Okay, so 'plot' isn't quite the right word for a poetry collection, but there is a story here. It's the story of Arthur Rimbaud's mind, from about age 15 to 21. You start with his early, more traditional schoolboy poems, which are already sharp. Then, you get the wild ride of his major works like 'The Drunken Boat' and 'A Season in Hell.' These aren't just poems; they're experiments. He's breaking language, mixing senses ('the vowels will be colored'), and chasing visions. The 'story' ends almost as soon as it begins, with his final, fragmented prose poems before he walked away from writing for good.

Why You Should Read It

You should read this because it feels dangerous and alive, even 150 years later. Rimbaud wasn't trying to be pleasant. He wanted to be a seer, and his method was a 'systematic derangement of all the senses.' Reading him, you feel that deliberate chaos. The imagery is unforgettable—black rivers, drunken boats, hell as a state of mind. It’s the raw blueprint for so much modern art, music, and poetry that came after. You’re not just reading poems; you’re witnessing someone invent a new way to see.

Final Verdict

This book is perfect for anyone curious about where modern poetry really started, or for readers who want a direct hit of pure, uncut creativity. It's for people who love lyricists like Bob Dylan or Patti Smith (who idolized him). It's also surprisingly great for those who are a bit skeptical of poetry—Rimbaud has no time for gentle decoration. Just be ready: it’s not a calm read. It’s a lightning storm in book form.