Guillaume Apollinaire

Born in Rome in 1880 and raised with a complicated multinational background, Guillaume Apollinaire became one of the most influential French-language poets of the early 20th century. He made his literary life in Paris, where he worked as a poet, critic, and champion of new art, closely connected with the circles around Cubism and other modern movements.

He is especially remembered for books such as Alcools and Calligrammes, which helped redefine what poetry could look and sound like. Alongside his poems, he wrote criticism and coined the term "Surrealism," showing how deeply involved he was in the artistic revolutions of his time.

During World War I he served in the French army and was seriously wounded. He died in Paris in 1918, at just 38, but his influence on modern poetry and modern art has lasted far beyond his short life.