Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle
Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle was a prominent French poet and a key figure in the Parnassian literary movement of the late 19th century. Born on October 22, 1818, on the island of Réunion, he later moved to France where he studied law before dedicating himself to literature. His early attempts at publishing included literary journals, which did not meet with success, but he continued to develop his craft and became an ardent abolitionist, diverging from his family's colonial background.
Leconte de Lisle's poetry often drew inspiration from classical and religious texts, with notable collections such as "Poèmes antiques" (1852) and "Poèmes et poésies" (1855) exploring themes from Greek mythology as well as Hindu literature. His work earned him recognition from the French Academy, including an honorable mention and the prestigious Lambert prize. He played a significant role in the Parnassians, fostering a literary community that included influential contemporaries like Stéphane Mallarmé.
Throughout his life, Leconte de Lisle balanced his literary pursuits with family responsibilities and financial challenges, including a brief stint of government support that was revoked with the establishment of the Republic. He passed away in 1894, leaving a lasting impact on French literature and influencing future generations through his poetic ideals.
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Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle
Poet
- Born: October 22, 1818
- Birthplace: Saint-Paul, Réunion
- Died: July 17, 1894
Biography
Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle was born on October 22, 1818, to the aristocratic Elysée de Riscourt de Lanux and her husband, surgeon Charles-Marie Leconte de Lisle. They lived on the island of Réunion, off the coast of Africa. The family were colonists, living on a sugarcane plantation.
After living in France from the age of three, Leconte de Lisle returned to Réunion in 1828, attending school at the Collège de Saint-Denis. In 1837, Leconte de Lisle once again traveled to France, where he studied law at the University of Rennes. He did not succeed in this study, leaving after six years without a degree in law. Nonetheless, it was at the university that he immersed himself in the study of the classics.
In 1840, Leconte de Lisle began a monthly literary journal, which subsequently folded in 1841. His second venture, Le Scorpion, met a similar fate. The journal offended his family in France, and he returned to Réunion in 1843. By this time, Leconte de Lisle had become a passionate abolitionist, a political stance that created serious disagreement with his planter father. In 1845, Leconte de Lisle returned to France, where he began writing and publishing poetry, much of which was based on Greek myth.
Poèmes antiques, Leconte de Lisle’s first collection of poetry, appeared in 1852 and included poems inspired by Hindu texts as well as Greek ones. The collection met with mixed reviews. However, in 1853, the collection won an honorable mention from the French Academy. He followed this collection with Poèmes et poésies in 1855. This volume began Leconte de Lisle’s quest to versify the major stories of the world’s great religions.
In 1856, Leconte de Lisle’s father died and the poet assumed full responsibility for his mother and sisters. He married in 1857. In 1864, he accepted a pension from the emperor, but this was cancelled when the Republic was established. In order to support his household, Leconte de Lisle began producing translations for a publisher. In addition, Le Parnasse Contemporain, a three-volume anthology of poetry by a group of young poets known as Parnassians secured Leconte de Lisle’s financial future.
Leconte de Lisle was at the center of Le Parnasse, holding a salon each week. These poets became the most radical and important French poets of the late nineteenth century. They included such notable literary figures as Stéphane Mallarmé and Comte de Villiers de l’Isle-Adam.
Leconte de Lisle died of influenza in 1894.
While a controversial figure himself, Leconte de Lisle was clearly recognized for his importance to French literature. His Poèmes antiques won an honorable mention from the French Academy in 1852, and Poèmes et poésies won the Lambert prize from the French Academy in 1857. In 1886, he was elected to the French Academy, succeeding the giant of French literature, Victor Hugo. Leconte de Lisle’s most important achievement in poetry was his involvement with the Parnassian movement. His ideas about poetry passed into the twentieth century through the work of his young disciples.