Jean Moreas

Jean Moréas was a Greek poet who wrote mostly in French and played a leading role in the Symbolist movement. He was born in Athens in 1856 to a distinguished family that had participated in the Greek War of Independence. He received a French education and moved to Paris in 1875 to study law at the University of Paris. He soon became involved in the literary circles of the time, such as the Hydropathes and the Chat Noir. He published his first poems in these publications, influenced by Paul Verlaine and the Parnassian school. He also collaborated with Paul Adam and Gustave Kahn on various projects. In 1886, he wrote the Symbolist Manifesto, which appeared in the newspaper Le Figaro and defined the principles of the new poetic movement. He rejected the naturalism, realism, and rationalism of the previous generations and advocated for a poetry that expressed the Idea through a complex and suggestive style, using symbols, metaphors, and musical rhythms. He was considered one of the most important Symbolist poets, along with Stéphane Mallarmé and Arthur Rimbaud. He also founded the journal Le Symboliste, which promoted the works of his fellow writers. In 1891, he published Le Pèlerin passionné, a collection of poems that marked a shift in his aesthetic. He abandoned some of the Symbolist features and embraced a more classical and neo-Latin style, inspired by ancient Roman and Greek literature. He also distanced himself from the anarchist and decadent tendencies of some of his contemporaries and aligned himself with the conservative and nationalist ideology of Charles Maurras and the Action Française. He initiated the École Romane, a literary movement that sought to revive the Latin spirit and culture in French literature. He continued to write poetry, novels, essays, and criticism until his death in 1910. He died of pneumonia in Saint-Mandé, near Paris, and was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery. He left behind a rich and diverse oeuvre, which influenced many writers of the 20th century, such as Paul Valéry, André Gide, and Marcel Proust. He is also regarded as one of the most prominent representatives of the Greek diaspora in France and a bridge between the two cultures.