Adolphe van Bever

Born in a poor family, he nevertheless one day discovered a passion for science and the rigorous methods of the Chartists.

He also shared with his friend Paul Léautaud a passion for poetry that would lead them to the joint publication of their famous anthology Poètes d’aujourd'hui (1880–1900), first published in 1900 and reprinted many times.

Suffering from a painful disease of syphilitic origin, the tabes dorsalis, he overcame his physical miseries to concentrate on his work.

He died prematurely at the age of fifty-five in his Paris home of rue de Tournon [fr] after having published nearly one hundred books.

His eulogy holds entirely in the words spoken by Maurice Renard on his grave in the cemetery of Grosrouvre: "Be good and suffer.