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Paul Valery

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Poet

The Resume

    (October 30, 1871-July 20, 1945)
    Born in Sete, France
    Birth name was Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valery
    Poet and essayist
    Poetry collections include 'The Young Fate' (1917), 'Album of Ancient Verses' (1920) and 'Charms and Poems' (1922)
    Non-fiction works include 'The Crisis of the Mind' (1919) and 'Reflections on the World Today' (1931)
    'Notebooks' published posthumously in 29 volumes (1957-61)

Why he might be annoying:

    He underwent an existential crisis during a heavy storm, then stopped writing for nearly twenty years (1898-1917).
    He disowned many of his early poems.
    He said he would rather write a mediocre poem while fully conscious of his choices than be carried away by external inspiration.
    He had a cynical outlook on life.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was hailed by T.S. Eliot as the finest poet of his generation.
    He represented France on cultural issues at the League of Nations.
    He was stripped of several positions and honors during World War II for his refusal to cooperate with the Vichy regime.
    His aphorisms include 'Everything simple is false. Everything which is complex is unusable,' 'Politeness is organized indifference' and 'God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying