Profession: politician

Chateaubriand’s romances and poetry kick-started French literary romanticism. As a young writer he met Chenier and befriended Joubert, whose collected aphorisms he later published. He witnessed Dumas’ wedding, was friends with Rossini, and supportive of Lamartine. He dined with his neighbour Arago, disillusioned political comrades, and befriended Sainte-Beuve, who wrote about him, and attended private readings the old man gave of his memoirs. Hugo, who had revered him from youth, became a lifelong friend and correspondent, and wrote touchingly of his last years, visiting the paralysed poet on his deathbed.

Addison is noteworthy for his extremely influential journalistic collaborations with Steele (a classic partnership of opposites: Addison quiet and scholarly, Steele noisily confident). He first met Swift in Ireland, and addressed a poem to Dryden, who became a friend. Leibniz was met in Berlin – Addison later wrote seeking a drawing of a bison. Tonson helped preside over the camaraderie that bound a notable literary gang together. Montagu wrote a criticism of his hit play ‘Cato’ that he asked her not to publish, though he adopted most improvements she suggested. Pope, a former friend (introduced by Steele), later satirised him.

Senghor, met on his second day studying in Paris, took him under his wing, becoming a great friend. He said meeting Breton a few years later in Martinique was as important: Breton and he exchanged poems for their respective reviews for several years. He was Fanon’s inspirational mentor and friend, Glissant perhaps also being taught by him (accounts differ.) He founded one black literary review with Damas and Senghor, another with Alioune Diop, Niger and Tirolien, and yet another with Ménil and Maugée. Soyinka was met at a literary conference in Dakar, while Leiris was a close friend in Paris.