The Life Of Poet Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet who lived from 1854 to 1891. In his brief life, he produced a body of work that is considered some of the most innovative and influential poetry of the 19th century. Rimbaud was a crucial figure in the Symbolist movement and is often associated with the Decadent movement. His life and work continue to inspire and fascinate readers and writers today.
Rimbaud was born in Charleville, a small town in northeastern France, in 1854. He was the second of five children; his parents were a stern and religious mother and a distant and absent father. Rimbaud was a precocious child, showing an early talent for language and writing. He began writing poetry at age ten and had already produced several impressive poems by age 15.
At 16, Rimbaud sent some of his poems to the poet Paul Verlaine, who was then 27 and already a well-established figure in the French literary scene. Verlaine was immediately struck by Rimbaud's talent and invited him to Paris. Rimbaud accepted, and the two men began a tumultuous and scandalous relationship for two years.
During this time, Rimbaud and Verlaine travelled throughout Europe, writing poetry and living a bohemian lifestyle. They also engaged in several affairs and drunken brawls. Their relationship was marked by intense passion and equally intense fights, and it finally ended in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist with a revolver.
Despite the violence and drama of his personal life, Rimbaud's poetry continued to develop and mature. His early work was characterized by vivid and intense imagery that was sometimes shocking and grotesque. He was fascinated by the idea of the poet as a visionary and rebel, and his poetry often explored themes of rebellion, transformation, and the search for spiritual truth.
In his later work, Rimbaud turned away from his early poetry's more fantastical and visionary aspects and focused more on the every day and the mundane. He also became increasingly interested in the possibilities of language, experimenting with new forms and techniques and pushing the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in poetry.
Rimbaud's most famous work is his collection of prose poems, "Illuminations," which he wrote in 1874 and 1875. These poems are characterized by their fragmented and elliptical style, striking imagery, and unconventional language use. "Illuminations" has enormously influenced later writers, including the Surrealists, the Beat poets, and many contemporary poets.
Despite his brief career as a poet, Rimbaud's influence has been enormous. His work was a key influence on the Symbolist and Decadent movements of the late 19th century, and his innovations in language and form have continued to inspire writers and artists throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Rimbaud's life and work remain a testament to the power of the poetic imagination to transform and challenge the world around us.
