In early 1890, Stéphane Mallarmé gave a lecture in Brussels and at several other locations about his friend Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, who had passed away the previous year. Mallarmé is mainly known for his "Throw of the Dice" and the poem "The Afternoon of a Faun," which was set to music by Debussy. In Germany, Villiers is recognized for his "Cruel Stories" and his novel "The Eve of the Future"; although he published a collection of poems at a very young age, he subsequently focused only on short stories and (not particularly successful) plays. However, Mallarmé's text is not an obituary in the usual sense, where dates and facts are compiled to create a lenient portrait of the deceased. Instead, he attempts to outline his own conception of the role of poetry in the modern world through some memories of Villiers' presence and self-confidence, as well as selected quotes from his texts, effectively putting his program into practice. This results in a unique, new piece of literature.