Théodore Faullain de Banville (; 14 March 1823 – 13 March 1891) was a French poet and writer. His work was influential on the
Symbolist movement in French literature in the late 19th century.
Biography
Banville was born in
Moulins in
Allier
Allier ( , , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region that borders Cher (department), Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire (department), Loire to the east, Pu ...
,
Auvergne, the son of a captain in the French navy. His boyhood, by his own account, was cheerlessly passed at a ''
lycée'' in Paris; he was not harshly treated, but took no part in the amusements of his companions. On leaving school with but slender means of support, he devoted himself to letters, and in 1842 published his first volume of verse (''Les Cariatides''), which was followed by ''Les Stalactites'' in 1846. The poems encountered some adverse criticism, but secured for their author the approbation and friendship of
Alfred de Vigny
Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (; 27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticism, Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare.
Biography
Vigny was born in Loches (a town to wh ...
and
Jules Janin.
From then on, Banville's life was steadily devoted to literary production and criticism. He printed other volumes of verse, among which the ''Odes funambulesques'' (1857) received unstinted praise from
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician.
His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...
, to whom they were dedicated. Later, several comedies in verse were produced at the
Théâtre Français and on other stages; and from 1853 onwards a stream of prose flowed from his industrious pen, including studies of Parisian manners, sketches of well-known persons, and a series of tales, most of which were republished in his collected works (1875–1878). He also wrote freely for reviews, and acted as dramatic critic for more than one newspaper. Throughout a life spent mainly in Paris, Banville's genial character and cultivated mind won him the friendship of the chief men of letters of his time.
Legacy
In 1858 Banville was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, and was promoted to an Officier de la Légion d'honneur in 1886. He died in Paris in 1891 at the age of 68, and was buried in
Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...
.
There is a street named after him in the 17th ''Arrondissement'' in Paris. There is also a street named Theodore de Banville in Nice, France.
French
Impressionist composer
Claude Debussy
Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...
used many of Banville's poems for his art songs, including "Nuit d'étoiles" and "Zéphyr."
German composer
Georgina Schubert (1840-1878) used Banville’s text for her lieder “L’ame d’un ange.”
References
External links
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Complete Poetic Works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banville, Theodore De
1823 births
1891 deaths
Writers from Moulins, Allier
19th-century French poets
Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery
French male poets
19th-century French male writers