Germain Nouveau
Encyclopedia
Germain Marie Bernard Nouveau was born and died in Pourrières
, Var, in France
(31 July 1851 - 4 April 1920). He was a French poet associated with the symbolist
movement, and a friend of Rimbaud and Verlaine
. In 1874 he traveled to London with Rimbaud. In 1876 he published "Dixains réalistes," a parody of the Parnassians. In 1879-1881 he wrote "Doctrine de l'amour" a book of poems he later rejected but which was published despite his wishes in 1904. Toward the end of his life, he converted to Catholicism, and he died in poverty. Among his best known poems are "Les Cathédrales." Several posthumous poems and other works are collected in the Pléiade edition (Oeuvres Complètes. Pierre-Olivier Walzer (ed.) Paris: Gallimard, 1970).
, and he moved to Paris in the fall of 1872.
. He returned to London where he met Verlaine, who became a long-time friend. In 1878, Nouveau contributed to the French periodicals Le Gaulois
and Le Figaro
under the pseudonym Jean de Noves (one of many noms de plume he used), before travelling to Beirut in 1883. When he returned home, he taught in a "lycee" in Paris before being struck by a mysterious mental illness in 1891 and spending several months in a mental hospital.
before returning to the village of his birth in 1911, where he died in 1920.
, and critics such as Louis Aragon
have called him "not a minor poet but a great poet...equal to Rimbaud."
Pourrières
Pourrières is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
, Var, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(31 July 1851 - 4 April 1920). He was a French poet associated with the symbolist
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
movement, and a friend of Rimbaud and Verlaine
Verlaine
Verlaine is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. On January 1, 2006 Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km² which gives a population density of 145 inhabitants per km². The municipality contains the villages...
. In 1874 he traveled to London with Rimbaud. In 1876 he published "Dixains réalistes," a parody of the Parnassians. In 1879-1881 he wrote "Doctrine de l'amour" a book of poems he later rejected but which was published despite his wishes in 1904. Toward the end of his life, he converted to Catholicism, and he died in poverty. Among his best known poems are "Les Cathédrales." Several posthumous poems and other works are collected in the Pléiade edition (Oeuvres Complètes. Pierre-Olivier Walzer (ed.) Paris: Gallimard, 1970).
Early life
Nouveau was one of four children of Felicien Nouveau (1826–1884) and Marie Silvy (1832–1858). His mother died before he was seven years old, and he was raised by his grandfather. He spent most of his childhood at Aix-en-ProvenceAix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, and he moved to Paris in the fall of 1872.
Early Career
In Paris in 1872 he published his first poem, "Sonnet of Summer," and he discovered the work of poets Verlaine and Rimbaud. At the end of 1873, he met Rimbaud in person, and together they went to England in March, 1874. He lived with Rimbaud in London at 178 Stamford Street before returning to Paris alone three months later.Mid-Career, Travel, and Mental Illness
Nouveau travelled to Belgium and the Netherlands, and in 1875 in Brussels he received from Verlaine the manuscript of Rimbaud's IlluminationsIlluminations (poems)
Illuminations is an uncompleted suite of prose poems by the French poet Arthur Rimbaud, first published partially in La Vogue, a Paris literary review, in May–June 1886. The texts were reprinted in book form in October 1886 by Les publications de La Vogue under the title Les Illuminations proposed...
. He returned to London where he met Verlaine, who became a long-time friend. In 1878, Nouveau contributed to the French periodicals Le Gaulois
Le Gaulois
Le Gaulois was a French daily newspaper, founded in 1868 by Edmond Tarbe and Henri de Pene. After a printing stoppage, it was revived by Arthur Meyer in 1882 with notable collaborators Paul Bourget, Alfred Grévin, Abel Hermant, and Ernest Daudet...
and Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
under the pseudonym Jean de Noves (one of many noms de plume he used), before travelling to Beirut in 1883. When he returned home, he taught in a "lycee" in Paris before being struck by a mysterious mental illness in 1891 and spending several months in a mental hospital.
Religious Conversion and Pilgrimage
After his mental breakdown, Nouveau voluntarily embarked upon a life of poverty, modelling himself after Saint Benoit Labre. He travelled to Rome and made a pilgrimage to Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
before returning to the village of his birth in 1911, where he died in 1920.
Legacy
Much of Nouveau's work was published and became known after his death. He had a substantial influence on the SurrealistsSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, and critics such as Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon , was a French poet, novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.- Early life :...
have called him "not a minor poet but a great poet...equal to Rimbaud."