Joseph-Pierre Borel d'Hauterive, known as Petrus Borel (26 June 1809 – 14 July 1859), was a French writer of the

Romantic movement Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

. Born at

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, the twelfth of fourteen children of an ironmonger, he studied architecture in Paris but abandoned it for literature. Nicknamed ''le Lycanthrope'' ("wolfman"), and the center of the circle of

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

in Paris, he was noted for extravagant and eccentric writing, foreshadowing

Surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

. He was not commercially successful though, and eventually was found a minor civil service post by his friends, including Théophile Gautier. He's also considered as a ''

poète maudit A ''poète maudit'' (, "accursed poet") is a poet living a life outside or against society. Abuse of drugs and alcohol, insanity, crime, violence, and in general any societal sin, often resulting in an early death, are typical elements of the bio ...

'', like

Aloysius Bertrand Louis Jacques Napoléon Bertrand, better known by his pen name Aloysius Bertrand (20 April 1807 — 29 April 1841), was a French Romantic poet, playwright and journalist. He is famous for having introduced prose poetry in French literature,Stuar ...

, or

Alice de Chambrier Alice de Chambrier (28 September 1861 – 20 December 1882) was a Swiss poet. She died from a diabetic coma at age 21, and her masterpiece is ''Au-delà'', an anthology of poems published by Philippe Godet. Biography Alice de Chambrier was bo ...

. Borel died at

Mostaganem Mostaganem ( ber, Mustɣanem; ar, مستغانم) is a port city in and capital of Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea and is 72 km ENE of Ora ...

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. He was the subject of a biography by

Enid Starkie Enid Mary Starkie CBE (18 August 1897 – 21 April 1970), was an Irish literary critic, known for her biographical works on French poets. She was a Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford, and Lecturer and then Reader in the University. Early life ...

, ''Petrus Borel: The Lycanthrope'' (1954).

Works

* ''Rhapsodies'' (1831) * ''Champavert, contes immoraux'' (1833) * ''Madame Putiphar'' (1839)

References

External links

* *
Text of selected Borel poems
(in French)
Text of Andreas Vesalius the Anatomist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borel, Petrus 19th-century French poets 1809 births 1859 deaths French horror writers French male poets 19th-century French male writers