Ephraïm Mikhaël

Born Georges Michel in Toulouse to an affluent Provençal Jewish family, Ephraïm Mikhaël moved to Paris as a teenager along with his cousin, Bernard Lazare. He attended the Sorbonne and the École des Chartes in Paris, specializing in classics and medieval studies. Upon earning his degree, Mikhaël accepted a position as an archivist at the Bibliothèque nationale, which he held until his death. Having Hebraized his name around the time he entered the Sorbonne, Mikhaël contributed significant poems on Jewish themes to the French symbolist movement and was the author of dramas, poetic prose works, and theoretical essays. Although his career was short, his writings were well regarded by prominent contemporaries, including Stéphane Mallarmé and Victor Hugo.