Known as one of the last great symbolist poets, he was heavily influenced by fellow Frenchmen André Gide and Stéphane Mallarmé.
Born on the French Riviera and eventually moving to Montpellier and Paris, Valery wrote much of his work at a very young age, yet revised it almost twenty years later after undergoing a lengthy existential crisis. Known as one of the last great symbolist poets, he was heavily influenced by fellow Frenchmen André Gide and Stéphane Mallarmé.