About
French Symbolist poet whose famous works include Romances sans paroles and Poemes saturniens. He was involved in the Parisian literary salon scene and was a contemporary of Anatole France, Charles Cros, and other prominent nineteenth-century intellectuals.
Before Fame
He published his first poem in 1863 in the literary journal La Revue du Progres.
Trivia
He spent his last years in destitution, suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.
Family Life
He abandoned his wife, Mathilde, to pursue an affair with Arthur Rimbaud.
Associated With
Composer Claude Debussy set many of Verlaine's poems, including the famous "Clair de lune," to music.
