The book by Pierre Petifis is the most complete and detailed biography to date of the great French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine (1844–1896). A spendthrift, a wanderer, a drunkard - and at the same time the generally recognized “king of poets”, Verlaine “liberated” poetry and left behind poems that have become the precious heritage of world literature. “Eternal child”, friend and mentor of Arthur Rimbaud, creator of a new literary school, Verlaine had a strong influence on Russian poetry of the Silver Age, foreseeing the impact of his poems on the future, including today. The book contains a unique photo series. Many drawings and photographs are published in Russia for the first time.