Pierre de Ronsard

Pierre de Ronsard (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ də ʁɔ̃saʁ]; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet. His works include Les Amours de Cassandre (1552), Les Hymnes (1555-1556), Les Discours (1562-1563), La Franciade (1572), and Sonnets pour Hélène (1578).

Ronsard was born at Manoir de la Possonnière in the village of Couture-sur-Loir, Vendômois. His father served Francis I as maître d'hôtel du roi. Ronsard received an education at home before attending the College of Navarre, in Paris, at age nine. He later travelled extensively, including visits to Scotland, Flanders, and Holland. After a hearing impairment halted his diplomatic career, Ronsard dedicated himself to study at the Collège Coqueret. He later became the acknowledged leader of La Pléiade, a group of seven French Renaissance poets.

His works were both admired and criticized throughout his life, and his reputation was established by critics such as Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve. His poetry is characterized by its peculiar use of language and imagery, and a great variety of metre.