- "Some characters and circumstances are bound to intersect; very likely I was actually expecting you this evening—without knowing it, of course. Well, now I see it all; I must try to save your existence. And as there are some wounds that one can heal only by deepening them and making them worse, I want to fulfill your dream in its entirety! My lord Ewald, didn't you cry out just now, when you were talking of her, 'Who will deliver this soul out of this body for me?'"— Thomas Edison, from The Future Eve
Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, or simply Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (7 November 1838 – 19 August 1889) was a French writer and a member of the Symbolist, Decadent, and Romantic movements in literature. Some of his works include Cruel Tales, The Future Eve, and Axël.
Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was born in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, to Marquis Joseph-Toussaint and Marie-Francoise (née Le Nepvou de Carfort), a distinguished aristocratic family. However, they were not financially secure and relied on the support of Marie's aunt, Mademoiselle Daniele de Kerinou. In an attempt to gain wealth, Joseph-Toussaint went on a futile search for the lost treasure of the Knights of Malta, of which Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, an ancestor, was Grand Master. The marquis spent so much money seeking this treasure, said to be buried near Quintin during The French Revolution, before selling unsuccessful sites at a loss.
His education was very unstable as he studied at different schools, but his family saw in his vivid imagination the beginnings of an artistic genius, and he wrote poetry and composed music as a child. At one point, Villiers met a girl and fell in love with her, but the girl eventually died. Not only would her death impact his literary imagination, but it also so devastated him to the point where he never truly loved again.
