A Season in Hell – Arthur Rimbaud

"I managed to vanish in my mind all human hope. With the dark leap of the wild beast, I strangled every joy."

Written at the age of nineteen, this prose poem is a hallucinated confession. Rimbaud chronicles his turbulent affair with Paul Verlaine, his rejection of Western morality and religion, and his failed attempt to become a 'seer'. It is a farewell to poetry and a descent into the depths of the soul.

Rimbaud's work is a cornerstone of modern poetry. Its fiery, disjointed style and its exploration of the subconscious paved the way for Symbolism and Surrealism. It remains the ultimate expression of teenage rebellion and visionary genius.