Short unreliable biography of Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire’s father was a former priest who became a personal tutor of wealthy and influential people of his time. He was already wealthy and popular by the age of 60 when he married the 26 year old Caroline Archimbaut Dufays. Caroline gave birth to Charles at the age of 27 and raised her by herself after her husband died in 1827 (Charles was 6). In 1828 however Caroline remarried to Major Jacques Aupick, a typically military/disciplined man that was later to work his way into becoming a senator. Charles hid his dislike for the major while his mother and nurse fawned him.

In 1833 (Charles was 12) they moved to Lyon. Charles was entered in a military boarding school exaggerating his dislike for his stepfather and probably his disciplined, logical and un-imaginary world of the militant man.

At the age of 15, Baudelaire enrolled in Louis-De-Grand (well known French high school). He grew even more insolent and was expelled in 1839. He decided he would be a writer but agreed to study law at Ecole de Droit where he lived excessively and became indebted while also making Bohemian acquaintances. He grew radical and also contracted Syphilis from a prostitute.

1841: His mother and step-father sent him on a trip to India but that was short-lived. After a forced landing at Mauritius Baudelaire abandoned Captain Saliz and returned to France after a trip to Reunion.

1842: He received an inheritance of 100,000 francs from his step-father and moved to Saint-Louis where he spent his time meditating and visiting art galleries. He earned the reputation of a dandy there through eccentric behaviour, extravagant clothing and excessive spending. He was placed under a legal guardianship after 2 years (he had already spent half his fortune and was still heavily indebted). He lived on low income and was chased by his debtors for the rest of his life.

In 1842 he met Jeanne Duval (actress in the Latin Quarter where he frequented) who is probably his most influential inspiration appearing with her dark beauty. Baudelaire’s mother named her and called her “Black Venus” illustrating her dislike and disapproval. She became his long-time mistress at the time of Baudelaire’s extravagant lifestyle and his initial use of hashish and opium was between 1843-1845 at Hotel Pimodan (now the Hotel Lauzun).

In 1852 he became involved with Apollonie Sebatier, a French hostess famous for her Sunday dinners with artists and writers. During 1855-1860, Marie Daubrum, a young and beautiful actress was his mistress. She probably was more to him since 1847 when he first came to meet her.

Baudelaire became all more and more despondent and attempted suicide in 1845. However that was considered to be a deliberate failure in order to draw his mother attention that took him to live with her and her husband in Paris where he moved out a few months after.

In 1857 the first publication of Les Fleurs du Mal came out and it was subsequently criticised by the press as offending public morality (both Baudelaire and his publisher were fined and 6 of the poems were banned as too radical for publication) due to its focus on Satanic and lesbian themes mainly. “Figaro” published a scathing review 1 month after publication. This together with the death of his step-father (1857) dragged him deeper into pessimism and despondency. After 2 years he moved away from Paris to Honfleur with his mother that was there since the death of Aupick. There he wrote Le Salon de 1859 and more poems fro Le Fleurs du Mal (Le Voyage).

In 1860 he published Les Paradis Artificiel (2 essays) in an attempt to condemn drug use, something he was putting himself through in search of inspiration.

The second edition of Le Fleurs du Mal came out in 1861 with 35 new poems. During the following months he was discouraged (by his friends) from entering the French academy, he was unable to help his friend and publisher, Poulet Malassis who was imprisoned for debt and also discovered that Jeanne Duval was living with another man. In 1862 he started complaining for strong headaches and was under the impression that he was going mad.

In 1863 he moved from Paris to Brussels in search of a publisher. His health worsened and in 1865 he had the first of a series of heart attacks. In 1867 he was left with aphasia and partial paralysis. He moved to Paris and died in his mother’s arms in 1867.