Born in 1821, Charles Baudelaire is most well-known as the author of Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil, 1857), a collection of poetry considered highly controversial at the time and which many now consider one of the most significant collections of the nineteenth century.

Baudelaire is also known for his translations of Edgar Allan Poe (a profound influence on his work) as well as his critical writings. A somewhat dissolute character, Baudelaire lived a life of controversy and debt and died in 1867 of the effects of syphilis.

• http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/bau/bau-bio.htm
• http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/baudelai.htm
• http://www.class.uidaho.edu/eng258_1/Baudelaire/biography.htm
• http://www.studiocleo.com/librarie/baudelaire/baudelaire.html