Complete Works

Complete Works collects all the poetry and prose of Arthur Rimbaud, the influential French poet who wrote his entire body of work as a teenager in the 1870s. The volume includes both his verse poetry and prose poems, along with personal letters and other documents that provide context for his literary output. The collection features Rimbaud's major works including "A Season in Hell," "Illuminations," and "The Drunken Boat," presented in both their original French and in English translation. Rimbaud's writing experiments with form, sensation, and altered states of consciousness while documenting both rural French life and urban modernity. Rimbaud's distinctive voice emerges through imagery of travel, rebellion, and transformation, with themes of youth, sexuality, and spiritual crisis running throughout. His innovative approach to language and metaphor established him as a predecessor to the Surrealist movement and influenced generations of poets and artists who followed.

Readers praise Rimbaud's raw intensity, vivid imagery, and rebellious spirit in his poetry. Many note how his work captures teenage anger and disillusionment. Reviewers frequently comment on the quality of Paul Schmidt's translations, saying they maintain the original French energy while being accessible in English. Common criticisms include the poems' obscure references and intentionally difficult language. Some readers find the work pretentious or unnecessarily crude. A portion of reviews mention struggling with the non-linear structure and surreal elements. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (15,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (200+ ratings) Sample reader comments: "His rage speaks across centuries" - Goodreads reviewer "Beautiful but often impenetrable" - Amazon reviewer "Changed how I think about poetry" - LibraryThing review "The translations make or break it - Schmidt's are the best" - Reddit r/books comment "Sometimes brilliant, sometimes just teenage angst" - Goodreads reviewer

Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire This collection of poetry explores themes of decadence, urban life, and spiritual rebellion through symbolic and subversive verse.

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman These free verse poems celebrate the self, nature, and human sexuality with a revolutionary spirit that broke nineteenth-century conventions.

Selected Poems by Paul Verlaine The poems combine musicality with explorations of sensation, melancholy, and desire in the French Symbolist tradition.

Alcools by Guillaume Apollinaire These modernist poems merge classical mythology with urban experience through experimental forms and stream-of-consciousness techniques.

Season of Hell by Jack Hirschman This translation and interpretation of Rimbaud's work extends the French poet's revolutionary vision into the twentieth century through political and spiritual dimensions.

🌟 Rimbaud wrote all of his groundbreaking poetry between ages 15-21, then suddenly abandoned literature forever to become a merchant and explorer in Africa. 🌟 His intense relationship with fellow poet Paul Verlaine ended violently when Verlaine shot him in the wrist during an argument in Brussels in 1873. 🌟 The poem "Le Bateau ivre" (The Drunken Boat) was written before Rimbaud had ever seen the ocean, purely from his imagination and readings. 🌟 His work heavily influenced the Surrealist movement, with André Breton declaring him a "god of adolescence" and featuring him as one of the movement's primary inspirations. 🌟 Jim Morrison of The Doors was so inspired by Rimbaud that he modeled his own poetic style and public persona after him, even attempting to translate some of Rimbaud's works.