Arthur Rimbaud

Rimbaud was born on October 20, 1854 at Charleville in provincial France. His father abandoned his family when Rimbaud was just 6 years old. Having to raise her 4 children alone, Rimbaud's mother was stern, demanding, and possessive. Rimbaud was forbidden to play with other boys, so he spent time on his studies. Until the age of 15, Rimbaud was a "model student." But with the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian, Rimbaud rebelled and ran away from home. His love of writing and poetry was not accepted by the people that surrounded him. When he finally ended up in Paris, Rimbaud denounced women and religion and continued studying poetry.

In 1871 Rimbaud wrote "La Lettre du Voyant" and "Le Bateau Ivre" and sent some of his poetry to an older poet Paul Verlaine. Paul invited Rimbaud to come live with him in Paris. The two became lovers. Rimbaud's drug-taking and lifestyle eventually alienated everyone except Verlaine and in 1873, Verlaine left his wife. Rimbaud and Verlaine then moved to London, and their affair ended the same year. This is when Rimbaud wrote "Un Saison Enfer."

Rimbaud quit writing before his 20th birthday, and travelled Europe before becoming a trader and gunrunner in Africa. He got cancer in his right leg, and died on November 10, 1891. He was 37 years old.

Rimbaud's poetry contains a definite deranged sense of surrealism used by the extremely talented poet. His painful existence and affair w/ Verlaine contributed greatly to his masterpieces. His own poetic philosophy began to take shape, and he is known as one of the creators of the free-verse style. His work has been said to have influenced song-writers like Jim Morrison, and Bob Dylan.