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[Paris]: Librairie Générale Française, Le Livre de Poche, 1999; 1039 p.; 19,1 cm (La Pochotèque)
Description
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.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member WrathofAchilles
I love "The Drunken Boat" even more than its namesake Le Bateau Ivre in midtown Manhattan, where I once got drunk with a wealthy African I later discovered was a corrupt member of the Angolan government. I feel bad about it, but I didn't know at the time, and he knew his wine.
LibraryThing member poetontheone
It is not even necessary to mention that Rimbaud's succinct oeuvre of poetry, all written before the age of 20, had a profound impact on Modern Literature. His poetry is replete with vivid and decadent imagery. These poems, accompanied by a selection of letters, give the reader a startling glimpse
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into a restless soul. Schmidt's rhythmic and fluid translation only heightens this intimacy. Rimbaud is a poet not to be passed over. Show Less
LibraryThing member jenesuispas
Schmidt's way of translating these poems is seen by many as controversial, in some ways he almost rewrites poems to make them fit a certain structure. What makes this so special? Rimbaud paid close attention to the structure in his own original poetry, they were considered ingeniously song-like and
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lyrical by his contemporaries. Schmidt manages to imitate this without changing too much of the content--he merely "swirls" it around, preserving the wit and beauty in Rimbaud's language along with the scatology. Just compare "The Stolen Heart" to any other version. Show Less
LibraryThing member apc251
Every young man should read this, at least those serious about life, love, literature, and art. I was in my early twenties and was told about it by a friend in college. I was in the process of deranging my own senses at the time and it was a wonderful roadmap.
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Incredibly emotional and beautiful stuff.
LibraryThing member datrappert
(This review refers to the Paul Schmidt translation published first in 1976. I read the 18th printing of the 2008 Harper Perennial Modern Classics edition, which contains additional material at the end.)
I have spent the better part of the last two days reading this book, my first foray into the
But I also feel inadequate to even read this work in so many ways. There are so many allusions lost—Rimbaud had a classical education that few intelligent folks of our time have, so despite being pretty smart myself, if qualifying for Mensa means anything—which it probably doesn’t—much just flies by me. There is also what I call “The Jimi Hendrix Effect.” By this I mean my experience in discovering the guitar playing of Jimi Hendrix, long after his death. After hearing how revolutionary it was, it was difficult to bear that out in the actual listening, since so many guitarists I was familiar with already had been so influenced by Hendrix. Hendrix had some great songs, but it took a lot of listens to begin to really appreciate his style. Perhaps the same will be true with Rimbaud. But with Hendrix, there was no translation to deal with.
On first reading, Rimbaud’s work is certainly striking, especially given how young he was when he wrote it. At 16, he is already an old man in many ways. But the words and images, though often vivid, usually fail to leave a “whole” impression with me. Though not difficult to read, these are difficult works to understand. Rimbaud’s letters are much clearer and they provide much needed insight into his life and thoughts, much more than the brief biographical sketches that the translator opens each section with. Most modern readers would certainly benefit from a more critical edition that at least offers some background and theories about each work. But, I suppose, an edition laden with footnotes would have spoiled the experience of reading Rimbaud in as unadorned manner as possible. What emerges after I read him are feelings rather than coherent thoughts and conclusions. But I was constantly engaged when reading, and the more or less chronological ordering of the book is helpful. By the time we get to “A Season in Hell” we can appreciate it based on our at least partial understanding of what has gone before.
The story of Rimbaud’s life is a sad one. But he spent much of it doing what he chose to do, and even his last years toiling in Africa have a kind of fatalistic heroism about them. He would be pleased with the legacy he has left and the influence he still provides to those who would be his kindred spirits.
I have spent the better part of the last two days reading this book, my first foray into the
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works of Arthur Rimbaud. I was drawn to read this after reading the marvelous oral history of punk rock, Please Kill Me, and being reminded of what an influence Rimbaud was on people like Patti Smith (and before her, Bob Dylan). The meaning of Dylan’s line from Blood on the Tracks about his relationships having been like Verlaine’s and Rimbaud’s is much clearer now.But I also feel inadequate to even read this work in so many ways. There are so many allusions lost—Rimbaud had a classical education that few intelligent folks of our time have, so despite being pretty smart myself, if qualifying for Mensa means anything—which it probably doesn’t—much just flies by me. There is also what I call “The Jimi Hendrix Effect.” By this I mean my experience in discovering the guitar playing of Jimi Hendrix, long after his death. After hearing how revolutionary it was, it was difficult to bear that out in the actual listening, since so many guitarists I was familiar with already had been so influenced by Hendrix. Hendrix had some great songs, but it took a lot of listens to begin to really appreciate his style. Perhaps the same will be true with Rimbaud. But with Hendrix, there was no translation to deal with.
On first reading, Rimbaud’s work is certainly striking, especially given how young he was when he wrote it. At 16, he is already an old man in many ways. But the words and images, though often vivid, usually fail to leave a “whole” impression with me. Though not difficult to read, these are difficult works to understand. Rimbaud’s letters are much clearer and they provide much needed insight into his life and thoughts, much more than the brief biographical sketches that the translator opens each section with. Most modern readers would certainly benefit from a more critical edition that at least offers some background and theories about each work. But, I suppose, an edition laden with footnotes would have spoiled the experience of reading Rimbaud in as unadorned manner as possible. What emerges after I read him are feelings rather than coherent thoughts and conclusions. But I was constantly engaged when reading, and the more or less chronological ordering of the book is helpful. By the time we get to “A Season in Hell” we can appreciate it based on our at least partial understanding of what has gone before.
The story of Rimbaud’s life is a sad one. But he spent much of it doing what he chose to do, and even his last years toiling in Africa have a kind of fatalistic heroism about them. He would be pleased with the legacy he has left and the influence he still provides to those who would be his kindred spirits.
Show Less
Language
Physical description
1039 p.; 19 cm
ISBN
2253132500 / 9782253132509