A Season in Hell & The Drunken Boat

English and French Edition

By: Arthur Rimbaud

Narrated by: Michael C. Gwynne

This is a reissue of Rimbaud’s highly influential work with a new preface by Patti Smith and the original 1945 New Directions cover design by Alvin Lustig.

New Directions is pleased to announce the relaunch of the long-celebrated bilingual edition of Rimbaud’s A Season in Hell & The Drunken Boat, a personal poem of damnation, as well as, a plea to be released from “the examination of his own depths”.

Rimbaud originally distributed A Season in Hell to friends as a self-published booklet, and soon afterward, at the age of 19, quit poetry altogether. This edition was among the first to be published in the US, and quickly became a classic, and Rimbaud’s famous poem “The Drunken Boat” was subsequently added. Allen Ginsberg proclaimed Arthur Rimbaud as “the first punk”, a visionary mentor to the Beats for both his recklessness and his fiery poetry.

This new edition proudly dons the original Alvin Lustig-designed cover, and an introduction by another famous rebel, and now National Book Award winner, Patti Smith.

©2011 New Directions (P)2018 TalkingBook

"Let's hear now a hell-mate's confession"

Still wild, reckless, and debauched after 150 years, the enfant terrible of poetry delivers verse that pleases the dark side.

Definitely worth a re-read.

Fabulous visions of a very angry young man. Even in translation the words flow with the rhythm of the sea and wash over the reader evoking powerful emotions. Very rewarding read for angry times.

translation of "Hell"

Arthur Rimbaud's poems are excellently presented, translated from the French into English, and then so amazingly recited. Powerful. A confession, a love, a heart-rent, a man in turmoil within himself, misunderstood and unfairly judged, amid a time and culture unforgiving and cruel. What a masterpiece.

Better than I thought!

I really enjoyed this. while the first part of the book was a little disturbing. It only got better as the audio book progressed. it is definitely worth a listen.

Narration-story disconnect

Rimbaud was 19 when he wrote Season in Hell. The dynamics of that production at that age are lost in the highly enunciated and oddly varied baritone of the narrator making paying full attention to the fine translation an unpleasant effort for this listener.