For my birthday, I am treating myself to a Smithposium Marathon wherein I listen to as many of your recordings/watch as many of your videos as time allows. Despite not being able to go out for a birthday meal or event, this has been a great way to celebrate. Thank you for these wonderful messages, Patti, and thank you to all for the great comments. There is a whole world herein and I’m grateful for it.
Thank you dear Patti. My mother tongue is English but I was born in a French speaking country, and did all my school in French. I love the way you make me re-discover Rimbaud’s and Verlaine’s poems studied in school. I must say the English translations are beautiful and make me savour the words in a new way. I went to check in my 1979 edition of Rimbaud’s poems if the chronology mentioned him burning his copies of A Season in hell. No. It says he didn’t have the money to buy them.
Thank you so much for sharing your love of French poetry and the little stories !
Patti - I just stumbled on a photograph I took of Eric Andersen (your old friend) reading from 'A Season in Hell' at a European Beat Studies Network conference in Manchester, 2016. I was looking for a different, unrelated photo, so it was a nice moment of serendipity
Just received my copy of A Season in Hell, And I will be reading that beginning this evening. I am so glad to know all of the details you have given us concerning Rimbaud's life and the corrections to the chronology and the myths. Enjoy the day,....and know that you are given to all of us, and it is good,,,,
Never stop talking about about Rimbaud, my favorite poet. I could listen to you talk about him forever, no matter how trivial the subject matter. Forever grateful, Patti. 💙
The lighting in this video is absolutely angelic - complimenting your beautiful Aura Patti-I love your love for the spirit of Rimbaud and his journey and works in life: you tell these stories beautifully and makes me think in my mind when you sing " Go Rimbaud" ❤️
Today while I was walking in my beautiful city park I pretended to be Rimbaud tramping on foot from city to city in France :) I walk pretty slowly and it takes around 24 minutes for me to walk a mile. Wonder how quickly he walked..
Too young to be served in the US today, yet he did drink absinthe (absumphe, was it, that they started calling it?) with Verlaine in Paris--or so the stories go.
I think I probably learned that mythological chronology when I started reading Rimbaud--entirely because you had read him--in the early 1980s. I have not picked up a biographical work on him in a very long time and am wondering how many of the police reports and such that you mentioned in the last video are available anywhere to read--in French or English. Now I'm wanting to go back and look at the Illuminations and better understand when and how they were written, and when and how--and why--he wandered away, however far it turned out to be, from writing poetry.
His insights were remarkable, and I always wonder whether he was disappointed with the cool reception he got in Paris or if he lost interest in the visionary world he lived in, or if it wore him out, or if he just needed to find a way to make ends meet. Most poets have had to have a day job (or night job) of some sort if they did not have familial wealth to fall back on, and sometimes the exigencies of keeping body and soul together are too demanding to leave much left over for art of any sort.
I need to go look something up, but I think it is in a book that did not make it back to Seattle from San Francisco with me when I returned a few years ago: his letter, to a teacher whose name I cannot recall, written around 1871, I think, where he asserts, somewhat famously now, that "I is an other" ("je est an autre"). Someone somewhere attributed the statement to what they posited was Rimbaud's self-alienation, but I'm not convinced this fully accounts for the strangeness of what he says.
And when I find some copies of these letters I'll see if I recall what they said to me when I read them many years ago.
I love navigating this Smithposium aligned to Rimbaud's wandering spirit, it's perfect! I'm also very excited for the summer reading list, thank you so much for these enriching gifts and experiences, Patti!
I need a longish tale for my long recovery. I look like a soccer ball because I was treated like one. I truly live in the wild west. You are my horse to gallop me away.
🎈That was GREAT! Patti, you can go "on and on" anytime you want as far as I am concerned - the more so the happier I become! It's hard to belirve that Patti Smith is TALKING TO ME and In real time!! . . . just watching and hearing you speak is a joyful and meaningful experience. THANKS ! once again, for sharing a bit of your life and wisdom with me and the rest of our gang. 💋
PS - I don't use lipstick, but that's all I have to send a genderless kiss.
I loved this intriguing account. Its great to learn so much in this way..!
For my birthday, I am treating myself to a Smithposium Marathon wherein I listen to as many of your recordings/watch as many of your videos as time allows. Despite not being able to go out for a birthday meal or event, this has been a great way to celebrate. Thank you for these wonderful messages, Patti, and thank you to all for the great comments. There is a whole world herein and I’m grateful for it.
