РЕМБООВИ ЖИВОТИ
RIMBAUD’S LIVES

Summary/Abstract: The iconic figure of modern poetry, Arthur Rimbaud led a truly unique life. His biography is as mesmerizing and adventurous as his poetry. The young genius from Charleville had written some of the most beautiful verses in French poetry by the age of twenty, when he allegedly stopped writing. We will argue in support of his decision to abandon his career as a poet and to opt for a tumultuous, uncertain and nomadic life that eventually led him to become a merchant in Abyssinia. We shall rely on most recent accounts of Rimbaud’s life, Graham Robb’s book, written in 2000, and Seth Whidden’s study, ublished in 2018. We shall also include Enid Starkie’s study of reference. Our aim is to draw attention to the peculiar precognition of his own life in the famous letter he wrote to Paul Demeny in 1871, describing the poet as a Seer, insisting on all the experiences he had to undergo. His signature poem “The Drunken Boat” uncannily heralds the path he would take in his quest for the total experience. As his life unfolded, even though he had abandoned his poetic experiment, he seems to have followed the path of his poetic journey.

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