Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$14.99

Available instantly

Hardcover
$94.00

Paperback
$15.73

$15.73 with 17 percent savings

List Price: $19.00

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 10 hrs 53 mins

Select delivery location

In Stock

$$15.73 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$12.89

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$15.73 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by All things old and new and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (39) from $6.42 + $3.99 shipping

Follow the author

Arthur Rimbaud

+ Follow

More books from this author

Rimbaud Complete (Modern Library Classics) Paperback – January 14, 2003

by Arthur Rimbaud (Author), Wyatt Mason (Editor, Translator, Introduction)

4.7 122 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$15.73","priceAmount":15.73,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"73","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"9CXftsM0qXqqoX5RxJDTU5U4rL6%2F1XPyEhKb9oPaCj451KugFTZ2PRjZI0Hctqq2qyI15lZxxq841QTkArR18hk0ZJRW395K4oqObVCYx0CaN%2BGbX%2FN0cLSEwaoOIFx1fnZ8QqFwE8I%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$12.89","priceAmount":12.89,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"89","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"9CXftsM0qXqqoX5RxJDTU5U4rL6%2F1XPyehqRoLyduDRT50SaaJGTqsNTo8f5zsc8CIAyxC%2BEog%2B%2BEy1bWnauCjZHNS8GcoFc%2FVAi0U5%2FZChL7NFHRwW%2BGqnllzcyqEhfXRLSBT2F%2FZ8wgT6vAdThVXPQof05qCEZGR63XbtdElzxXuxRQhNJsw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Enduring icon of creativity, authenticity, and rebellion, and the subject of numerous new biographies, Arthur Rimbaud is one of the most repeatedly scrutinized literary figures of the last half-century. Yet almost thirty years have elapsed without a major new translation of his writings. Remedying this state of affairs is Rimbaud Complete, the first and only truly complete edition of Rimbaud’s work in English, translated, edited, and introduced by Wyatt Mason.

Mason draws on a century of Rimbaud scholarship to choreograph a superbly clear-eyed presentation of the poet’s works. He arranges Rimbaud’s writing chronologically, based on the latest manuscript evidence, so readers can experience the famously teenaged poet’s rapid evolution, from the lyricism of “Sensation” to the groundbreaking early modernism of A Season in Hell.

In fifty pages of previously untranslated material, including award-winning early verses, all the fragmentary poems, a fascinating early draft of A Season in Hell, a school notebook, and multiple manuscript versions of the important poem “O saisons, ô chateaux,” Rimbaud Complete displays facets of the poet unknown to American readers. And in his Introduction, Mason revisits the Rimbaud myth, addresses the state of disarray in which the poet left his work, and illuminates the intricacies of the translator’s art.

Mason has harnessed the precision and power of the poet’s rapidly changing voice: from the delicate music of a poem such as “Crows” to the mature dissonance of the Illuminations, Rimbaud Complete unveils this essential poet for a new generation of readers.

Frequently bought together

Rimbaud Complete (Modern Library Classics)

$15.73

Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

I Promise to Be Good: The Letters of Arthur Rimbaud (Modern Library Classics)

$19.00

Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14

Only 20 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

$35.00

Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Arthur Rimbaud
109
Paperback
58 offers from $5.15
Arthur Rimbaud
295
Paperback
74 offers from $6.52
Arthur Rimbaud
188
Paperback
41 offers from $6.15
S. D. Metcalfe
99
Paperback
2 offers from $3.07
Arthur Rimbaud
33
Paperback
15 offers from $6.87
Charles Baudelaire
405
Mass Market Paperback
43 offers from $3.50

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The definitive translation for our time.” —Edward Hirsch

“Wyatt Mason has located and tapped into Rimbaud’s voice as it swings from gnarled to straight-ahead to mystic to raucous.” —Roger Shattuck

“An important introduction of Rimbaud to another generation of readers.” —Booklist

“The best opportunity thus far to experience Rimbaud as fully as possible in English. Here is Rimbaud uncensored: the savage maker, the scathing satirist, the rigorous Alchemist of the Word, the master of metrics and innovator of the prose poem, the figure who made himself absolutely modern, the poetic visionary whose work systematically disorders the senses and resonates with a strange beauty, an exultant splendor.” —Edward Hirsch

“A welcome addition to the shelf of Rimbaud in English. Mason’s tireless zeal and endless inventiveness compel unfailing admiration.” —Arthur Goldhammer

From the Inside Flap

Enduring icon of creativity, authenticity, and rebellion, and the subject of numerous new biographies, Arthur Rimbaud is one of the most repeatedly scrutinized literary figures of the last half-century. Yet almost thirty years have elapsed without a major new translation of his writings. Remedying this state of affairs is Rimbaud Complete, the first and only truly complete edition of Rimbaud?s work in English, translated, edited, and introduced by Wyatt Mason.

