Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (/ræmˈboʊ/[2] or las Frédéric (“Frédéric”), arrived nine months later on 2 /ˈræmboʊ/; French pronunciation: [aʁtyʁ ʁɛ̃bo] ; 20 Oc- November.[3] The next year, on 20 October 1854, Jean tober 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet Nicolas Arthur (“Arthur”) was born.[3] Three more chil- born in Charleville, Ardennes.[3] He influenced modern dren followed: Victorine-Pauline-Vitalie on 4 June 1857 literature and arts, and prefigured surrealism. He started (who died a few weeks later), Jeanne-Rosalie-Vitalie writing poems at a very young age, while still in primary (“Vitalie”) on 15 June 1858 and, finally, Frédérique school, and stopped completely before he turned 21. He Marie Isabelle (“Isabelle”) on 1 June 1860.[17] was mostly creative in his teens (17–20). The critic Ce- Though the marriage lasted seven years, Captain Rim- cil Arthur Hackett wrote that his “genius, its flowering, [4] baud lived continuously in the matrimonial home for less explosion and sudden extinction, still astonishes”. than three months, from February to May 1853.[18] The Rimbaud was known to have been a libertine and for be- rest of the time his military postings – including active ing a restless soul. He traveled extensively on three con- service in the Crimean War and the Sardinian Campaign tinents before his death from cancer just after his thirty- (with medals earned in both)[19] – meant he returned seventh birthday.[5] home to Charleville only when on leave.[18] He was not at home for his children’s births, nor their baptisms.[18] Isabelle’s birth in 1860 must have been the last straw, as 1 Life after this Captain Rimbaud stopped returning home on leave entirely.[20] Though they never divorced, the sepa- ration was complete; thereafter Mme Rimbaud let herself 1.1 Family and childhood (1854–1861) be known as “Widow Rimbaud” [20] and Captain Rim- baud would describe himself as a widower.[21] Neither Arthur Rimbaud was born in the provincial town of the captain nor his children showed the slightest interest Charleville (now part of Charleville-Mézières) in the in re-establishing contact.[21] Ardennes département in northeastern France. He was the second child of Frédéric Rimbaud (7 October 1814 – 16 November 1878)[6] and Marie Catherine Vitalie Cuif 1.2 Schooling and teen years (1861–1871) [7] (10 March 1825 – 16 November 1907).[8] Fearing her children were being over-influenced by the Rimbaud’s father, a Burgundian of Provençal extraction, neighbouring children of the poor, Mme. Rimbaud was an infantry captain risen from the ranks; he had [22] [9] moved her family to the Cours d'Orléans in 1862. spent much of his army career abroad. From 1844 to This was a better neighbourhood, and the boys, now aged 1850, he participated in the conquest of Algeria, and in [9] nine and eight, who had been taught at home by their 1854 was awarded the Légion d'honneur “by Imperial mother, were now sent to the Pension Rossat. Through- decree”.[10] Captain Rimbaud was described as “good- [11] out the five years that they attended the school, however, tempered, easy-going and generous”. with the long their formidable mother still imposed her will upon them, moustaches and goatee of a Chasseur officer.[12] pushing them for scholastic success. She would punish In October 1852, Captain Rimbaud, then aged 38, was her sons by making them learn a hundred lines of Latin transferred to Mézières where he met Vitalie Cuif, 11 verse by heart, and further punish any mistakes by de- years his junior, while on a Sunday stroll.[13] She came priving them of meals.[23] When Rimbaud was nine, he from a “solidly established Ardennais family”,[14] but one wrote a 700-word essay objecting to his having to learn with its share of bohemians; two of her brothers were Latin in school. Vigorously condemning a classical ed- alcoholics.[14] Her personality was the “exact opposite” of ucation as a mere gateway to a salaried position, Rim- Captain Rimbaud’s; she was narrowminded, “stingy and baud wrote repeatedly, “I will be a rentier".[23] Rimbaud ... completely lacking in a sense of humour”.[11] When disliked schoolwork and resented his mother’s constant Charles Houin, an early biographer, interviewed her, he supervision; the children were not allowed out of their found her “withdrawn, stubborn and taciturn”.[15] Arthur mother’s sight, and until they were fifteen and sixteen re- Rimbaud’s private name for her was “Mouth of Dark- spectively, she would walk them home from school.[24] [16] ness” (bouche d'ombre). As a boy, Rimbaud was small and pale with brown hair, Nevertheless, on 8 February 1853, Captain Rimbaud and eyes that a childhood friend described as “pale blue ir- and Vitalie Cuif married; their first-born, Jean Nico- radiated with dark blue—the loveliest eyes I've seen”.