Banville, Théodore de

Banville, Théodore de (14 March 1823, Moulins; 13 March 1891, Moulins), librettist, was sent to Paris at the age of seven, and he liked to create the impression later in life that he was a native of the capital. His father planned to send him to law school, but he had already fallen under the influence of Victor Hugo and Théophile Gautier , and he was accordingly resolved to become a poet and leader in the current Bohemian revolt against materialism. He published his two most famous collections…