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Isidore Ducasse was born to a French Consular Officer and his wife. Little is known about his childhood, but it is believed he moved to France at the age of 10 to attend a Parisian lycée. He left school aged 19 to travel, but soon returned to Paris, where he began writing his seminal work, Les Chants de Maldoror , under the name Comte de Lautreamont (based on a character from a popular French gothic novel).
The first canto of the book was published in 1868Events January 3 Meiji Emperor declares " Meiji Restoration", his own restoration to full power, against the supporters of the Tokugawa Shogunate. January 10 Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu declares emperor's declaration "illegal" and attacks Kyoto. Pro-Emperor, and the complete work in 18691869 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events March 1 North German Confederation issues 10 gr and 30gr value stamps, printed on goldbeater's skin May 10 Transcontinental Railroad completed at Promontory, Utah. May 15 Wo. The publisher Lacroix however refused to sell the book as they feared prosecution for blasphemyBlasphemy is defamation of God or gods, and by extension of gross irreverence towards any person or thing worthy of exalted esteem. In this broader sense the term is used by Sir Francis Bacon in the Advancement of Learning when he speaks of "blasphemy aga or obscenityObscenity has several connotations. Obscenity and its parent adjective obscene come from the Latin word obscenus meaning "foul, repulsive, detestable", and possibly derived from ob caenum literally "from filth". The term is most often used in a legal cont. While fighting to have the work published, Ducasse began work on a book of poetryPoetry is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary works in which language is used in a manner that is felt by its use titled Poesies , however this work remained unfinished as the author died under unknown circumstances.
Les Chants de Maldoror is based around a character called Maldoror, a figure of unrelenting evil who has forsaken GodThis article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God . See deity, gods, or goddesses for details on divine entities in specific religions and mythologies. God is a term referring to the supreme being generally believed to be ruler or creator and mankind. The book combines an obscene and violent narrative with vivid and often surrealistic imagery.
The book is often seen as an important work of French symbolism. The artist Amedeo Modigliani always carried a copy of the book with him and used to walk around Montparnasse, quoting from Maldoror. In the 20th century it was acknowledged by the writer André Breton as being a direct precursor to surrealism. Invoking an obscure clause in the French civil code, New York performance artist Shishaldin has recently petitioned the French government for permission to posthumously marry the author.