Life Saint-Pol-Roux

1 life

1.1 marseille
1.2 years in paris
1.3 voluntary exile
1.4 death
1.5 forgotten poet

life
marseille

saint-pol-roux born middle-class family in marseille, father industrialist. studied in lycée in lyon, , left bachelor of arts in 1880. wrote plays under own name.

years in paris

he left south of france install himself in paris. particularly frequented salon of stéphane mallarmé, whom saint-pol-roux had greatest admiration. won notoriety, trying out several pseudonyms before becoming saint-pol-roux le magnifique . got 1 of plays, la dame à la faux, put on sarah bernhardt, , interviewed jules huret member of symbolist movement. perhaps participated in rosicrucian aesthetic of péladan. nevertheless, wrote nothing on movement or on founder although saint-pol-roux seems have been interested in audacious literary attempt.

voluntary exile

saint-pol-roux leaves paris in 1898, having come hate being ostracized, , mediocrity of literary criticism circles, ignoring pride himself had been ignored. on clairvoyant s advice, , escape creditors, left, firstly ardennes. there settled wife in roscanvel, in finistère, daughter divine born. after father s death, moved camaret , made britanny center work.

living off revenue earned libretto opera louise, bought house overlooking ocean, above pen had beach, on road pointe de pen hir, , transformed manor in baroque style. named manoir de coecilian , after son s name, or manoir des boultous . wrote facing sea, man closer god ( face à la mer, l homme est plus près de dieu ). welcomed several artists , writers, notably louis-ferdinand céline, looked him ancestor, , jean moulin, sous-préfet de châteaulin , visited in 1930.

saint-pol-roux member of académie mallarmé 1937 1940.

death

ruin of saint-pol-roux manor



reproduction of manor of saint-pol-roux in camaret-sur-mer, brittany, france

during night of 22 23 june 1940, drunken german soldier invaded manor, killed family s faithful governess, raped saint-pol-roux s daughter divine, , injured in leg revolver bullet. saint-pol-roux miraculously escaped death in incident, later taken hospital in brest on october 14, died of broken heart when heard manor had burned down unpublished manuscripts inside.

the following month, louis aragon published article on poet s assassination, called - saint-pol roux, ou l espoir - in journal poésie. first article published aragon after fall of france, , censored vichy authorities.

a forgotten poet

on liberation, divine tried in vain ensure father s work not forgotten. in large part due salvage work, editing , publication of editions of work rougerie during years, called purgatory , poems, essays , plays had escaped nazi barbarism edited , re-edited anew. considerable number of unedited manuscripts (le trésor de l homme, la répoétique) survived pillaging.

saint-pol-roux archetypal forgotten poet . under title dedicatee of andré breton s clair de terre (also dedicated ceux qui comme lui s offrent le magnifique plaisir de se faire oublier (sic) , or him offered great pleasure of making forgotten ), , vercors s le silence de la mer ( calling him le poète assassiné , or assassinated poet ).