Yves Bonnefoy, one of France's most esteemed modern poets, has died at the age of 93, French media report, reports the BBC.
His more than 100 books were translated into 30 languages.
He was also a translator who was known for his French versions of the plays of William Shakespeare, and the poetry of W B Yeats, John Donne and Petrarch.
His style was surrealistic to a degree, but he sought to avoid the obscurity which might isolate his readers from the everyday world.
Born in 1923 in Tours, he was also an art critic who wrote on such modern masters as Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti and Piet Mondrian.
He also translated the works of his friend, the Greek poet George Seferis.
Bonnefoy published his first volume of poetry in 1946 and first achieved wider fame seven years with his third book.