On This Gay Day | Poet Paul Verlaine was born in 1844

On This Gay Day | Poet Paul Verlaine was born in 1844

Paul Verlaine is remembered as one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in French poetry, and for his passionate love affair with fellow poet Arthur Rimbaud. Verlaine worked in Paris in the civil service, but he had written poetry since childhood. In 1866 his first collection of poems was published, earning him a reputation as a poet of promise and originality. In 1871 he became a Communard, joining the working-class movement tha…