Baudelaire: Poems, Extracts & Commentary

Charles Pierre Baudelaire (1821–1867) was a notable French poet, essayist, art critic, and translator. His most renowned work, “Les Fleurs du mal” (The Flowers of Evil), captures a rapidly industrialising Paris undergoing Haussmann’s urban development. His poetic and prose-poetry styles had an enduring impact on the Modernity (Modernité) movement, its poets including Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, and Stéphane Mallarmé.

Born in Paris in 1821, Baudelaire’s early life was marked by the death of his father and a complex relationship with his mother. His education saw alternating periods of diligence and idleness. Despite studying law, he abandoned the idea of a conventional career, and instead pursued literature. He squandered his initial inheritance - living extravagantly with the actress Jeanne Duval.

Baudelaire’s involvement in the 1848 Revolutionary movement, with contributions to a revolutionary newspaper, reflected a fleeting interest in politics. He struggled with poor health and debts, with an irregular literary output in the early 1850s. He did, however, complete translations of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories.

In 1857, Baudelaire’s stepfather died, but reconciliation with his mother remained elusive. His most famous work, “Les Fleurs du mal,” encountered legal difficulties, resulting in fines and suppression of a number of its poems. Nevertheless, the work garnered praise, tempered by a degree of criticism, for its extensive exploration of themes including sex, death, decadence, and urban life.

Baudelaire’s last years were marked by financial difficulties, deteriorating health, and paralysis following a stroke. He died in 1867, leaving a lasting legacy as a key figure in French literary history.

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