Feb. 24, 2025

Rimbaud: Poetry, Trauma, and the Flight from Art

Rimbaud: Poetry, Trauma, and the Flight from Art

In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast, we explore Rimbaud: The Cost of Genius by Neal Oxenhandler, a deep dive into the life and work of Arthur Rimbaud, the rebellious poet who revolutionized literature before abandoning it entirely. Using psychoanalytic theory, we examine how Rimbaud’s fraught relationship with his mother, his sexuality, and his experiences with trauma and fantasy shaped his groundbreaking poetry. But why did this literary prodigy reject art for a life of exile in Africa? Was his creative genius inseparable from his psychological turmoil? And what does his journey from poet to trader reveal about the complex relationship between mental health, artistic vision, and self-destruction? Join us as we unravel the enigma of Rimbaud’s brilliance, suffering, and ultimate disappearance from the literary world.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify! #ArthurRimbaud #MadGenius #CreativityAndMadness #SymbolistPoetry #PoetryAndTrauma #FrenchLiterature #MentalHealthAndArt #Podcast