Mason draws on a century of Rimbaud scholarship to choreograph a superbly clear-eyed presentation of the poet?s works. He arranges Rimbaud?s writing chronologically, based on the latest manuscript evidence, so readers can experience the famously teenaged poet?s rapid evolution, from the lyricism of ?Sensation? to the groundbreaking early modernism of A Season in Hell.

In fifty pages of previously untranslated material, including award-winning early verses, all the fragmentary poems, a fascinating early draft of A Season in Hell, a school notebook, and multiple manuscript versions of the important poem ?O saisons, ô chateaux,? Rimbaud Complete displays facets of the poet unknown to American readers. And in his Introduction, Mason revisits the Rimbaud myth, addresses the state of disarray in which the poet left his work, and illuminates the intricacies of the translator?s art.

Mason has harnessed the precision and power of the poet?s rapidly changing voice: from the delicate music of a poem such as ?Crows? to the mature dissonance of the Illuminations, Rimbaud Complete unveils this essential poet for a new generation of readers.

From the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Enduring icon of creativity, authenticity, and rebellion, and the subject of numerous new biographies, Arthur Rimbaud is one of the most repeatedly scrutinized literary figures of the last half-century. Yet almost thirty years have elapsed without a major new translation of his writings. Remedying this state of affairs is Rimbaud Complete," the first and only truly complete edition of Rimbaud's work in English, translated, edited, and introduced by Wyatt Mason.
Mason draws on a century of Rimbaud scholarship to choreograph a superbly clear-eyed presentation of the poet's works. He arranges Rimbaud's writing chronologically, based on the latest manuscript evidence, so readers can experience the famously teenaged poet's rapid evolution, from the lyricism of ""Sensation" to the groundbreaking early modernism of "A Season in Hell.
In fifty pages of previously untranslated material, including award-winning early verses, all the fragmentary poems, a fascinating early draft of A Season in Hell, a school notebook, and multiple manuscript versions of the important poem ""O saisons, o chateaux," Rimbaud Complete displays facets of the poet unknown to American readers. And in his Introduction, Mason revisits the Rimbaud myth, addresses the state of disarray in which the poet left his work, and illuminates the intricacies of the translator's art.
Mason has harnessed the precision and power of the poet's rapidly changing voice: from the delicate music of a poem such as ""Crows" to the mature dissonance of the "Illuminations, Rimbaud Complete unveils this essential poet for a new generation of readers.

"From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Wyatt Mason has translated five books by Pierre Michon, including The Origin of the World and Masters and Servants, a finalist for the French-American Foundation Translation Prize. He is at work on translations of Dante’s La Vita Nuova and Rimbaud’s letters, both for the Modern Library. His writing has appeared in Harper’s, The Nation, and other publications.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

Fame is, after all, only the sum
of all the misunderstandings
that gather around a new name.
-rainer maria rilke

I
We know the face: the delicate features, the pale eyes, the uninflected expression. We know the slight turn of the head, the shadow clouding one cheek. We know the stare, forever directed past us, above us, focusing on some unknown something out of frame. It is an attractive face, but the more we examine it, the more it eludes us. And although it seems somehow benevolent, or at the very least unimposing, it tells us very little. It could belong to a matinee idol, a prince, or the boy next door. It could even belong to Arthur Rimbaud.

The face which comes down to us in a photograph snapped by Etienne Carjat in December 1871 was not the Paris photographer's only stab at Rimbaud. Two months earlier, the poet had visited Carjat's studio a first time. A very different face emerged from that session, one we rarely see.

In this photo, Rimbaud is dressed just as he would be in the second: the neat, dark coat; the pale vest, buttoned all the way up; the haphazardly knotted tie. But delicate features are not in evidence. The poet's cheeks are chubby. His nose looks twice as wide. His mouth, an inarticulate line later on, is full, its corners downturned. It looks like a bruise. Then there are his eyes. While still notably pale, this time they stare directly at us. Open, but like a wound. The expression seems to say: look at me, come on, I dare you. Were we not assured that this is Arthur Rimbaud, we would be hard-pressed to recognize him. As it happens, this is the photo Rimbaud's contemporaries said resembled him most.

