Paul Valery
Paul Valery (1871–1945) was a French poet and philosopher. Born in Herault, on the coast of the Mediterranean, Valery studied law, then moved to Paris, where he met his mentor, Stephen Mallarmé. In 1931, he founded the Collège International de Cannes which still admits students. Due in part to the death of Mallarmé, Valery entered a period of silence where he wrote no poetry for nearly twenty years, finally breaking his silence with La Jeune Parque (1917) his most famous piece.