William Rees gives us an introduction to each poet, his or her life, affinities and aesthetics, and the significant literary movements. His fresh and beautiful prose translations will re-open many half-forgotten doors, and stimulate new enthusiasms.

This collection illuminates the uniquely fascinating era between 1820 and 1950 in French poetry--a time in which diverse aesthetic ideas conflicted and converged as poetic forms evolved at an astonishing pace. It includes generous selections from all the established giants--among them Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud and Breton--as well as works from a wide variety of less well-known poets such as Claudel and Cendrars, whose innovations proved vital to the progress of poetry in France. The significant literary schools of the time are also represented in sections focusing on such movements as Romanticism, Symbolism, Cubism and Surrealism. Eloquent and inspirational, this rich and exhilarating anthology reveals an era of exceptional vitality.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.