[26] 1 2 1 LIFE and student, with Rimbaud for a while seeing Izambard as a kind of older brother.[35] At the age of 15, Rim- baud was showing maturity as a poet; the first poem he showed Izambard, “Ophélie”, would later be included in anthologies, and is regarded as one of Rimbaud’s three or four best poems.[36] On 4 May 1870, Rimbaud’s mother wrote to Izambard to complain that he had given Rim- baud Victor Hugo's Les Misérables to read.[37] On 19 July 1870, the Franco-Prussian War broke out, between Napoleon III's Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia.[38] A week later, on 24 July, Izam- bard left Charleville for the summer to stay with his three aunts – the Misses Gindre – in Douai.[38] In the meantime, preparations for war continued and the Col- lège de Charleville became a military hospital.[39] By the end of August, with the countryside in turmoil, Rimbaud was bored and restless.[39] In search of adventure he ran away by train to Paris without funds for his ticket.[40] On arrival at the Gare du Nord, he was arrested and locked up in Mazas Prison to await trial for fare eva- sion and vagrancy.[40] On about 6 September, Rimbaud wrote a desperate letter to Izambard, who arranged with the prison governor that Rimbaud be released into his care.[41] As hostilities were continuing, he stayed with the Misses Gindre in Douai until he could be returned to Charleville.[41] Izambard finally handed Rimbaud over Rimbaud on the day of his First Communion.[25] to Mme Rimbaud on 27 September 1870, but he was at home for only ten days before running away again.[42] From late October 1870, Rimbaud’s behaviour became An ardent Catholic like his mother, Rimbaud had his openly provocative; he drank alcohol, spoke rudely, com- First Communion when he was eleven. His piety earned posed scatological poems, stole books from local shops, him the schoolyard nickname “sale petit Cagot".[27] That and abandoned his characteristically neat appearance by same year, he and his brother were sent to the Collège allowing his hair to grow long.[43] on 13 and 15 May 1871, de Charleville. Up to then, his reading had been largely he wrote letters (the lettres du voyant),[44] to Izambard confined to the Bible,[28] though he had also enjoyed fairy and to Demeny respectively, about his method for attain- tales and adventure stories, such as the novels of James ing poetical transcendence or visionary power through a Fenimore Cooper and Gustave Aimard.[29] At the Collège “long, intimidating, immense and rational derangement he became a highly successful student, heading his class of all the senses. The sufferings are enormous, but one in all subjects except mathematics and the sciences; his must be strong, be born a poet, and I have recognized schoolmasters remarked upon his ability to absorb great myself as a poet.”[45] quantities of material. In 1869 he won eight school first prizes, including the prize for Religious Education, and in 1870 he won seven first prizes.[30] 1.3 Life with Verlaine (1871–1875) Hoping for a brilliant academic career for her second son, Rimbaud wrote to several poets but received no replies, so Mme Rimbaud hired a private tutor for Rimbaud when he [31] his friend, office employee Charles Auguste Bretagne, ad- reached the third grade. Father Ariste Lhéritier suc- vised him to write to Paul Verlaine, an eminent Symbolist ceeded in sparking in the young scholar a love of Greek, poet.[46] Rimbaud sent Verlaine two letters with several of Latin and French classical literature, and was the first to his poems, including the hypnotic, finally shocking “Le encourage the boy to write original verse, in both French [32] Dormeur du Val” (The Sleeper in the Valley), in which and Latin. Rimbaud’s first poem to appear in print was Nature is called upon to comfort an apparently sleeping “Les Étrennes des orphelins” (“The Orphans’ New Year’s soldier. Verlaine was intrigued by Rimbaud, and replied, Gifts”), which was published in the 2 January 1870 issue [33] “Come, dear great soul. We await you; we desire you,” of La Revue pour tous. sending him a one-way ticket to Paris.[47] Rimbaud ar- Two weeks later, a new teacher of rhetoric, the 22- rived in late September 1871 and resided briefly in Ver- year-old Georges Izambard, started at the Collège de laine’s home.[48] Verlaine’s wife, Mathilde Mauté, was Charleville.[34] Izambard became Rimbaud’s literary seventeen years old and pregnant, and Verlaine had re- mentor, and soon a close accord formed between teacher cently left his job and started drinking.