Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) was a French poet, essayist, and art critic whose work helped shape modern lyric poetry. Born in Paris, he became best known for *Les Fleurs du mal* (1857), a collection exploring beauty, desire, and urban life in striking, musical verse. The book provoked controversy and a censorship trial, yet it later gained lasting influence. Baudelaire also wrote important critical essays on art and literature and produced notable translations of Edgar Allan Poe, whom he admired. His later years were marked by illness; he died in Paris in 1867.