Henri Michaux

Belgian-born French poet, writer and painter

Born: May 24, 1899 · Died: October 19, 1984

Famous Persons

Who was Henri Michaux?

Henri Michaux (French: [ɑ̃ʁi miʃo]; 24 May 1899 – 19 October 1984) was a Belgian-born French experimental poet, writer and painter. In 1955 he became a citizen of France, and he lived the rest of his life there. He became a friend of Romanian pessimist philosopher Emil Cioran around the same time, along with other literary luminaries in France.

Historical significance

Michaux is renowned for his strange, highly original poetry and prose, and also for his art: the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York had shows of his work in 1978 (see below, Visual Arts). His autobiographical texts that chronicle his psychedelic experiments with LSD and mescaline include Miserable Miracle and The Major Ordeals of the Mind and the Countless Minor Ones. He is recognised for his idiosyncratic travelogues and books of art criticism. Michaux is also known for his stories about Plume – "a peaceable man" – one of the most unenterprising heroes in literature, a character subject to many misfortunes. His poetic works have often been republished in France, where they are studied along with significant poets of French literature.

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Henri Michaux.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/henri-michaux/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

APA

Henri Michaux. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/henri-michaux/

Chicago

“Henri Michaux.” thisDay. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/henri-michaux/.

Found an error? Let us know.