The Chimeras

The writer Gérard de Nerval (1808–1855) had mental health problems and his doctor Émile Blanche had recommended him to continue writing as a form of therapy.

[12] The eight poems were published in their final form in January 1854, when they were included at the end of Nerval's short story collection Les Filles du feu.

[18] Andrew Hoyem interpreted the eight poems as Chimeras: Transfigurations of "les Chimères" by Gérard de Nerval, published in 1966.

[21] The Northern Irish poet Derek Mahon has made a free interpretation and adaptation of the poems, published in 1982 as The Chimeras.

With their focus on the beauty of words, and lasting resistance to critical interpretation, they can be seen as precursors to symbolism and the poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé.