7. Verlaine
Paul Marie Verlaine was an important poet during the Symbolist movement in France, known as an important representative to French poetry and the fin de siècle. Verlaine’s relationships contributed to a turbulent life. In 1872, he decided to abandon his wife and son, for a relationship with Arthur Rimbaud. One year later, the drunken and jealous Verlaine shot Rimbaud, wounding him on the left wrist. The incident caused his imprisonment. After released from prison, Verlaine’s life descended into poverty, alcoholism and drug addiction. He lived in various public hospitals and slums; and died in 1883.
