Albert Samain
Albert Samain was a French poet born on April 3, 1858, in Lille, France, to a merchant family. His early education was disrupted by financial difficulties following his father's death, leading him to work various jobs, including in a bank and later for sugar merchants. Despite these challenges, Samain devoted his spare time to writing, eventually publishing his first poems in the literary journal Le Chat noir in 1884. He played a significant role in the literary community by co-founding the influential journal Mercure de France in 1890 and forming friendships with notable writers of his time.
Samain's notable work includes his first poetry collection, *Au Jardin de l'infante*, published in 1893, which garnered critical acclaim and won him a prestigious award from the French Academy. Although his subsequent collection, *Aux Flancs du Vase*, did not achieve the same success, he is remembered for his accessible language and intricate imagery that resonates with a broad audience. Unfortunately, his life was cut short by tuberculosis, leading to his death on August 18, 1900. Despite a limited output, Samain’s poetry continues to be anthologized and appreciated for its beauty and depth, ensuring his legacy in French literature persists into the twenty-first century.
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Albert Samain
Poet
- Born: April 3, 1858
- Birthplace: Lille, France
- Died: August 18, 1900
- Place of death: Magny-les Hameaux, France
Biography
Albert Samain was born to Adolphe-Jean Baptiste Samain and Célina Sophie Moquet Samain on April 3, 1858, in Lille, France. His father was a merchant. In 1868, Samain attended briefly the Lycée Faidherbe, where he early on demonstrated his devotion to literature. When his father died in the same year, the family faced difficult financial circumstances; consequently, in 1872, Samain left school to take a job in a bank to support himself and his family. He later began working for sugar merchants who sent him to Paris in 1880. During this time, he also worked on his writing in his spare time.
Samain’s first publications were a series of short stories for a local newspaper. By 1883, unhappy in his work for the sugar merchants, he became a civil servant by first passing a competitive examination. He worked as an assistant copying clerk in an education office.
In 1884, Samain published his first poems in Le Chat noir, a literary journal. He followed this publication with further work appearing in the journal Le Scapin. In 1887, he traveled to Germany and Holland, and in 1889, he visited Italy.
At the same time, Samain was expanding his contacts in the literary community. He became friends with the poet Laurent Tailhade as well as the novelists Marguerite Eymery and Alfred Vallette. In 1890, Samain founded the literary journal Mercure de France with Vallette and his wife, now known as Rachilde. During the same year, he traveled to England with his friend Raymond Bonheur. He also fell in love the same year, but the romance did not result in marriage.
In 1893, Samain published his first collection of poetry, Au Jardin de l’infante. This volume achieved fine critical notice, and was republished with additional poems in 1894 and 1897. Both editions sold well. With successful publication behind him, Samain entered a poetry contest in 1893, winning first prize for his work. However, his second collection, Aux Flancs du Vase, published in 1898, was not as successful.
By 1898, Samain had contracted tuberculosis. Bonheur took him to the Mediterranean coast to help improve his health in the winter. Samain returned to Paris and finished his drama Polyphème. By 1900, his health had deteriorated so much that he could not work and we went to live with his sister in Lille. Bonheur encouraged him to move to the village of Magny- les Hameaux, where Bonheur himself lived. Samain died there on August 18, 1900.
Samain’s reputation as a poet rests firmly on his volume Au Jardin de l’infante. This volume won for Samain the important Archon Desperouses prize offered by the French Academy in 1893. While his output was small, his reputation has endured; he is most noted for his accessible language and beautiful verse. At the same time, his images are complex, lending depth to work written in the language of common people. For a poet whose work was limited, Samain has nonetheless remained a highly anthologized poet and has maintained a level of popularity into the twenty-first century.