Origins & Early Life

Comte de Lautréamont (; French: [lotʁeamɔ̃]) was the nom de plume of Isidore Lucien Ducasse ([dykas]; 4 April 1846 – 24 November 1870), a French poet, born in Uruguay. His only works, Les Chants de Maldoror and Poésies, had a major influence on modern arts and literature, particularly on the Surrealists and the Situationists. Ducasse died at the age of 24. Ducasse was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, to François Ducasse, a French consular officer, and his wife Jacquette-Célestine Davezac.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Very little is known about Isidore's childhood, except that he was baptized on 16 November 1847 in the Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral and that his mother died soon afterwards, possibly due to an epidemic. Jean-Jacques Lefrère suggests she may have committed suicide, although concludes there is no way to know for certain. In 1851, as a five-year-old, he experienced the end of the eight-year Siege of Montevideo in the Uruguayan Civil War. He was brought up speaking three languages: French, Spanish, and English. In October 1859, at the age of thirteen, he was sent to high school in France by his father.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was trained in French education and technology at the Imperial Lycée...

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