Customer Reviews

Rimbaud: A Biography

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As Robb did in stellar biographies of Balzac and Victor Hugo, he paints a vivid picture of the immediate environment in which the genius in question grows, rebels, creates and explodes. Much has been written about Rimbaud and his short period of productivity as a brilliant poet and prose-poet, but too much until this biography repeated the same facts, the same received opinions and the same conclusions. Robb digs deeper to provide the fascinating and detailed world of Rimbaud's family, his provincial origins and his rage to create new forms. With that detail, Rimbaud comes spectacularly alive in context. And what a context! Most famously, poet Paul Verlaine stepped into Rimbaud's line of fire and literary history was made, with the young man/boy wreaking havoc in every direction. As Robb shows, Verlaine, Rimbaud's mentor, lover and punching bag, was merely one of those the wild child went after. Robb's prodigious knowledge of the poet, his time and his place in literary history makes this the definitive biography of Arthur Rimbaud. And although hard work, thoroughness and engaged insights are three of Robb's supreme qualities as a biographer, his glorious writing style, which provides every paragraph with exploding epiphanies that illuminate and delight in equal measure, remains a rare treasure among contemporary biographers.

An enjoyable book-- well-written and apparently well-researched, if occasionally a little snarky in tone.

Robb has a rare talent (Mitford-esque, if I dare say so) for injecting his point of view in a way that is visible but not overly intrusive. I was glad to have him as a narrative presence throughout the book.

I haven't thought about Rimbaud in years. I read _A Season in Hell_ as a high school student, as you do, but wasn't converted. I never really made a serious effort to engage his poetry or his life. I was motivated to pick this book up after reading a review, and was not disappointed. If you would like to read beyond the tortured artist and into the life of a fascinating and important literary figure, then this is the book for you.

What interested me in reading the biography is how much Rimbaud myth I had unintentionally absorbed over the years. Robb tells the reader a lot about the Rimbaud myth, and I think that many readers are going to find that much of what they thought they knew was not true. He spends a lot of time on the and unwraps the layers for the reader. In that sense, the book also becomes a look at how narrative fictions develop about literary figures. In any case, the facts about Rimbaud are happily much more interesting than the fiction.

The book has inspired me to go back to A Season in Hell and maybe pick up the collected letters. Rimbaud becomes a great deal more interesting if you look at his entire career and not just the period before he turned 19.

Generally: A good read & worth the time.

This bio completely turned my head around. Everything that I thought I knew about Rimbaud, was wrong! Robb's scholarship is impeccable, and his writing is so interesting that - like a novel - I kept turning the pages to find out what happened next. This is a book for everyone who loves Rimbaud, French poetry, biography, and beautiful writing.

Thank you, Graham Robb, for giving us the true Rimbaud - the man himself. You opened my mind to his life, and my heart to his poetry.

I won't bother reviewing the book extensively, because the other reviews and the Amazon summary does a great job, but I would like to add a few thoughts.
When I was a child I heard about A Season In Hell. I first heard about in Rimbaud in an utterly forgettable movie, but now I must remember it because it introduced me to the greatest Poet who ever lived. I read the poem and I didn't understand much of it, but what I did understand is that it was hauntingly beautiful, and wonderfully depraved. Almost twenty years later I still don't understand all of the poem, and my opinion has not changed. Still I didn't know much about the man except that he faked his own death. I read bits of information, part of a biography that was poorly written, and I sadly gave up on this story for years. When a friend recommended this book, not for Rimbaud, he accidentally got it in a book of the month club and decided to read it, but because it was a great book. To which I wholeheartedly agree. It is more than just a book about a genius and a poet, but it is a wonderfully written book filled with dry humor and insightful commentary.
Best of all for the lovers of literature and fact, this book dispels many, many myths about Arthur Rimbaud while still keeping true to the demonic young man and his disreputable behavior and youth fueled fury. I will say that sometimes the book felt more like a love letter, and the author did hold back a bit, but only rarely and only in words not in thought...
Read this book because it is a great book about a great man.

*WARNING* This book will make you think, and may even make your life seem small in comparison! It is a great motivator for all of us with wandering spirits, fanciful dreams, but sedentary lives.

This was the fourth biography on Rimbaud I'd read, and I found it the most accessible. However, the very best biography for my money, warts and all (she perpetuates a couple false myths about R.), is the Enid Starkie biography from 1961. Unlike Robb, she gives an analysis of many of his poems in the context of his life and times, while capably commenting on other personalities and poets of the era in which he lived. Still, even Robb in this biography, despite insisting on dismantling the so-called Rimbaud myths, perpetuates the "bad-boy genius" image here and there. If one reads his letters (see "I Promise to Be Good", Wyatt Mason, 2003) they will see that "...it is not generally appreciated how methodical a student of poetry Rimbaud was . . . Rimbaud made himself a poet by a long, involved, and sober study of the history of poetry."

But this is a review of Robb's book, and I do recommend it because it's the most up-to-date version of Rimbaud (as of 2003) and probably includes the most accurate chronology of all bios to date, as well as more details of his time with Verlaine, and in Africa (for which, Charles Nicholl's book, "Somebody Else: Rimbaud in Africa", 1997 is the best).

Overall, I think Robb's biography is the best modern introduction to Rimbaud (besides his poems, of course) for someone unfamiliar with him at all. His writing syle is less pedantic, and more journalistically captivating than Starkie, and others (I suppose it's a matter of taste, background, and direction, but it's probably impossible to find any dull biographies about Rimbaud anyway). Rimbaud continues to seduce and attract modern poets, wanderers, and seekers alike, and this biography is one more key to the fullest portrait possible of Rimbaud we'll ever get.

"Or, tout dernierement m'etant sur le point de faire le dernier couac! j'ai songe a rechercher la clef du festin ancien, ou je reprendrais peut-etre appetit."

But just lately, finding myself on the point of uttering the last croak, I thought of looking for the key to the old feast, where perhaps I might find my appetite again.

This is one of the best biographies I have read. Not only does it cover Rimbaud's turbulent years as one of the most infamous and brilliant poets in French literature, it also does a good job covering his years in Africa after he had renounced his "previous life". It is still quite difficult to discern what really motivated Rimbaud to lead the life he lead, but it is certainly a great pleasure to read about it. Similar to Genet, Rimbaud lead a dangerous and brave life, and now it is possible to see perhaps how personal his mysterious and beautiful poetry really was.

The best book to read on Rimbaud. Robb dispells myths, only to replace them with the even more awe-inspiring reality. His writing is perfect for this biography; it has a narrative tone, with occasional quips and asides, but most importantly it never gets in the way of understanding the fascinating life of the man behind the poetry.

A very fine literary biography. A deep penetration into a mind in disarray. If anyone can make sense of Rimbaud's poetry, it is Robb. Robb makes numerous projections about what exactly the subject was thinking at various points in the narration, but they are logical and even if not precisely the truth, it would not matter, as they tie the story together very nicely.

I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the bizarre.

I've never been into Rimbaud's poetry, but a friend suggested I read his biography by Graham Robb. I thought it was a wonderful book. I could barely put it down. Rimbaud's life was fascinating. From his life with Verlaine to his travels to Java and other intriguing places, Robb's book covers it all.

I highly recommend this book.

This was fascinating reading! I finally got a clearer picture of the hero of my youth, the wonderful and rebellious poet Rimbaud. This is the story of an adventurer who happens to have been a brilliant poet in his early youth. At least, that is how you should tell his life in a mooviescript. Robb has managed to make a consistent person out of a myth, whitout giving any real answers. This shows his great class. L.