 1918. He is buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, where a memorial monument designed by Serge Férat commemorates his legacy.

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