One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances

Théophile Gautier

1811–1872

A vivid voice of 19th-century French literature, he brought poetry, novels, travel writing, and art criticism together with a strong belief in beauty for its own sake. Best known for works like Mademoiselle de Maupin, Captain Fracasse, and Émaux et Camées, he helped shape the movement later linked with "art for art’s sake."