The romantic poet and politician Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-!889) was born in Mâcon and died in Paris. He spent the first ten years of his life in Milly (now Milly-Lamartine), which gave him many lasting experiences, influencing his work. In 1816, in Aix-les-Bains, he met a young married woman, Julie Charles, and her death from tuberculosis in 1817 marked a turning point in his life. Méditations poétiques was published to great success in 1820, and included in the collection is 'L'Isolement', his elegy to Julie which contains the famous line 'Un seul être vous manque et tout est dépeuplé'. He sold the Milly property in 1860.
The entrance to Lamartine's childhood home.
The house is only open to the public a few hours a week.
This plaque mentions that Lamartine remembers the house in Les Confidences and the famous poems 'Milly ou la Terre natale' and La vigne et la Maison'.
The monument stands on a hill, the Mairie on one side, vineyards on the other.
Lamartine was a strong opponent of slavery. He was also a strong advocate of non-violence and a keen supporter of vegetarianism: he detested meat.
The monument emphasizes Lamartine's love of Milly.
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