French poet. He experimented with new kinds of verse forms, rhythms, and vocabulary, and pioneered
free verse. His work, which was also influenced by the Symbolists, is often marked by a lyrical irony. It made a considerable impact on 20th-century poets, including Ezra Pound and T S Eliot. His books of verse include
Les Complaintes (1885) and
Imitation de Notre-Dame la lune (1886), while his best-known prose work is the collection of short stories
Moralités légendaires (1887).
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