Serge Gainsbourg's Reception of the Poètes maudits: Poetics and (Self)perception

This paper explores the reception of the poètes maudits in the work of Serge Gainsbourg, as well as in his self-positioning and perception by his contemporaries. The first part of the study examines the historical and cultural context of the phenomenon of the poète maudit, as well as related concepts. The second part features an analysis of interviews and other biographical and autobiographical sources, aiming to identify features of Serge Gainsbourg's public self-positioning and personal mythology. Finally, the third part of the paper studies the artist's poetic texts, intending to identify the reception of the poètes maudits, particularly Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and Arthur Rimbaud. The study examines Gainsbourg's relations with the previous literary tradition, with primary interest in the principles of literary reception and the reconsideration of the cursed poets' inheritance. Finally, the work establishes the mutual influence of Serge Gainsbourg's personal myth and poetics and answers the question of whether it is fair to call him a poète maudit of the 20th century.