born Oct. 30, 1871, Sète, France
died July 20, 1945, Paris
French poet, essayist, and critic.
A student of law, Valéry wrote many poems during 1888–91, some published in magazines of the Symbolist movement . After 1894 he wrote daily in his notebooks, later published as the famous Cahiers . He revised his early work to create his greatest poem, La Jeune Parque (1917). It was followed by Album de vers anciens, 1890–1900 (1920) and Charmes ou poèmes (1922), containing "Le Cimetière marin," which established him as the outstanding French poet of his time. His works are typically variations on the theme of the tension within the human consciousness between the desire for contemplation and the will to action. He later became a prominent public personage, writing many essays and occasional papers on literary topics and taking a great interest in science and political problems.
Paul Valéry.
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