"Upon his death in 1898, the French Symbolist poet Stephane Mallarme (b. 1842) left behind a small body of published work that was to have a seminal influence on subsequent poetry and aesthetic theory. He also enjoyed an unparalleled reputation for extending help and encouragement to those who sought him out. Rosemary Lloyd has produced a literary biography of the poet and his period, offering a subtle exploration of the mind and letters of one of the giants of modern European poetry."--BOOK JACKET. "In this book, Lloyd views the letters Mallarme sent and received as explorations and extensions of the prose and poetry he wrote for publication. In engrossing detail, she explores such themes as the interrelationships of letters and literature, the transformation of epistolary rhetoric into poetic creativity, the evolution of Symbolism, and the nature of friendship."--BOOK JACKET.