Yet in the century since his death, the December photo has become Rimbaud, reproduced in nearly every book devoted to him or his work. The October photo has fallen away. Our preference for the later image is not, therefore, a reflection of how Rimbaud looked in his time, rather how we have come to prefer him to look in ours. Jean Cocteau, describing the appeal of the December portrait, wrote: "He looks like an angel . . . His eyes are stars." Enid Starkie, an early biographer, found a "look of extraordinary purity . . . an astonishing and spiritual beauty." Thus a beautiful face, like how many others before it, helped launch a thousand myths.
For in the short span of the century since his death, Rimbaud has been memorialized in song and story as few in history: a half-dozen biographies in English; fictional accounts in celluloid and print; documentaries; popular songs in many languages; numerous settings of his poems to music; even an opera. The thumbnail of his legend has proved irresistible: the boy genius who abandoned writing at twenty; the rapscallion who seduced a married Paul Verlaine; the thug who bullied everyone, even stabbed Carjat; the visionary who took drugs to expand his creative consciousness; the scoundrel who sold slaves in Africa; the martyr who died young.

Some of these tantalizing elements may even be true. But while the critical and biographical debate continues, readers are faced with an ancillary difficulty. So accustomed have we become to these variations on the Myth of Rimbaud, that when we turn to the poems themselves it is difficult to keep our preconceptions at bay. We find ourselves looking for the Adolescent Poet here, the Hallucinogenic Poet there, the Gay Poet everywhere. The problem with all of these adjectives is that they put too plain a face on the poems. And the poems vessels of indeterminacy, ambiguity and frequently strange beauty are easily disfigured by a blunt critical blade.
But: if we can manage to ignore what we know about Rimbaud or believe we know, if we can focus briefly on what he made rather than what he may have done, the opportunity to explore one of the most varied troves of individual expression in literature awaits us.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0375757708
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Modern Library; Reprint edition (January 14, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 656 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780375757709
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375757709
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.18 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.23 x 1.38 x 7.96 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #99,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8 in French Poetry (Books)
- #188 in Literary Criticism & Theory
- #3,052 in Classic Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.7 122 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Arthur Rimbaud

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891) was a French poet who is known for his contributions to the Symbolist movement. Born in the small town of Charleville-Mézières, Rimbaud wrote the majority of his literary works during a five-year period between late-adolescence and early adulthood, including his major collections Une Saison en Enfer (1873) and Les Illuminations (1886). Both titles were translated into English by Bertrand Mathieu and published by BOA Editions in 1973.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

122 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Gary Severance

Before Beat and Surrealism

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2008

Verified Purchase

Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) was a French poet who experimented with many verse structures at an early age. Always interested in the theme of liberty, Rimbaud's work challenged the boundaries of traditional poetic expression. Wyatt Mason, the translator of the poet's work in Rimbaud Complete (2003), wrote a wonderful description of Rimbaud's style. "And the poems - vessels of indeterminacy, ambiguity and frequently strange beauty - are easily disfigured by a blunt critical blade." Reading this description, the reader can understand the popularity of the poet's work with the "Beat" generation and the surrealists. Much of the work translated by Mason is reminiscent of Alan Ginsberg's beat poem "Howl" and Andre Breton's surrealist novel, Nadja.

Mason's translation is an attempt to remain true to the French but also help the reader experience Rimbaud's images with contemporary English expressions. This process produces art that is very different from other translations of the poet's work. The reader has to be open to free association of images, tangential emotions, and surprising personal reactions. Later, this would be the `stuff' of Kerouac, Kesey, Burroughs, Ginsberg, Breton, Genet and others.

I read the book with frequent surprising flights of fancy that I scribbled in the margins of the book. This is the best way to stay in tune with Rimbaud who I believe meant his work to produce such reader reaction. Of course, he meant the work for the few free spirits who might someday chuck it all and hit the road as he did. Timothy Leary's infamous line, "Tune in, turn on, drop out" captures the insightful reader's approach to the work of Arthur Rimbaud.

15 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

A Great Complete Translation Of His Work

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is a great complete translation of Rimbaud's work. It flowed like music to my ears as I read it. Not only is this his most notable work, "A Season in Hell" and "Iluminations", but it has his earlier work and his letters are also included. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to know his work entirely. This is it....

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kate Ramone Sprecher

It came in great shape and the translation is wonderful!

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

I liked this book for the poems. Especially "A Season In Hell." I bought it to see where Jim Morrison got his inspirations for his poetry. It is a great poetry book, thank you.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

A. W. R. Sipe

Timely struggles recorded with timeless beauty

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is poetry I furtively and fearfully hid in a plain brown wrapper as a teenager. Now with open satisfaction and gratitude to translator and editor I read Rimbaud with renewed admiration of the fresh young mind of a man of our times. His pains and struggles, loves and disappoints could not be more timely, provocative and beautifully articulated if they were recorded today.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Christopher Nelson

Hail Rimbaud!

