Charles Baudelaire

1821 – 1867 · died at about 46^[1][2]

Literature

Fun Facts About Charles Baudelaire

• Charles Baudelaire coined the word modernity (modernité) to describe the fleeting experience of life in a big city, and the duty of art to capture it.^[1]
• To cure his dissolute habits, Baudelaire's stepfather sent him on a voyage to Calcutta in 1841; he never reached India, turning back from Mauritius and Réunion, but later told legends of "riding on elephants".^[1]
• Baudelaire felt Edgar Allan Poe's tales had long existed in his own brain, and he spent much of 1847 to 1865 translating Poe into French, in translations that were widely praised.^[1][3][4]
• Les Fleurs du mal landed Baudelaire in court: he was fined for an offense against public morals and six poems were suppressed, while Victor Hugo wrote that the poems "shine and dazzle like stars".^[1][5][6]
• Baudelaire was a famous dandy who squandered much of a sizable inheritance within a few years, until his family had his property placed in trust.^[1]
• Baudelaire became an ardent supporter of Richard Wagner, and he had formed his impressions of Wagner from reviews and essays before even hearing his music.^[1][7][8]
• Charles Baudelaire was alive at the same time as John Adams — their lives overlapped for 5 years (1821–1826).^{[1][2][9][10]}
• Charles Baudelaire and Princess Diana died on the same day of the year, August 31.^{[1][2][11][12]}

Charles-Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics, and are based on observations of real life.^[1]

Contemporaries

Michael Faraday

46 yr overlap

Charles Babbage

46 yr overlap

Victor Hugo

46 yr overlap

Hans Christian Andersen

46 yr overlap

Charles Darwin

46 yr overlap

Charles Dickens

46 yr overlap

Giuseppe Verdi

46 yr overlap

Richard Wagner

46 yr overlap

Otto von Bismarck

46 yr overlap

Frederick Douglass

46 yr overlap

Karl Marx

46 yr overlap

Herman Melville

46 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Charles Baudelaire

When was Charles Baudelaire born?

Charles Baudelaire was born on April 9, 1821, and died on August 31, 1867.

How old was Charles Baudelaire at death?

Charles Baudelaire was born on April 9, 1821, and died on August 31, 1867, at age 46.

What was Charles Baudelaire known for?

Charles Baudelaire was known for: French poet of Les Fleurs du mal. Charles-Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics, and are based on observations of real life.

Who was alive at the same time as Charles Baudelaire?

Charles Baudelaire's closest contemporary was Michael Faraday. Their lives overlapped for 46 years.