Mendès, Catulle
Mendès, Catulle (1841–1909),French writer. Unable to establish a lasting reputation for himself, Mendès none the less played a role in the Parnassian and symbolist movements. As literary editor of La Revue fantaisiste (1861) and Le Parnasse contemporain (1866–76), he provided opportunities for writers now considered important. Cultivating contemporary tastes for la fantaisie (fantasy), Mendès published works with fairy themes for himself and others like Banville and Daudet. His ‘Les Mots perdus’ (‘Lost Words’, 1886) recounts a wicked fairy's vengeance upon a nation by removing the words ‘I love you’ from its memory. Only when she falls in love with a young poet does she release the land from the curse. His marvellous and fantastic stories generally reflect this fin‐de‐siècle taste for the ‘cruel’. In ‘Le Miroir’...
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