The Illuminations - Paperback

by Keith Miller (Translator), Arthur Rimbaud (Author)

"As soon as the idea of the Flood subsided, A hare stopped in the clover and swinging flowerbells and said his prayer to the rainbow through the spider's web . . ." Arthur Rimbaud's short career as a poet came to a fiery close with The Illuminations. Innovative in their juxtaposition of images and exploration of language, the poems have inspired generations of poets. They retain their avant-garde flavor more than a century after they were first published. Five years in the making, this new translation by Keith Miller transmits the vitality and freshness of Rimbaud's voice while preserving fidelity to the originals. This dual-language edition allows readers to compare the translation with the original.

Author Biography

Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France, in 1854. He left home at the age of 14 and joined a group of writers and artists in Paris, among them Paul Verlaine. Verlaine and Rimbaud became lovers and moved to London. In 1873, Verlaine shot and wounded Rimbaud, and their affair ended. At 21, Rimbaud abandoned poetry, setting off on adventures that would take him to Egypt, Cyprus, Yemen, and Ethiopia. He died in 1891.