Brilliant and fearless,this very young man continues to influence writers of all ages in a big way.If I could read his writings in the original French,I'm sure I'd give him at least 5 stars,but,alas,I'm stuck with the English,and willing to bet my hat that much is "lost in translation".There is an excellent movie about him called "Total Eclipse"-definately worth buying or renting if you get the opportunity.

The most precocious poet this side of John Keats, as he wrote all of his astounding poety before he reached the age of 22. His "Une Saison en Enfer" was so remarkably advanced for its time (c.1873), so daring and outre, so inventive in its use of language that this work alone ensures his place in literary history. Such feverish sentiment!!! Such brave effrontery!!! This guy singlehandedly turned French poetry, and by extension, modernist poetry on its ear, established models that proved to be most inlfuential and set standards rarely exceeded since. Too bad he turned away from literature before he was fully formed as a person: Rimbaud, had he continued his high level of quality as a mature poet, would be a household name today, not just a favorite of graduate students, in-the-know teen poets and fans of Badboy literary outlaws.