Rimbaud: The Double Life of a Rebel, By Edmund White
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Edmund White's biography is subtitled "The Double Life of a Rebel", and Rimbaud's life was double in two senses. First, in the contrast between his poetry – which, as the extensive translated quotations show, was lyrical, finely wrought and fantastic – and Rimbaud's own repulsive personality.
Rimbaud was so rude that almost no literary figures in Paris wanted anything to do with him (except his long-suffering lover Verlaine, who ended up serving two years in prison for shooting Rimbaud in the wrist). Rimbaud alienated one poet at a reading by shouting out "Merde!" at the end of every line.
But Rimbaud's life was double in a chronological sense too: all the works on which his reputation rests were written by the time he was 21. In his early twenties he swore off writing poetry and left France to travel, ending up in North Africa, where he worked as grader, sorter of beans and accountant for a coffee exporter. Later, he became a gun-runner. He only returned to France to die, of cancer, at the age of 37. This smoothly written biography is an elegant demonstration of the disconcerting truth that the art may be much better than the life.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments