Early life (1876–1892) Marie Jean Eugène Lafargue, known as Marc, was born on May 15, 1876, at 62 Rue de la Pomme in
Toulouse. He was the son of Victor François Mamert Lafargue, a tailor, and Jeanne Aimée Satgé. His origins are primarily known through a document he wrote himself, preserved in the municipal library of Toulouse: he hailed from a bourgeois family whose ancestors amassed wealth in the textile industry. He spent his childhood in a country house owned by his maternal family for over a century at 22 Route de Saint-Simon, near the village of the same name. He had an older sister, Louise, to whom he remained deeply attached throughout his life. His father died when he was still very young, and he was doted on by his mother and sister. Described as a child who "cried at the slightest hint of annoyance," he became a melancholic and highly sensitive adolescent.
''L'Effort'' Group (1892–1899) Lafargue and his friends gathered for evenings where they read their poems, discussed new literary trends, and launched a magazine founded by Delbousquet in 1892: "Essais de Jeunes" (Youth Essays), quickly replaced by "L'Effort". Lafargue became one of the main contributors to these two magazines, active between 1892 and 1898, which brought together young poets from Toulouse in a group nicknamed the "Toulouse School", and which included
Armand Praviel,
Hélène Picard, Jacques and Marie Nervat, Joseph Rozès de Brousse, and
Pierre Fons. Initially associated with symbolism, they turned to naturism and were also fervent advocates of regionalism and literary decentralization at a time when the artistic scene was dominated by Paris. Lafargue notably contributed to the recognition of the young Toulouse poet Éphraïm Mikhaël, who died prematurely, and led a support committee for the erection of a monument in his honor. During this time, Lafargue was influenced by classical poets and symbolism, as well as the emerging naturism, which attracted young poets. The poems he published in "Essais de Jeunes" and then in "L'Effort" were compiled into a collection edited by "L'Effort" in 1897, titled "Le Jardin d'où l'on voit la Vie" (The Garden from Which One Sees Life). He depicted his youth and convalescent periods in verses sometimes reminiscent of
Verlaine or
Baudelaire, as well as memories. Unlike several of his peers, Lafargue did not compete in the Academy of
Floral Games and showed aversion to academies and schools. "L'Effort" eventually disappeared as its founders moved to Paris. His health improves, and he undertakes a journey to Provence in 1903, accompanied by
Joachim Gasquet. He meets several artists during this trip:
Charles Maurras in
Martigues,
Frédéric Mistral in Maillane,
Émile Pouvillon in
Lamothe-Capdeville, and
Aristide Maillol, still unknown but with whom he becomes friends, in Banyuls. He matures his taste for rustic life and the cult of the native soil in contact with these regional personalities."Her gaze is deep as water in the woods. You will love her upon hearing her sweet voice. Her soul is pure as the air of the countryside. Mother, don't you want her to be my companion?" — ''L'âge d'or
They marry in Paris on December 23, 1904. She is described as "a very simple girl from Quercy, who admires him like a god", with fragile health and a penchant for rustic life like him. La Muse française
, and Les Marges
(which includes Apollinaire among its writers), and participates in the founding of La Nouvelle Revue Française
in 1908. He also continues to write for Toulouse and regional magazines, such as Le Pays de France'', where he publishes "Social Notes" with a socialist and Dreyfusard tendency. He visits his friend Aristide Maillol in the Canigou massif, a region that inspires him a series of poems that he does not immediately publish. He also indulges in painting, exhibiting some paintings at the Salon des Indépendants in 1908 and at other Parisian exhibitions, but does not pursue a career as a painter. Lafargue is not mobilized during
World War I due to his fragile health, and settles in Toulouse during the conflict. He then resumes his regular stays in Paris until 1926. He then resumes his author activity. He composes an "Ode to the Young Girls of Vendôme" in 1924 for a contest, which he wins with the support of
Pierre de Nolhac. His publications continue: he has his Ode published in 1924, then a biography of Camille Corot in 1925, and a verse translation of
Virgil's
Bucolics, illustrated by Aristide Maillol, in 1926. Deeply affected by these losses, Lafargue experiences anxieties and then heart problems. He dies on May 7, 1927.:"One day, when my sons have closed my eyes, It is on this hill with its harmonious folds That I want, O my mortal body, for you to rest, At the foot of the black cypresses under the bushes of roses." == Legacy ==