Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938) was a French poet. Coming from
an ancient family, he spent most of his life in his native region of Béarn and
the Basque Country and his poems are known for their lyricism and for singing
the pleasures of a humble country life (donkeys, maidens).
The young author's first poems began to be read in Parisian
literary circles around 1895, and they were appreciated for their fresh tone
which broke considerably from symbolist tendencies of the period. Jammes
fraternised with other writers, including André Gide (with whom he travelled to
Algeria in 1896), Stéphane Mallarmé and Henri de Régnier.
In 1905 Francis Jammes, influenced by the poet Paul Claudel
with whom he became close, "converted" to Catholicism (in actuality a
return to being a practising Catholic) and his poetry became more austere and
occasionally more dogmatic.
In the eyes of Parisian literary circles, Francis Jammes was
generally considered a solitary provincial who chose to live a life of retreat
in his mountainous Pyrenees, and his poems never became entirely fashionable.
The author sought nomination to the Académie française several times, but was
never elected.
Jammes was known to have an
ardent passion for field sports, especially game hunting. He was known to have
also been a believer in the conservation of endangered species.
"Francis Jammes" - Spraypaint on canvas
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