Known for his highly controversial, and often dark poetry, as well as his
translation of the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Baudelaire's life was filled with
drama and strife, from financial disaster to being prosecuted for obscenity and
blasphemy. Long after his death many look upon his name as representing depravity
and vice. In his often introspective poetry, Baudelaire revealed himself as a
seeker of God without religious beliefs, searching in every manifestation of life
for its true significance, be it in the leaves of a tree or a prostitutes frown.