Today, Baudelaire is considered one of the greatest characters of French literature.

Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885) Victor Marie Hugo, French poet, novelist and playwright, was born in Besanon on February 26, 1802. Educated in Paris, he showed signs of his future as a writer at a very early age. At the age of 15 he was honored by the Acadmie Franaise for a poem and by the age of 20 he had already written a tragedy. He began writing poems and odes, novels and also drama. The years that would turn out to be Hugo's most productive spanned from 1829-1843. Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi adapted Hugo's "Hernani" for his opera "Ernani" and also "The King Amuses Himself", for the opera Rigoletto. One of Hugo's greatest achievements, the historical novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", set in 15th century France, earned him much acclaim and eventually an election into the Acadmie Franaise. Hugo began taking up active participation in politics. Starting off as a Royalist, he was made peer of France by King Louis Philippe, however by the time of the Revolution in 1848, Hugo was a Republican. After the unsuccessful revolt against President Louis Napoleon in 1851, Hugo fled to Belgium and later began a 15-year-long exile, living on Guernsey Island. While in exile, Hugo produced many literary works, among which is his longest and perhaps most famous works of all, "Les Miserables", a novel depicting the social injustice of 19th France. He returned to France in 1870 where he continued participating in politics, forming part of the National Assembly and later the Senate. A French writer who contributed enormously to the literary Romantic Movement in France, Hugo died at the age of 83 in Paris. Marcel Proust (1871-1922) This French writer was born in Paris, on July 10, 1871 to a family that was well-off financially and that moved in the refined and exclusive circles of high society. His father was a famous doctor and his mother came from a Jewish family of the Alsace region. Even as a young boy, Proust was of weak health, suffering from asthma. Proust received an excellent education and from a very early age gave signs of possessing great intelligence and sensibility. Having studied Law at the Sorbonne, he later gave up his studies to begin mingling in Paris' fashionable society and devote himself to writing. At the age of 35, his ill health took a turn for the worse when he became a chronic invalid, shutting himself up in his cork-lined room and becoming a recluse for the rest of his life. It was during this time that he wrote his masterpiece, "Remembrance of Things Past" (" la recherche du temps perdu"), a piece of literature that is regarded as one of the greatest not only in French Literature, but world literature as a whole. The importance of Proust's work lies in the detailed psychological analysis that he makes of each of his characters. He died in Paris, in 1922. Jules Verne (1828 - 1905) Jules Verne was born in the French city of Nantes and is regarded as being the founder of modern science fiction. Starting out by studying law in Paris, he soon began to write short opera pieces and plays. Verne lived in a time when interest in science and inventions was keen and he based many of his works on technological development. With his fantastic sense of adventure and imagination, Verne managed to predict many technological advances that had as yet not been invented but which would appear throughout the 20th century, such as air conditioning, space travel, submarines, helicopters, guided missiles and motion pictures. Among his most popular books are: "Around the World in 80 Days" "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Mysterious Island". Many films have later been made based on Vernes incredible tales. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) Molire (1622 - 1673) Molire was a well-known French dramatist and comic playwright, considered a genius of his time. The name Molire was in actual fact a pseudonym used by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. Born in 1622, Molire was the son of a wealthy tapestry maker and upholsterer. Molire had a strict upbringing, studying with the Jesuits at the Collge de Clermont. In 1643 he left his upbringing and the future plans of his family behind, to lead the life of the theatre, founding the Illustre Thtre with his friends. The theatrical troupe played in Frances capital until 1645 and then embarked on a tour of the provinces for the following 13 years. Once back in Paris, King Louis XIV supported the troupe, offering them the use of Thtre du Petit-Bourbon and later the playhouse in the Palais-Royal. After this, Molire spent the rest of his days writing comic theatre and producing, directing and even acting in his plays. Molire wrote over 30 plays for his company, using a lot of satire. His comedies were directed at his contemporary France, subtly criticizing social conventions, human nature's weaknesses and the attitudes and behavior of typical members of society. Franois Rabelais (1493-1553) Born in Chinon, Touraine, son of a prosperous lawyer, Rabelais began studying at the Benedictine abbey of Seuilly and eventually became aFranciscan friar. He studied Greek in Paris and medicine in Montpellier, practicing medicine in Lyon. His first great work was "The Grand and Inestimable Chronicles of the Grand and Enormous Giant Gargantua" ("Les Grandes et Inestimables Cronicques du Grand et norme Gant Gargantua") printed in 1532 and the four sequels that followed it, an adventure story with two main characters, a lusty young giant and his father. Through these characters, Rabelais offered his readers a comical view of his contemporary society, using social satire and political insight. The books, printed under the pseudonym Alcofribas Nasier, were very successful, despite being condemned as obscene by the Sorbonne. While Francis I was alive, Rabelais enjoyed the support afforded by the king, who greatly enjoyed the author's literature. After Francis I died, however, liberty of thought began to be suppressed, forcing Rabelais to eventually flee to Metz and then to Rome. His works are expressions typical of the French Renaissance, reflecting the love of life and individual liberty, through the use of his great imaginative ability as well as his clever and expressive use of language. AlbertCamus biography NAME: Albert Camus OCCUPATION: Author BIRTH DATE: November 07, 1913 DEATH DATE: January 04, 1960 EDUCATION: University of Algiers more about Albert BEST KNOWN FOR Algerian born writer Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize for literature in part due to his embrace of existentialism in books like The Stranger. Profile Algerian born writer Albert Camus, born 1917, would win a Nobel Prize in Literature for his works on existentialism and human alienation. Though he was known mostly for books, like The Stranger, he also wrote plays that are still respected in the Theater of the Absurd. Camus, a natural for philosophy, was able to transition themes from his fiction into an essay titled, "The Myth of Sisyphus." GuydeMaupassant biography NAME: Guy de Maupassant OCCUPATION: Author BIRTH DATE: August 05, 1850 DEATH DATE: July 06, 1893 PLACE OF BIRTH: Dieppe, France more about Guy BEST KNOWN FOR The short stories of writer Guy de Maupassant detail many aspects of French life in the 19th century.

A well known 19th century French poet, Charles Baudelaire was practically unknown during his time. He was one of the most prominent figures of the Symbolist school and is viewed nowadays as the father of modern poetry.
Baudelaire was born in Paris on April 9, 1821. An unhappy childhood and adolescence marked his later life. Determined to pursue his love of writing, he started out with critical journalism and lived large with his father's legacy, while it lasted, leading a decadent life that earned him a reputation as someone rather immoral and eccentric. Eventually succumbing to a venereal disease and crippled by financial troubles, he died prematurely at the age of 46. His most important work was a book of poetry entitled "The Flowers of Evil" ("Les Fleurs du mal"), published in 1857. Offending public morals with some of the content, he was charged and prosecuted by the French government. He was fined and six of the poems were banned and were only included again after 1949. Baudelaire also had a hand in introducing the work of American writer, Edgar Allan Poe to Europe. Baudelaire translated Poes works until 1857.

Profile French writer Guy de Maupassant is famous for his short stories, which paint a fascinating picture of French life in the 19th century. He was prolific, publishing over 300 short stories and six novels, but died at a young age after ongoing struggles with both physical and mental health.