Poet Charles Baudelaire: biography, creativity

Charles Baudelaire is a famous critic, poet and classic of French literature. Member of the Revolution of 1848. It is considered the forerunner of French symbolism. In this article you will be presented with his brief biography. So, let's get started.

Childhood

Charles Baudelaire, whose biography is known to all lovers of French poetry, was born in Paris in 1821. In the future, he will call the marriage of his parents "awkward, senile and pathological." Father was older than his mother for thirty years. Francois Baudelaire drew pictures and from childhood instilled in his son a love of art. He often went with Charles to various galleries and museums, and also introduced him to fellow artists. Francois died when the boy was barely six years old. A year later, Charles's mother remarried. Her chosen one was General Olik, with whom the future poet did not immediately have a relationship. The second marriage of the mother violated Charles's peace of mind . He developed the classical Oedipus complex. Because of this, the future poet committed in his youth a lot of shocking for society actions.

Learning

At the age of 11, Charles Baudelaire, whose biography is now in many literary encyclopedias, moved with his family to Lyon. There he was assigned to a boarding school, and then to the Royal College. In 1836, the family returned to Paris, and Charles entered the Lyceum of St. Louis. Later, the boy was expelled from there for a misdemeanor. In 1839, he shocked his parents with a statement that he wanted to devote his life to literature. Nevertheless, Charles still went to the school Charter, but appeared there very rarely. The future poet was most attracted by the student life of the Latin Quarter. It was there that he made a lot of debts and got addicted to drugs. But the most generous "gift" of the Latin Quarter was syphilis. It was from him that Baudelaire would die a quarter of a century later.

Journey

Seeing how his son "rolls" on an incline, the parents decided to take the situation into their own hands. India - that's where, on the instructions of his stepfather, was to go on board Charles Baudelaire. The voyage lasted only two months, as the ship got into a storm, having reached only to the island of Mauritius. There the poet asked the captain to send him back to France. Yet a short trip had a definite influence on Baudelaire's work. In his future works will be traced sea smells, sounds and tropical landscapes. In 1842 Charles Baudelaire, whose biography was full of various events, reached adulthood and gained the right to own an inheritance. The 75 thousand francs received allowed the young man to lead the carefree life of the secular dandy. Two years later, half of the inheritance was wasted, and the mother legally established custody of the remaining finances.

Participation in the revolution

Baudelaire deeply offended her behavior. He viewed the act of the mother as an encroachment on his own freedom. The restriction in money had a negative impact on his life. Charles had nothing to pay the creditors, who will pursue the poet until the end of days. All this increased the rebellious mood of the young man. In 1848, the poet Charles Baudelaire was imbued with the spirit of the February Revolution and took part in barricade battles. His opinion on this issue changed the December coup of 1851. The young man felt disgust for politics and completely lost interest in it.

Creation

The literary activity of the poet began with the writing of critical articles about French painters (Delacroix and David). The first published work of Charles was called "Salon of 1845". The great influence on the young poet was provided by the works of Edgar Poe. Charles Baudelaire, whose books have not yet been published, wrote critical articles about him. He also translated Po's works. And interest in the creativity of this author Baudelaire preserved for the rest of his life. From 1857 to 1867 in the periodical press, quite a lot of poems in prose, written by Charles. After his death, they were collected in a single cycle "Paris Splin" and published in 1869.

Psychedelic experiments

The hero of this article owns the most distinct for that time description of the effect of hashish on the human body . There is also a hypothesis that there are a number of works that, under the influence of psychotropic drugs, Charles Baudelaire wrote ("Destruction", etc.). But it is unconfirmed.

From 1844 to 1848 the poet was a regular visitor to the "Club of Hashishists", founded by Joseph-Jacques Moreau. Basically Charles used Daviesc. Another member of the club, Theophile Gautier, said that Baudelaire did not accept him on a permanent basis, but did it only for experimental purposes. Yes, and hashish was a poet disgusting. Subsequently, Charles was addicted to opium, but in the early 50's was able to overcome this addiction. Later, he created a cycle of three articles entitled "Artificial Paradise", where he described in detail his psychedelic experiments.

