Henri de Régnier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henri de Régnier
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| Born | 28 December 1864 Honfleur, France |
| Died | 23 May 1936 (aged 71) Paris |
| Resting place | Père Lachaise Cemetery |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist |
| Language | French |
| Nationality | French |
| Literary movement | Symbolism |
| Spouse | Marie de Régnier |
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Henri-François-Joseph de Régnier (born December 28, 1864 – died May 23, 1936) was a famous French Symbolist poet. He was considered one of the most important writers in France during the early 1900s.
A Poet's Life and Works
Henri de Régnier was born in Honfleur, a town in Calvados, France, on December 28, 1864. He later moved to Paris to study law. However, his real passion was writing.
In 1885, he started writing for different magazines in Paris. Many French and Belgian publications that liked Symbolist writers published his poems. Symbolism was an art movement where artists used symbols and hints to express ideas and emotions, rather than showing things directly.
Henri de Régnier started his writing journey following a style called Parnassianism, which focused on perfect form and classical beauty. But he soon adopted new ideas from other Symbolist writers like Jean Moréas and Gustave Kahn. He was also greatly influenced by Stéphane Mallarmé, another important Symbolist poet. Régnier's writing style often used subtle suggestions, much like Mallarmé's.
His Books and Poems
Henri de Régnier published his first book of poems, Lendemains, in 1885. He wrote many more poetry collections, including:
- Poèmes anciens et romanesques (1890)
- Les Jeux rustiques et divins (1890)
- Les Médailles d'argile (1900)
- La Cité des eaux (1903)
Besides poetry, he also wrote many realistic novels and stories. Some of his well-known novels include:
- La Canne de jaspe (1897)
- La Double maîtresse (1900)
- Les Vacances d’un jeune homme sage (1903)
- Les Amants singuliers (1905)
Henri de Régnier married Marie de Heredia. She was the daughter of the famous poet José María de Heredia. Marie de Heredia was also a talented writer herself, publishing novels and poems under the pen name Gérard d'Houville.
Henri de Régnier passed away in 1936 when he was 71 years old. He was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, a famous cemetery where many notable people are laid to rest.
Henri de Régnier in Other Media
Henri de Régnier's words have inspired other artists:
- The composer Maurice Ravel used a quote from de Régnier in his waltz Valses nobles et sentimentales. The quote was: "...le plaisir délicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile" (which means: "the delightful and ever-new pleasure of a useless occupation").
- This same quote, "le plaisir délicieux... d'une occupation inutile" (the delightful and ever-novel pleasure of a useless occupation), was also featured in the beginning of the 2012 video game Dragon's Dogma by Capcom. It was directly attributed to de Régnier.
Film
- In 2019, a French movie called Curiosa, directed by Lou Jeunet, was released.
See also
In Spanish: Henri de Régnier para niños
