Gérard de Nerval
      
  
  Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855), the 
pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator 
Gérard Labrunie, was a French essayist, poet, translator, and travel writer. He was a major figure during the era of 
French romanticism, and best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection ''
Les Filles du feu'' (''The Daughters of Fire''), which included the novella ''
Sylvie'' and the poem "El Desdichado". Through his translations, Nerval played a major role in introducing French readers to the works of German Romantic authors, including 
Klopstock, 
Schiller, 
Bürger and 
Goethe. His later work merged poetry and journalism in a fictional context and influenced 
Marcel Proust. His last novella, ''Aurélia ou le rêve et la vie'', influenced 
André Breton and 
Surrealism.
  
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