Arthur Rimbaud: Complete Works

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One of the world's most influential poets, Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) is remembered as much for his volatile personality and tumultuous life as he is for his writings, almost all of which he produced before the age of twenty. Paul Schmidt's acclaimed collection brings together his complete poetry, prose, and letters, including "The Drunken Boat," "The Orphans' New Year," "After the Flood," and "A Season in Hell." Complete Works is divided into eight "seasons"-Childhood, the Open Road, War, the Tormented Heart, the Visionary, the Damned Soul, a Few Belated Cowardices, and the Man with the Wind at His Heels-that reflect the facets of Rimbaud's life. Insightful commentary by Schmidt reveals the courage, vision, and imagination of Rimbaud's poetry and sheds light on one of the most enigmatic figures in letters.

Reviews

Rimbaud was pure dynamite . . . he restored literature to life. Henry Miller The best edition in English Montreal Gazette Visionary . . . Wicked . . . A Genius. The New Yorker The hallucinatory prose-poems of Arthur Rimbaud rank among the glories of 19th-century French literature. New York Times Paul Schmidt has wavered--no, has hovered--between solicitude and critique, and the result of such suspension is his beautiful, daring, careful work . . . serves us the Rimbaud that matters in its fine mesh. Richard Howard, Pulitzer Prize-winner poet and translator; professor, Columbia University This collection is interesting for the light it casts on the background to the writing of A Season in Hell and the poems later referred to (by Paul Verlaine) as The Illuminations. As well as the poems themselves, Schmidt includes transcriptions of letters (to Verlaine and others) and biographical details from the life of this most nihilistic genius. The Guardian A mystic in the wild state. Paul Claudel

Author Bio

Arthur Rimbaud, born in 1854 in Charleville, France, is hailed as the father of Symbolism. His most famous works of poetry include The Drunken Boat and A Season in Hell. He died in 1891.Paul Schmidt was, in addition to a translator, a playwright, actor, and author of two books of poetry. He taught for many years at Yale University. Mr. Schmidt died in 1999 in New York City.