Tristan Corbière

Born Édouard-Joachim Corbière in Brittany in 1845, Tristan Corbière grew up close to the coast and spent much of his life around Morlaix. He was the son of writer and sailor Édouard Corbière, and the sea left a deep mark on his imagination and language.

His life was short and often troubled by illness, and he died in 1875 at just twenty-nine. During his lifetime he published only one collection, Les Amours jaunes (1873), a book full of jagged wit, slang, shifting tones, and bitter humor that stood apart from the smoother poetry of its day.

Although he was little known while he was alive, later writers and critics recognized how original he was. Readers now remember him for poetry that feels restless, musical, mocking, and deeply personal all at once.