Educated in Lyon and the College Louis-le-Grand in Paris, Baudelaire decided on a literary career. In 1841, he travelled to India, ostensibly sent by his guardians who objected to his life style. In 1845, he published Salon de 1845, an art criticism and review which was widely respected. He took part in the 1848 Revolution and was interested in Republican politics. In 1857, he produced Les Fleurs de mal (Flowers of Evil), his first and, arguably, his most famous volume of poems. Because of the themes of death and sex, the book created a scandal at the time and resulted in Baudelaire being prosecuted for offending public morals. During the 1860's, he spent much of his time translating the works of Edgar Allan Poe, whom he greatly admired. In 1864, after his publisher went bankrupt, he went to Brussels where he began to drink heavily. He suffered a stroke in 1866 and spent the last two years of his life in asylums. Today he is considered one of the most influential French poets of the 19th century. His other works include La Fanfarlo (1847), Les paradis artificiels (1860), Le Peintre de la Vie Moderne (1863) and Curiosities Esthetiques (1868-post.). |
Chrysoma Associates Limited