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2004

This is said to be the most complete collection of Rimbaud's works ever collected in English and includes some of his early schoolwork, rough drafts, incomplete writings notes & ideas. To a Rimbaudophile such as myself this is an incredible resource; and perhaps the last great addition to the study of Rimbaud and his poetry ever, unless, miracle of miracles, the lost manuscript of "La Chasse Spirituelle" were to be discovered in some dead French book collector's attic. Alas! Until then we must be satisfied (and grateful) with being able to read and compare early drafts of A Season in Hell, or some early texts translated into English for the first time. In addition to this volume, Mason has also collected Rimbaud's correspondence in "I Promise to be Good" (2003). This companion volume includes a previously unpublished photograph of Rimbaud in Abyssinia (on the cover & inside as well) and reads like an autobiography of sorts.

I've put Wyatt Mason's translations of Rimbaud on my best books of all time list ("Heavy Hitters, Inspiration, & Enlightenment") because Rimbaud's poetry was revolutionary in its time and influential in our own. Mason's goal is to ". . . find common, rather than middle, ground between the two poles represented by Fowlie and Schmidt," (other translations worth comparing) and his focus is on how Rimbaud "might have written" were he writing in English. I suppose it all comes down to what concepts of translation you prefer; for the most part I like Mason's style and the rhythm and structure of the originals seem to be there. It is always interesting to see different authors, and especially poets, interpret original texts in a foreign language. The fact is not everyone will be pleased with the results (cf. critical reviews on Amazon). The solution? Learn French and read the texts in the original. Short of that, or in addition, read multiple translations (I recommend Oliver Bernard's prose translations in the Penguin paperback for a more direct approach) and come to your own conclusions. Better yet, translate Rimb's poems on your own! In the end, Rimbaud is difficult, if not impossible, to penetrate regardless of whether or not you understand French). To read Rimbaud is one thing, but to see and feel him is quite another. Mason does his best.

This latest addition to the long list of Rimbaud translations and biographies proves that Rimbaud belongs to no individual biographer or translator, but rather to the seekers, wanders, poets, and workers of the world searching for that "I is an other" sense of themselves, settling for nothing less than a total reinvention of love. In the end, what the poems mean to you and how you choose to incorporate them into your life will be the most important factor in deciding whether or not you'll buy into the fruits of Wyatt Mason's own poetic endeavors, and ultimately, Rimbaud's. I for one, think this is an indispensible addition for any student of Rimbaud's life and works.

24 people found this helpful

Helpful

LindaRonzoni11

Favorite book

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great compilation

One person found this helpful

Helpful

J. Gonnella

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Most accurate english translation of Rimbaud available.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Benjamin Koppel

great! nothing less but grea

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

great! nothing less but great this is truly a classic, that everybody should read at least once in their lives.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Harry Boxx

Rimbaud, Poet.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2024

Verified Purchase

I came to Rimbaud via Bob Dylan, who was a great fan and mentions him in his work. At first I thought he might just write about political / revolution type themes. But no. His work covers a broad, emotional spectrum, and still feels quite contemporary today.

I would add that this seems to be an excellent translation. I never got the feeling that the originals were of course in French.

Soum

Not just a rebel poet, voice of the suffering youth.

Reviewed in India on August 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

You sailed into the dark abyss, yet there you nonchalantly declared, "Demon, do your worst". You are not just a poet to me; you are the voice I was searching for; whimsical, angry, surreal, agonizing and genius, "A thousand dreams within me softly burn..", for these are not just words, these are the universal suffering of youth. The tumultuous years of youth where everything seems to fall apart and every dreams dissipate exponentially. Yes a lot of us tend to, wish to,
"Break
From earthly approval,
And common urges!
And soar, accordingly ..."
Instagram: perfect_zoltar (where I talk about more books)

6 people found this helpful

stoopid shopper

Probably the best Rimaud Anthology available, in English anyway

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

Timeless, deathless, mystical and ferociously powerful. Rimbaud's poetry never dies, dates or looks or fells outdated. I can't speak for every single edition of his work ever published, but this is the best i have yet come across so far. Its original French text is here as well as the translated English. The translations are a little loose but they work and capture the feel of Arthurs heart. I just wish the guy wrote more! wonderful book and top marks to the translation and publishers who even threw in a few letters and photos to this edition. Excellent.

Aaryan Singh

🔥 The Suffering Youth ❤️

Reviewed in India on May 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

Just one word : Great Poet , A suffering Youth ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

One person found this helpful

jaz

excellent

Reviewed in India on March 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great service

See more reviews

Return this item for free

Return this item for free

Follow the author

Image Unavailable