Jules Laforgue (16 August, 1860 – 20 August, 1887) is considered to be a Symbolist poet, who dabbled in impressionism. His career was short but very prolific.
Fun Facts about Jules Laforgue:
- Jules Laforgue was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to Charles-Benoît Laforgue and Pauline Lacollay. His father was a school teacher and then worked at a bank.
- The future poet had ten siblings, he was the second eldest. His older brother is famous sculptor Émile Laforgue.
- The family moved back to France in 1866 and lived in Tarbes, Charles-Benoît’s hometown. A year later, however, the family returned to Uruguay but left Émile and Jules to be raised by a cousin.
- Jules Laforgue was never a good student. He failed his baccalaureate exams three times. However, he took great interest in French authors and museums.
- While living in Paris, Mr. Laforgue managed to publish his first poem in 1879. A year later, after several more publications, he started getting noticed and started to climb in Paris’ literary circles.
- The year 1881 was a formative one. Jules Laforgue started to attend lectures which enhanced his inters in the arts. A rich collector of impressionist art hired him as his secretary and he wrote the novel Stephane Vassiliew.
- The poet Walt Whitman influenced Mr. Laforgue to write in free verse.
- At the end of 1881, Mr Laforgue moved to Berlin, Germany. He worked for Empress Augusta as a French reader. The poet was well-paid and had a lot of time to pursue his interests. It was there that he wrote what was to become his masterpiece, The Imitation of Our Lady the Moon (L’Imitation de Notre-Dame la Lune).
- In 1886 he returned to France and married an Englishwoman named Leah Lee. His poetry was published alongside famous poets in magazines. The next year, he died of tuberculosis, with his wife dying shortly afterward.
- The painter Renoir used Mr. Laforgue as a model for his painting Luncheon of the Boating Party.
Zohar – Man of la Book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
Sources:
Jules Laforgue: French poet | Britannica
--- Please like and follow ManOfLaBook.com ---
Summary
Article Name
Fun Facts Friday: Jules Laforgue
Description
Jules Laforgue (16 August, 1860 – 20 August, 1887) is considered to be a Symbolist poet, who dabbled in impressionism. His career was short but very prolific.
Author
Man of la Book
Publisher Name
Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog
Publisher Logo
No Comments