Alfred de Vigny

Born in Loches, France, on March 27, 1797, Alfred de Vigny came from an aristocratic family whose fortunes had been diminished by the French Revolution. He began adult life in the army during the Bourbon Restoration, but the routine of military service disappointed him, and he gradually turned toward literature instead.

He became one of the early important figures of French Romanticism, though his writing has a calmer and more philosophical tone than some of his contemporaries. He wrote poetry, the historical novel Cinq-Mars, and the play Chatterton, and he also translated Shakespeare into French. Britannica describes him as the most philosophical of the French Romantics, which fits the serious, reflective spirit that runs through much of his work.

Later in life, he continued to write poetry and meditative prose while gaining recognition from France's literary establishment, including election to the Académie française. He died in Paris on September 17, 1863, leaving behind a body of work admired for its restraint, depth, and sense of moral endurance.