Two works by Baudelaire Charles ("Poem on hashish", "Wine and hashish"), were entirely devoted to cannabinoids. The hero of this article considered interesting the impact of these substances on the body, but was against their admission to stimulate creative activity. According to the poet, wine could make a person sociable and happy. The drug also isolated it. "Wine, rather, extols the will, and hashish just destroys it" - that's what Charles Baudelaire said. Correspondence to these words, can be found in the thematic articles of the poet. Although there he tried to reason as objectively as possible, without falling into moralizing and without exaggerating the psychotropic effects of hashish. That is why most readers trusted his conclusions.

The harbinger of symbolism

"Flowers of Evil" - this is a collection of poems, thanks to which Charles Baudelaire became famous ("Hymn to Beauty" - one of the most famous of his works, which included it). It was published in the middle of 1857. Against the typographers, the publisher and the author, a criminal trial was immediately instituted. They were accused of blasphemy and obscenity. As a result, six of his works were taken from his collection by Charles Baudelaire ("The Hymn to Beauty" was not one of them), and also paid a fine of 300 francs. Removed poems will be published in Belgium in 1866 (in France, the censorship will be removed only by 1949). In 1861, the 2nd edition of the "Flowers of Evil" was published, which included thirty new works. Also Baudelaire decided to change the content, dividing it into six chapters. Now the collection has turned into a kind of autobiography of the poet.

Content

The longest was the first chapter of "Ideal and Spleen." In it, Baudelaire "breaks" opposing thoughts: in order to gain inner harmony, he prays both Satan (the animal principle) and God (the spiritual principle). The second chapter of "Parisian paintings" takes readers to the streets of the capital of France, according to which Charles wanders all day long, tormented by his troubles. In the third chapter Baudelaire tries to calm herself with drugs or wine. The fourth chapter of the "Flowers of Evil" describes the innumerable sins and temptations before which Charles could not resist. In the fifth chapter the poet vehemently rebels against his own destiny. The last chapter, entitled "Death", is the end of Baudelaire's wanderings. Described in it the sea becomes a symbol of the liberation of the soul.

Love lyrics

Jeanne Duval became the first girl for whom Charles Baudelaire started writing. Poems about love were devoted to her regularly. In 1852 the poet temporarily parted with this fateful mulatto, which constantly led him to suicide by infidelity and spiteful antics. A new Baudelaire muse was Appoloniya Sabatier, who used to work as a model and was friends with many artists. Her relationship with the poet was exclusively platonic.

Disease

In 1865, Charles Baudelaire, whose biography was presented in this article, left for Belgium. Life there seemed boring. Nevertheless, the poet spent almost two and a half years in this country. Charles's health was constantly deteriorating. Once he lost consciousness right in the church and fell on the stone steps.

In 1866 the poet fell seriously ill. Charles described his illness as follows: choking, confused thoughts, a sense of falling, a dizziness and pain, a cold sweat appeared, apathy appeared. He did not mention syphilis for obvious reasons. The days went by, and Charles's health gradually deteriorated. In early April, he was taken to the hospital in Brussels in grave condition. But after the arrival of his mother Baudelaire was transferred to the hotel. The poet looked horrible: an absent look, a twisted mouth, an inability to pronounce words. The disease quickly progressed and the doctors said that there must be some miracle in order to recover Charles Baudelaire. The poet died in late August 1867.

Interesting Facts

• For 17 years, Baudelaire translated the works of Edgar Allan Poe into French. Charles considered him his spiritual brother.
• The poet found a grand period of reconstruction of the French capital, initiated by Baron Osman.
• In Paris, the poet lived in about 40 addresses.

Charles Baudelaire - Quotes

• "Having fun is not so boring as working."
• "And why are women allowed to go to church? I wonder what they talk about with God? ".
• "Life can be compared to a hospital where every patient tries to move to a more comfortable bed."
• "A woman is an invitation to happiness."
• "The most difficult work is one that you can not dare to begin with. It becomes a nightmare for you. "