Nicolas Boileau

Birth: 1636-11-01 , Paris

Death: 1711-03-13 , Paris

Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, known as Boileau, was a French poet and literary critic, widely regarded as the "prince of critics." He played a pivotal role in defining the canons of French classicism, advocating for reason, clarity, and order in art. His work influenced generations of writers and established aesthetic standards that dominated French literature for centuries.

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Poems List

Ce que l’on conçoit bien s’énonce clairement . What is well conceived is clearly said.

Nothing but truth is lovely, nothing fair.

At last came Malherbe, and he was the first in France to give poetry a proper flow.

Honor is like a steep island without a shore: one cannot return once one is outside.

Ignorance is always ready to admire itself, / Procure yourself critical friends.

Every age has its pleasures, its style of wit, and its own ways.

What is conceived well is expressed clearly, / And the words to say it with arrive with ease.

Whatever we conceive well we express clearly, and words flow with ease.

Sometimes a fool makes a good suggestion.

A fool can always find a greater fool to admire him.

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Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux was born on November 1, 1636, in Paris, France. Educated in law, he soon turned to literature, becoming an influential critic and poet. His most famous work, "Art poétique" (The Art of Poetry), published in 1674, codified the rules and principles of French classicism, emphasizing reason, decorum, and the imitation of the ancients. Boileau was a staunch advocate for form and structure, and his opinions carried considerable weight in the French Academy and literary circles of the time. He also penned satirical poems and critical works that shaped literary taste and set standards for writing in France. Boileau died on March 17, 1711, in Paris.