Opilý koráb

Few men like Arthur Rimbaud have been able to imprint his verse with such a powerful poetics that it has influenced other literary generations, currents and movements. Rimbaud fulfilled this vision not only through his creative efforts but also through his resolute attitude towards the society of his time. He was able, for example, to assert a completely original structure of verse, to reject the fashionable romantic reveries, and to express in a rebellious tone the contradictions he felt between the personality of the artist and the highest elitist class. Rimbaud's rebellion against "laced" traditions, the spirit of the times or aristocratic superiority is also heard in the poems included in this anthology. Rimbaud goes further, however, even daring to challenge taboo values that have never been questioned before, and concepts such as faith and family, homeland, nation or work come to the fore. This is also why the author has been called a "cursed" artist, for whom every topic became an opportunity to confront cowardice, hypocrisy, superficiality or a crooked morality. It was in this way that Rimbaud ranked among the pioneers of modern French poetry, inspiring the emerging Surrealist and Symbolist movements with his formal and substantive practices.

Czech edition