Pablo, the rascals, and Les Amies

When Verlaine published “Monsieur Prudhomme” in 1863, he simply signed it as “Pablo” before delivering Les Amies under the name “Pablo de Herlagnez,” with a fictional place of publication, “Ségovie.” This article reveals the inspiration for this playful technique, before exploring its significance: it relates to a novel by Quevedo, translated as Histoire de Don Pablo de Ségovie.