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Francis Jammes (Tournay, Hautes-Pyr�n�es December 2, 1868 - Hasparren, Pyr�n�es-Atlantiques) November 1, 1938) was a French poet. He spent most of his life in his native region of B�arn and the Basque Country and his poems are known for their lyricism and for singing the pleasures of a humble country life (donkeys, maidens). His later poetry remained lyrical, but also included a strong religious element brought on by his conversion to Catholicism.

Biography

The young author's first poems began to be read in Parisian literary circles around 1895, and they were appreciated for their fresh tone which broke considerably from symbolist tendencies of the period. Jammes frequented other writers, including Andr� Gide (with whom he travelled to Algeria in 1896), St�phane Mallarm� and Henri de R�gnier. His most famous collection of poems -- De L'ang�lus de l'aube � l'ang�lus du soir -- appeared in 1897 in the Mercure de France; Le Deuil des Primev�res (1901) was also well received. While working up to this point as a notary's clerk, the author was henceforth able to live from his writings. In 1905 Francis Jammes, influenced by the poet Paul Claudel with whom he became close, converted to Catholicism and his poetry became more austere and occasionally more dogmatic.

In the eyes of Parisian literary circles, Francis Jammes was generally considered a solitary provincial who chose to live a life of retreat in his mountainous Pyrenees, and his poems never became entirely fashionable. The author sought nomination to the Acad�mie fran�aise several times, but was never elected.

Other facts

Jammes was the original author of Georges Brassens's song La Pri�re. The lyrics were taken from the poem Les myst�res douloureux published in the collection L'�glise habill�e de feuilles (1906); Brassens changed some of the words to make to text more rhythmic.

Selected works

Poetry

• De l'Ang�lus de l'aube � l'Ang�lus du soir (1898)
• Le Deuil des primev�res (1901)
• Le Triomphe de la vie (1906)
• Les G�orgiques chr�tiennes (1911-1912)
• Le Livre des quatrains (1923-1925)
• De tout temps � jamais (1935)
• Sources (1936)

Prose

• Clara d'Ell�beuse (1898)
• Alma�de d'�tremont (1901)
• Le roman du li�vre (1903)
• Pomme d'anis (1904)