Mallarmé, Stephane

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Mallarmé, Stephane (1842–98) French poet, leading exponent of symbolism and precursor of modernism. Mallarmé's allusive poetic style defies definitive statement in favour of sound associations. His best-known poems are Hérodiade (1869) and L'Après-Midi d'un faune (1876). Mallarmé's work was a defining influence on Paul Valéry.

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