A Season in Hell
Encyclopedia
Une Saison en Enfer is an extended poem written and published in 1873 (see 1873 in poetry
) by French
writer Arthur Rimbaud
. It is the only work that was published by Rimbaud himself. The book had a considerable influence on later artists and poets, for example the Surrealists
.
in late 1872 and early '73 converted him from an imbiber of absinthe
to a smoker of opium
. According to biographer, Graham Robb
, this began "as an attempt to explain why some of his [Rimbaud's] poems are so hard to understand, especially when sober". The poem was by Rimbaud himself dated April through August 1873, but these are dates of completion. He finished the work in a farmhouse in Roche, Ardennes
.
There is a marked contrast between the hallucinogenic quality of Saisons second chapter, Mauvais Sang ("Bad Blood") and even the most hashish-influenced of the immediately preceding verses he wrote in Paris. Its third chapter, Nuit de l'Enfer (literally "Night of Hell"), then exhibits a refinement of sensibility. The two sections of chapter four apply this sensibility in professional and personal confession; and then, slowly but surely, at age 19, he begins to think clearly about his real future; the introductory chapter being a product of this later phase.
Academic critics have arrived at many varied and often entirely incompatible conclusions as to what meaning and philosophy may or may not be contained in the text, and will continue to do so.
Among them, Henry Miller was important in introducing Rimbaud to America in the sixties. He once attempted an English translation of the book and wrote an extended essay on Rimbaud and A Season in Hell titled The Time of the Assassins. It was published by James Laughlin's New Directions, the first American publisher of Rimbaud's Illuminations.
Wallace in 1966, p5 of above quoted work, '...(a season in Hell) testif(ies) to a modern revolt, and the kind of liberation which follows revolt'
translated Une Saison en Enfer. Earlier Zelda had learned French on her own, by buying a French dictionary and painstakingly reading Raymond Radiguet
's Le Bal du Comte d'Orgel.
1873 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-United Kingdom:* Alexander Anderson, A Song of Labour, and Other Poems...
) by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet. Born in Charleville, Ardennes, he produced his best known works while still in his late teens—Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare"—and he gave up creative writing altogether before the age of 21. As part of the decadent...
. It is the only work that was published by Rimbaud himself. The book had a considerable influence on later artists and poets, for example the Surrealists
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
.
Background
According to some sources, Rimbaud's first stay in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in late 1872 and early '73 converted him from an imbiber of absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
to a smoker of opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
. According to biographer, Graham Robb
Graham Robb
Graham Macdonald Robb FRSL is a British author.Robb was born in Manchester and educated at the Royal Grammar School Worcester and Exeter College, Oxford, where he studied Modern Languages...
, this began "as an attempt to explain why some of his [Rimbaud's] poems are so hard to understand, especially when sober". The poem was by Rimbaud himself dated April through August 1873, but these are dates of completion. He finished the work in a farmhouse in Roche, Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
.
There is a marked contrast between the hallucinogenic quality of Saisons second chapter, Mauvais Sang ("Bad Blood") and even the most hashish-influenced of the immediately preceding verses he wrote in Paris. Its third chapter, Nuit de l'Enfer (literally "Night of Hell"), then exhibits a refinement of sensibility. The two sections of chapter four apply this sensibility in professional and personal confession; and then, slowly but surely, at age 19, he begins to think clearly about his real future; the introductory chapter being a product of this later phase.
Format
The poem is loosely divided into nine parts, some of which are much shorter than others. They differ markedly in tone and narrative comprehensibility, with some, such as "Bad Blood," 'being much more obviously influenced by Rimbaud's drug use than others,' some argue.- Introduction (sometimes titled with its first line, Once, if my memory serves me well...) - outlines the narrator's damnation and introduces the story as "pages from the diary of a Damned soul."
- Bad Blood (Mauvais sang) - describes the narrator's GaulGaulGaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
ish ancestry and its supposed effect on his morality and happiness.
- Night in hell (Nuit en enfer) - highlights the moment of the narrator's death and entry into hell.
- Delirium 1: The Foolish Virgin - The Infernal Spouse (Délires I: Vierge folle - L'Époux infernal) - the most linear in its narrative, this section consists of the story of a man, enslaved to his "infernal bridegroom" who deceived him and lured his love with false promises. He treats quite transparently his relation with Verlaine.
- Delirium 2: Alchemy of Words (Délires II: Alchimie du verbe) - the narrator then steps in and explains his own false hopes and broken dreams. This section is broken up much more clearly than many other sections, and contains many sections in verseVerse (poetry)A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
.
- The Impossible (L'impossible) - this section is vague, but one critical response sees it as the description of an attempt on the part of the speaker to escape from hell.
- Lightning (L'éclair) - one critic states that this very short section is also unclear, although its tone is resigned and fatalistic and it seems to indicate a surrender on the part of the narrator.
- Morning (Matin) - this short section serves as a conclusion, where the narrator claims to have "finished my account of my hell," and "can no longer even talk."
- Farewell (Adieu) - this section seems to allude to a change of seasons, from Autumn to Spring. The narrator seems to have been made more confident and stronger through his journey through hell, claiming he is "now able to possess the truth within one body and one soul."
Meaning & Philosophy
For Wallace Fowlie writing in the introduction to his 1966 University of Chicago (pub) translation, 'the ultimate lesson' of this 'complex'(p4) and 'troublesome'(p5) text 'states that poetry is one way by which life may be changed and renewed. Poetry is one possible stage in a life process. Within the limits of man's fate, the poet's language is able to express his existence although it is not able to create it.'(p5)Academic critics have arrived at many varied and often entirely incompatible conclusions as to what meaning and philosophy may or may not be contained in the text, and will continue to do so.
Among them, Henry Miller was important in introducing Rimbaud to America in the sixties. He once attempted an English translation of the book and wrote an extended essay on Rimbaud and A Season in Hell titled The Time of the Assassins. It was published by James Laughlin's New Directions, the first American publisher of Rimbaud's Illuminations.
Wallace in 1966, p5 of above quoted work, '...(a season in Hell) testif(ies) to a modern revolt, and the kind of liberation which follows revolt'
Translations
During one of her lengthy hospitalizations in Switzerland, Zelda FitzgeraldZelda Fitzgerald
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald , born Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama, was an American novelist and the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. She was an icon of the 1920s—dubbed by her husband "the first American Flapper"...
translated Une Saison en Enfer. Earlier Zelda had learned French on her own, by buying a French dictionary and painstakingly reading Raymond Radiguet
Raymond Radiguet
Raymond Radiguet was a French author whose two novels were noted for their explicit themes and writing style and tone.-Early life:...
's Le Bal du Comte d'Orgel.
Availability online
- http://abardel.free.fr/tout_rimbaud/une_saison_en_enfer.htm
- http://abardel.free.fr/tout_rimbaud/brouillons_de_la_saison.htm
- http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/poesies/Season.html English translation