author
Stuart Merrill
1863–1915
An American-born poet who chose French as his main literary language, he became part of the Symbolist world that reshaped poetry in the late 1800s. His work is known for its musicality, dreamlike imagery, and cosmopolitan spirit.
1 Audiobook
Petits Poèmes d'Automne
by Stuart Merrill
About the author
Born in Hempstead, New York, on August 1, 1863, Stuart Merrill spent much of his literary life in France and wrote mainly in French rather than English. He became associated with the Symbolist movement, a circle of poets interested in suggestion, mood, and the music of language.
Merrill published several notable poetry collections, including Les Gammes (1887), Les Fastes (1891), and Petits Poèmes d'Automne (1895). Though American by birth, he is remembered chiefly as a French-language poet whose work moved easily across national boundaries.
He died in Versailles on December 1, 1915. Today, he stands out as an unusual and fascinating literary figure: an American expatriate who found his artistic voice in another language and helped shape one of the defining poetic movements of his era.