Paul Valery
Poet
French poet, philosopher, and author who is best known for his 1917 work La Jeune Parque. His other literary works include Album des Vers Anciens and Charmes.
He studied law before deciding to devote himself to a full-time literary career.
He experienced an existential crisis -- brought on partly by the death of his literary mentor, Stephane Mallarme -- which caused him to stop writing for almost twenty years.
He married Jeannie Gobillard in 1900; the couple raised three children.
His poem "Palme" inspired poet James Merrill to write "Lost in Translation" in 1974.