Guillaume Apollinaire

Born in Rome on August 26, 1880, and known originally as Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Aleksander Apolinary Kostrowicki, Guillaume Apollinaire became one of the defining literary voices of early twentieth-century France. He was a poet, novelist, playwright, and art critic whose life brought together many strands of modern culture.

In Paris he moved among painters and writers at the center of the avant-garde, championing new art and helping shape the language around movements such as Cubism. He is especially remembered for poetry collections including Alcools and Calligrammes, works that expanded what poems could look and sound like, from musical lyricism to boldly experimental visual forms.

His later years were marked by World War I: he served in the French army, was wounded, and continued writing through the upheaval. He died in Paris on November 9, 1918, during the influenza pandemic, leaving behind a body of work that influenced generations of modern poets and artists.