Henri Auguste Barbier

Henri Auguste Barbier (April 29, 1805 — February 13, 1882) was a French dramatist and poet.

Born in Paris, France, Barbier was inspired by the July Revolution and poured forth a series of eager, vigorous poems, denouncing the evils of the time. They are spoken of collectively as the "Jambes" (1831), though the designation is not strictly applicable to all. As the name suggests, they are modelled on the verse of André Chénier. They include "La Curée", "La Popularité", "L'Idole", "Paris", "Dante", "Quatre-vingt-treize" and "Varsovie".

The rest of Barbier's poems are forgotten. He collaborated with Leon de Wailly in the libretto of Berlioz' opera, "Benvenuto Cellini", and his works include two series of poems on the political and social troubles of Italy and England, printed in later editions of "Jambes et poèmes". He died at Nice in 1882.

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