Charles Pierre Baudelaire (English pronunciation: /ˈboʊdəlɛər/,French: [ʃaʁl bodlɛʁ]) (9 April 1821 - 31 August 1867) was a nineteenth century French poet, critic, and translator. A controversial figure in his lifetime, Baudelaire's name has become a byword for literary and artistic decadence. At the same time his works, in particular his book of poetry Les fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil), have been acknowledged as classics of French literatu...
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Charles Pierre Baudelaire (English pronunciation: /ˈboʊdəlɛər/,French: [ʃaʁl bodlɛʁ]) (9 April 1821 - 31 August 1867) was a nineteenth century French poet, critic, and translator. A controversial figure in his lifetime, Baudelaire's name has become a byword for literary and artistic decadence. At the same time his works, in particular his book of poetry Les fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil), have been acknowledged as classics of French literature.
Baudelaire was born in Paris, France in 1821. His father, François Baudelaire, a senior civil servant and amateur artist, was thirty-four years older than Baudelaire's mother Caroline. François died during Baudelaire's childhood, in 1827. The following year, Caroline married Lieutenant Colonel Jacques Aupick, who later became a French ambassador to various noble courts.
Baudelaire's relationship with his mother was a close and complex one, and it dominated his life. He later stated ; "I loved my mother for her elegance. I was a precocious...
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