Origins & Early Life

Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier (US: goh-TYAY; French: [pjɛʁ ʒyl teɔfil ɡotje]; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and remains a point of reference for many subsequent literary traditions such as Parnassianism, Symbolism, Decadence and Modernism. He was widely esteemed by writers as disparate as Balzac, Baudelaire, the Goncourt brothers, Flaubert, Pound, Eliot, James, Proust and Wilde. Gautier was born on 30 August 1811 in Tarbes, capital of Hautes-Pyrénées département (southwestern France).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His father was Jean-Pierre Gautier, a fairly cultured minor government official, and his mother was Antoinette-Adelaïde Cocard. The family moved to Paris in 1814, taking up residence in the ancient Marais district. Gautier's education commenced at the prestigious Collège Louis-le-Grand in Paris, which he attended for three months before being brought home due to illness. Although he completed the remainder of his education at Collège Charlemagne, Gautier's most significant instruction, including in Latin, came from...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Aleksis Kivi — Contemporary (Died in 1872) (1872): The national writer of Finland, credited with the first significant novel in the Finnish language.
• Alexandra Kollontai — Contemporary (Born in 1872) (1872): Pioneering Marxist feminist, diplomat, and Bolshevik leader in early Soviet history.
• Aubrey Beardsley — Contemporary (Born in 1872) (1872): Pioneering English illustrator known for decadent, erotic black ink drawings.
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• Alex Gibney — Shared historical date (10-23 · Born) (1953): Acclaimed American documentary filmmaker known for investigative works on power and belief.
• Ang Lee — Shared historical date (10-23 · Born) (1954): Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker known for exploring deep, repressed human emotions.
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