Isidore Ducasse Lautreamont Quotes

A collection of quotes by Isidore Ducasse Lautreamont.

Isidore Ducasse, best known by his pen name Lautréamont, was a French poet and writer born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on April 4, 1846. Very little is known about his life, and he remains somewhat enigmatic even to this day. His father, François Ducasse, was a French customs officer, and his mother, Jacquette-Célestine Davezac, was born to a wealthy family in Montevideo.

At the age of seven, Lautréamont was sent to France to pursue his education. He studied at a boarding school in Tarbes, but little information is available about his time there. Some speculate he may have shown artistic talent from a young age, but concrete details are scarce.

Lautréamont's most celebrated work is "Les Chants de Maldoror" (The Songs of Maldoror), a prose poem published in 1869. This literary work, consisting of six cantos, is known for its striking and often disturbing imagery, displaying a remarkable influence on later surrealistic literature. It remained largely ignored until it was discovered by the Surrealist movement in the early 20th century, who hailed it as a precursor to their own aesthetic.

Sadly, Lautréamont's life ended prematurely. On November 24, 1870, at the age of 24, he passed away in Paris under unclear circumstances. While his literary output was limited, Lautréamont's unique and unconventional style continues to inspire and intrigue readers and writers to this day.