author
Stéphane Mallarmé
1842–1898
A central voice of French Symbolism, he pushed poetry toward suggestion, mystery, and musical language rather than plain statement. His daring style shaped generations of modern writers and artists long after his lifetime.
1 Audiobook
Pages
by Stéphane Mallarmé
About the author
Born in Paris in 1842, Stéphane Mallarmé became one of the defining poets of the Symbolist movement in France. He worked for many years as an English teacher, while steadily building a reputation for poetry that was compressed, elusive, and intensely concerned with the power of language itself.
His best-known works include L'Après-midi d'un faune and the late experimental poem Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard. Mallarmé also held famous Tuesday evening gatherings in Paris, where writers, artists, and intellectuals met to talk about literature and new ideas.
Though his poems were often seen as difficult, their influence was enormous. He helped open the way for major developments in modern poetry and inspired artists far beyond literature, including composers and painters.