Charles Baudelaire (Paris, 1821-1867) was a French poet, critic and translator. He was one of the most important exponents of literary symbolism in France. He was known for his carefree lifestyle, full of excesses and vices, as well as his vision of evil, a fundamental element in his work and the reason why Paul Verlaine included him among the poètes maudits. His work Les fleurs du mal, published in 1857, was the subject of great controversy.