THE DEATH OF PAUL VERLAINE – Unpublished documents
He was one of the most prominent poets of the late 19th century, both for his abundant, sometimes provocative work, for his encounters, notably with Rimbaud, and his marginal life, which was fueled by debt and absinthe. Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) is the archetype of the cursed poet. recognized as a master by the next generation. His style — made of musicality and fluidity playing with odd rhythms — and the tone of many of his poems — combining melancholy and chiaroscuro — reveal, beyond the apparent formal simplicity, a profound sensitivity, resonating with the inspiration of some contemporary artists.
Below is a series of unpublished documents that shed a little more light on the twilight of his life and what followed. And if the death of the poet unleashed passions, his close circle has striven to save his memory.
Eugénie KRANZ : Autograph letter signed twice “Eugénie Krantz” to Edmond Lepelletier
Extraordinary first-hand and unpublished testimony on Verlaine’s last moments, the day of his death
Frédéric-Auguste CAZALS : Profile of Verlaine on his deathbed
Unpublished first-hand testimony depicting the poet lying on his bed, on January 8, 1896 on the evening of his death
Eugénie KRANZ : Autograph letter signed several times “Eugénie Krantz” to Edmond Lepelletier
Hospitalized a few days after Verlaine’s death and abandoned by all, Eugénie Krantz calls for desperate help
Léon VANIER : Autograph letter signed “Vanier” ato Edmond Lepelletier
Verlaine’s publisher claims 100 francs for the poet’s funeral expenses to Edmond Lepelletier
Frédéric-Auguste CAZALS : Unpublished autograph letter signed “F-A Cazals” to Edmond Lepelletier
Cazals’s long and important plea to Lepelletier to save Verlaine’s memory following Fouquier’s criticism towards the Verlaine (who died seven months earlier)
Gabriel ECHAUPRE : Autograph letter signed “Gabriel Echaupre” to Edmond Lepelletier, Editor-in-Chief of the Echo of Paris
Violent charge of Echaupre against the publisher of Verlaine and siding with Lepelletier in the war of succession of Verlaine’s Complete Works
