Charles Baudelaire is born in Paris to a bourgeois family on this day in 1821. The author of Les Fleurs du Mal which consists of 126 poems Baudelaire  is alternately described as a Catholic, a Satanist; brilliant, mundane. No one knows much about his sexual exploits, although Marcel Proust and Andre Gide tell us he was certainly gay.

What is know of Baudelaire’s life is he best known for his collection of poems “Les Fleurs du mal” (The Flowers of Evil), which was published in 1857 and caused a scandal due to its controversial content.

His life was marked by a series of struggles, both personal and professional.

Baudelaire’s personal life was marked by a series of complicated relationships with both men and women. He had a number of close male friends, including the poet Théodore de Banville, with whom he shared a close bond.

He suffered from ill health throughout his life and struggled with addiction, which ultimately led to his premature death at the age of 46. Despite these difficulties, however, Baudelaire left a lasting legacy in the world of literature.

You can read the poems of Le Fleurs du mal” HERE