Baudelaire, the Poet

Let's meet some of the notable people buried in Montparnasse. First up is Charles Baudelaire, one of France's great poets. Born in Paris in 1821, he died in the same city in 1867. His masterpiece is Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil), a Symbolist collection that explores how beauty was changing in a Paris transformed by rapid 19th-century industrialization.

Baudelaire was born into a wealthy family but lived so recklessly that he squandered his fortune. His family eventually had him declared legally incapable of managing his affairs and had to administer his money so that he could live on an allowance. Against the wishes of a family that wanted him to become a magistrate, he devoted his life to writing. He had an English education as a child and an interest in genre fiction, and he translated Edgar Allan Poe from English into French. When The Flowers of Evil was published, it was dismissed as unwholesome and was not widely embraced, though writers such as Gustave Flaubert strongly supported him. Today, of course, its worth is recognized and it is a widely read bestseller. Many of his works were published after his death and found their audience. His mother, who outlived her son, is said to have died a few years later, relieved to see the son who had caused her so much worry finally recognized.

What is unusual about Baudelaire's resting place is that his grave is in Division 6, while a separate monument stands in Divisions 26 and 27. If you love his writing, it is worth visiting both.