author
Catulle Mendès
1841–1909
A vivid figure in French literary life, this prolific poet, novelist, playwright, and critic moved at the heart of the Parnassian movement. His writing is known for its polish, sensuality, and flair for theatrical subjects.
6 Audiobooks
Les oiseaux bleus
by Catulle Mendès
Véritables mémoires de Cagliostro
by Catulle Mendès, Richard Lesclide
Jupe courte
by Catulle Mendès
L'art d'aimer: ou conseils à un jeune homme qui se destine à l'amour
by Catulle Mendès
L'homme tout nu
by Catulle Mendès
Le crime du vieux Blas
by Catulle Mendès
About the author
Born in Bordeaux in 1841, Catulle Mendès became a prominent French man of letters in the second half of the nineteenth century. He settled in Paris while still young, founded La Revue fantaisiste, and quickly made a name for himself in literary circles through his poems, fiction, criticism, and plays.
He is most often linked with the Parnassians, a group that valued formal craft and artistic precision. Mendès wrote with remarkable range, producing poetry, novels, librettos, and drama, and he remained a visible presence in French cultural life for decades.
His career was both productive and controversial, and his connections to leading writers and artists of his time helped keep him at the center of the literary world. He died in 1909, leaving behind a large and varied body of work that captures the richness and ambition of fin-de-siècle French literature.