Warm wishes to all, as ever,
Robin
Thank you dear Patti. My mother tongue is English but I was born in a French speaking country, and did all my school in French. I love the way you make me re-discover Rimbaud’s and Verlaine’s poems studied in school. I must say the English translations are beautiful and make me savour the words in a new way. I went to check in my 1979 edition of Rimbaud’s poems if the chronology mentioned him burning his copies of A Season in hell. No. It says he didn’t have the money to buy them.
Thank you so much for sharing your love of French poetry and the little stories !
Patti - I just stumbled on a photograph I took of Eric Andersen (your old friend) reading from 'A Season in Hell' at a European Beat Studies Network conference in Manchester, 2016. I was looking for a different, unrelated photo, so it was a nice moment of serendipity
Just received my copy of A Season in Hell, And I will be reading that beginning this evening. I am so glad to know all of the details you have given us concerning Rimbaud's life and the corrections to the chronology and the myths. Enjoy the day,....and know that you are given to all of us, and it is good,,,,
Never stop talking about about Rimbaud, my favorite poet. I could listen to you talk about him forever, no matter how trivial the subject matter. Forever grateful, Patti. 💙
I was hoping you'd show us your original copy. Maybe there is a facsimile somewhere online to view...
What do you think of the Graham Robb biography?
The lighting in this video is absolutely angelic - complimenting your beautiful Aura Patti-I love your love for the spirit of Rimbaud and his journey and works in life: you tell these stories beautifully and makes me think in my mind when you sing " Go Rimbaud" ❤️
Poe was the victim of an early slanderous biography which was accepted for fact for many, many years.
In any event, it was good to hear you use "cleave" in the previous posting-- it's one of those words with opposite meanings.
Thank you for the clarifications here, Patti!
Today while I was walking in my beautiful city park I pretended to be Rimbaud tramping on foot from city to city in France :) I walk pretty slowly and it takes around 24 minutes for me to walk a mile. Wonder how quickly he walked..
Too young to be served in the US today, yet he did drink absinthe (absumphe, was it, that they started calling it?) with Verlaine in Paris--or so the stories go.
I think I probably learned that mythological chronology when I started reading Rimbaud--entirely because you had read him--in the early 1980s. I have not picked up a biographical work on him in a very long time and am wondering how many of the police reports and such that you mentioned in the last video are available anywhere to read--in French or English. Now I'm wanting to go back and look at the Illuminations and better understand when and how they were written, and when and how--and why--he wandered away, however far it turned out to be, from writing poetry.
His insights were remarkable, and I always wonder whether he was disappointed with the cool reception he got in Paris or if he lost interest in the visionary world he lived in, or if it wore him out, or if he just needed to find a way to make ends meet. Most poets have had to have a day job (or night job) of some sort if they did not have familial wealth to fall back on, and sometimes the exigencies of keeping body and soul together are too demanding to leave much left over for art of any sort.
I need to go look something up, but I think it is in a book that did not make it back to Seattle from San Francisco with me when I returned a few years ago: his letter, to a teacher whose name I cannot recall, written around 1871, I think, where he asserts, somewhat famously now, that "I is an other" ("je est an autre"). Someone somewhere attributed the statement to what they posited was Rimbaud's self-alienation, but I'm not convinced this fully accounts for the strangeness of what he says.
And when I find some copies of these letters I'll see if I recall what they said to me when I read them many years ago.
I love navigating this Smithposium aligned to Rimbaud's wandering spirit, it's perfect! I'm also very excited for the summer reading list, thank you so much for these enriching gifts and experiences, Patti!
I need a longish tale for my long recovery. I look like a soccer ball because I was treated like one. I truly live in the wild west. You are my horse to gallop me away.
🐎
🎈That was GREAT! Patti, you can go "on and on" anytime you want as far as I am concerned - the more so the happier I become! It's hard to belirve that Patti Smith is TALKING TO ME and In real time!! . . . just watching and hearing you speak is a joyful and meaningful experience. THANKS ! once again, for sharing a bit of your life and wisdom with me and the rest of our gang. 💋
PS - I don't use lipstick, but that's all I have to send a genderless kiss.
The way the light from the skylight danced around you and off your hands during this video was beautiful. I loved it!