José-Maria de Heredia

Born on November 22, 1842, at La Fortuna near Santiago de Cuba, he was the son of a Spanish father and a French mother. He was educated in France and made his literary life there, eventually becoming a major figure in French poetry.

He is most closely associated with the Parnassian school, which favored craftsmanship, clarity, and careful form over personal confession. His reputation rests especially on Les Trophées (1893), a celebrated collection of sonnets admired for their sculpted language and richly visual scenes drawn from the ancient world, the Renaissance, and far-off places.

His standing was confirmed when he was elected to the Académie française in 1894. Though he published relatively little, his exacting style gave him an influence far beyond the size of his output, and he remains a key name for readers interested in formal French poetry of the late nineteenth century.