Paul Valéry

Paul Valéry (1871-1945) was born in Montpellier, where he studied law, and made his literary debut with the poem "Narcissus." In 1892, he moved to Paris, where he immersed himself primarily in scientific studies (literarily, 1894 marked the year of "An Evening with Mr. Teste"). He returned to poetry in 1917 with the publication of "The Young Fate," a symbolic poem that brought him fame. In the same vein, he went on to write "The Graveyard by the Sea," the second "Narcissus," "The Branches of Victory," and other poems of delicate symbolism. He became a member of the French Academy in 1925. His prose works (including "The Soul and the Dance," 1925, "Eupalinos," 1925) and his reflections (a series of essays such as "Views on the Modern World," and work notes like those in the "Cahiers") focus on the multiplicity of the self, the inexhaustible and multifaceted self, viewed through the magnifying lens of a highly trained and sharpened mind.