Paul Verlaine

"Paul Verlaine" by Stefan Zweig is a biography that explores the intense life and work of the French poet Paul Verlaine. This story paints a picture of Verlaine's chaotic life, his inner feelings, and the lasting effect of his poetry, drawing attention to his deep desires, his openness, and the way he was both a gifted artist and a person who struggled. Zweig shows Verlaine as someone complicated, always fighting between his artistic side and his inner problems. The story covers Verlaine's early years, his relationships with important women, and his difficult relationship with another poet, Arthur Rimbaud, which resulted in fighting and jail time. As the story goes on, Zweig reveals how Verlaine's poetry developed, his personal problems, and how he later found religion, showing a sad and sorrowful person trying to express strong human emotions through his poems. This biography is both a celebration of Verlaine's beautiful poetry and a warning about how easily life, art, and love can be damaged.