LECONTE DE LISLE, CHARLES MARIE

shärl märēˈ ləkôNtˈ də lēl, 1818–94, French poet. His first two books of poetry, Poèmes antiques (1852) and Poèmes et poésies (1855), were immediately successful. It was, however, Poésies barbares (1862; later enlarged as Poèmes barbares, 1872) that established him as the leading figure of the group later to be known as the Parnassians. Anti-Christian and a pessimist, Leconte de Lisle saw death as the only existing reality and drew his inspiration from antiquity. Later works include Les Erinnyes (1872), a verse drama; and Poèmes tragiques (1884). He was elected to the French Academy.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

-27639-