A Season in Hell and Other Works/Une saison en enfer et oeuvres diverses

by Arthur Rimbaud, Stanley Appelbaum (Editor)

Widely regarded as one of the creators of prose poems, Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891) was also a forerunner of the Surrealists. The works in this excellently translated collection, written by the author when he was between 15 and 20 years old, became a rallying point of the poetic avant-garde during the late nineteenth century throughout Western Europe and the United States. They have remained a source of inspiration for their youthful, rebellious spirit and unmatched verbal allure. Included among the works are the complete versions of Rimbaud's autobiographical "A Season in Hell"; his entire "Illuminations," a large selection of early verse poems; and "The Drunken Boat," a work considered by many to be the poet's masterpiece. This volume of witty, sarcastic, and expressive works is required reading for students of world literature, and will also appeal to a wide general audience.

Genres: Poetry, France

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 21, 2003

About the author

Hallucinatory work of French poet Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud strongly influenced the surrealists.

With known transgressive themes, he influenced modern literature and arts, prefiguring. He started writing at a very young age and excelled as a student but abandoned his formal education in his teenage years to run away to Paris amidst the Franco-Prussian war. During his late adolescence and early adulthood, he produced the bulk of his literary output. After assembling his last major work, Illuminations , Rimbaud completely stopped writing literature at age 20 years in 1874.

A hectic, violent romantic relationship, which lasted nearly two years at times, with fellow poet Paul Verlaine engaged Rimbaud, a libertine, restless soul. After his retirement as a writer, he traveled extensively on three continents as a merchant and explorer until his death from cancer. As a poet, Rimbaud is well known for his contributions to symbolism and, among other works, for A Season in Hell , a precursor to modernist literature.

Reviews

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rating is for the volume at hand, obviously, not for Rimbaud (most of which, apart from some well-known passages, I don't in the least understand: I read Season in Hell, Illuminations, Drunken Boat).

Appelbaum's translations are pretty awful, and at times out and out wrong. But as a dual-language book, switching back and forth, bad translations are sometimes better than good ones -- if they're literal. So it's a tough call.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever felt like your whole being was bent on breaking something? Well, maybe reading this long-ish prose poem will save you half the trouble. Rimbaud was a young boy when he wrote this, and he was pissed.

[reqbat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad that I don’t like Rimbaud, but I just don’t like Rimbaud 🤷‍♀️

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I'll admit I got the name of this book from a B movie (Eddie and the Cruisers) but I still had to find it anyway. It took a little searching but I ended up getting it through my local community colleges library. The poems were well written.

[Angela Randall]

Want this as dual-language: A Season in Hell and Other Works/Une saison en enfer et oeuvres diverses