
This collection gathers the poet’s earliest verses, beginning with the 1830s works that first introduced his delicate elegies, vivid landscapes, intimate interiors, and whimsical fantasies. The poems appear in their original chronological order, complete with the titles, dedications and epigraphs the author originally chose. A restored preface frames the first section, offering a glimpse of his youthful artistic intent.
The second volume moves forward to later creations, featuring the haunting “La Comédie de la Mort,” a series of Spanish‑inspired pieces, and a host of poems that originally surfaced only in periodicals. It also includes dozens of manuscripts uncovered from the poet’s own hand, many never before printed. Every line preserves the spelling and punctuation of the first editions, letting listeners hear the authentic voice of the era.
Together, the two volumes present a panoramic portrait of a 19th‑century French poet’s evolution—from romantic reverie to mature reflection—making for an immersive listening experience that celebrates lyrical beauty and historical fidelity.
Language
fr
Duration
~5 hours (337K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Clarity, Hélène de Mink, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr)
Release date
2013-11-14
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

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."
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