Join us in search of lost poets as we explore the lives and work of Arthur Rimbaud and Roberto Bolaño.
Arthur Rimbaud: Born in Charleville, France; precocious schoolboy; runaway to Paris; vagabond across Europe; genius poet; scandalous bad-boy; world voyager and sailor; coffee-trader and arms merchant in Africa. Dead at 37 in Marseille of complications of cancer, buried in the town of his birth. Inspiration to millions of readers and writers, not least of whom Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and Patti Smith.
Roberto Bolaño: Born in Santiago, Chile: moved as a youth to Mexico City; indifferent student, then dropout; would-be poet; vagabond throughout Europe; laborer at part-time jobs; short-story contest-winner; family man; acclaimed fiction writer. Dead at 50 in Barcelona of liver failure, his ashes scattered in the Mediterranean. Inspiration to millions of readers and writers, not least of whom Susan Sontag, Patti Smith, James Wood, and Mathias Énard.
Brilliant writing, difficult lives; literary reputations achieved the hard way. The In Search of Lost Poets reading group will read and discuss key literary works in the context of the lives of these two writers, briefly “lost” and now immortal. We will become “savage detectives” as we trace the paths of two humans “with soles of wind.”
Please note that there are two sections of this reading group, one held in person and one virtually.
The registration page can be reached by clicking the button below. Participation is reserved for Athenæum members, so please consider becoming a member if you’d like to join a group! If you have any questions, email readinggroups@provath.org.
REGISTERThe Athenæum is deeply grateful to our wonderful volunteer leaders. Please note library reading groups are not classes or courses, but rather a way for individuals to discuss readings together, guided by both expert and amateur enthusiasts. Participants should expect discussion-based, not lecture-style meetings.
