Arthur Rimbaud: Complete Works (Perennial Classics)

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Summary: complete works by a. rimbaud.
Review: i find the translation quite smooth and literary; however in comparison to other translations, schmidt tends to be overly literal, which is not always helpful and doesn't leave much space for personal interpretation, which is rather important when reading rimbaud. but even if some of the verses' meanings are "forced" onto the reader, the meaning and rhythm are conveyed properly, which makes this book a good read.

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Summary: Poetry Unleashed
Review: I have a collection of various translations by Arthur Rimbaud. This book was a revelation to me. The difference is remarkable. By abandoning precise translations, Schmidt allows the full beauty and vulgarity of these works to be free. There is no stilted translation present here. This book is a work of art. It may not be translation in the traditional sense, but it is its own remarkable undertaking - and I believe it will stand the test of time. Congratulations Mr. Schmidt.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh
Review: Really quite terrible. If one were approaching Rimbaud only to "read some poems" or to enjoy oneself, then this would be an adequate if slightly fey rendering of the texts. But I think Rimbaud has earned a place beside the likes of Dante, Whitman (who I detest) and Blake, as men who are read as much for their person and ideas as for pleasure, and as such deserves the respect of a faithful rendering by the translator. The reader would be better advised to explore either Fowlie's "Complete Poems", Louise Varese's "Season In Hell" & "Illuminations", or Wyatt Mason's "Complete Works", which despite being resolutely inferior to Fowlie's, does display a number of additional poems previously available only in the original French.