Arthur Rimbaud's prose poem, written when he was nineteen, is a series of fragments that read as a spiritual confession. It features a damned soul who has made a pact with Satan, a "Bad Blood" section on his heritage, the "Delirium" sections about his relationship with Verlaine, and a farewell to poetry. Rimbaud rejects the self he was and turns from art to action, ending with the line that one must be absolutely modern.
For readers of French poetry and symbolism, it is a short, intense text that influenced generations of poets. It can be read quickly, though most return to it, and a good introduction helps.
Deep, inward-looking and open-ended; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1946
- Publisher
- Mercure de France
- Language
- FR
