A Life of Letters and Criticism Théophile Gautier was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. Born in Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of southwestern France, he later moved to Paris. His education took place at Collège Louis-le-Grand and Collège Charlemagne. Throughout his career, he was a frequent contributor to various journals, most notably La Presse, and later served as the director o…