Rimbaud Fictions: Alain Blottière

Alain Blottière's novel Azure noir (Gallimard, 2020) can be interpreted as a “Rimbaud fiction” in which the protagonist Léo develops an obsessive and transformative relationship with the French poet Arthur Rimbaud. For Léo, Rimbaud is not merely a literary figure, but becomes a central element of his personal experience, his perception of the world, and his creative development, particularly within an apocalyptic scenario of the “end of the world.” The novel unfolds a rich intertextuality that extends to biographical details, poetic concepts, and thematic parallels.

Rimbaud's presence as a catalyst and refuge

The narrative is set in a context of the end of the world (“fin du monde”), marked by extreme heat waves, fires, floods, and environmental disasters. Léo finds this present unbearable, and the “Rimbaudian fiction” becomes his “ultimate refuge.” Rimbaud’s world, as Léo perceives it in his visions, is a “paradise” without the horrors of the present—a pre-industrial Paris, full of horses, clean air, and unspoiled nature. Rimbaud’s “Aube” (dawn), a “désirable et belle” (desirable and beautiful) dawn, symbolizes this escape into an idealized state. Léo’s deteriorating eyesight is directly linked to the “détestation du monde” (world-ending experience) and serves as a mechanism to block out the “burning” present in order to revive an “old, youthful” Paris.

The foundation of Léo's obsession is his move with his mother into the apartment at 14 Rue Nicolet in Montmartre, the very same place where Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud lived together 150 years earlier. Léo perceives the building as "pleasantly old" and as a repository of "atoms of the time before the catastrophes," which open a door to an "infinite horizon of hope." This physical location allows for a tangible connection to the past.

Léo's discovery of Rimbaud initially occurs by chance through a small, colorful mosaic portrait on a house wall in Rue Nicolet, which immediately captivates him. He recognizes Rimbaud from a familiar photograph and is fascinated by his "penetrating yet tender" gaze, which speaks directly to him. This portrait becomes a "sacred talisman" or a "protective divinity" for Léo. Later internet research confirms that Rimbaud, Verlaine, and Mathilde had indeed lived in the house, which validates Léo's "hunch" and intensifies his fascination.

Léo's worsening vision impairment, manifesting as "voiles noirs" (black veils) and causing temporary blindness, coincides with a "canicule" (heat wave) summer. In this "demi-obscurité" (twilight), however, he finds solace and a new way of seeing. He considers Rimbaud his "dog of the blind in dreamscapes, illuminated worlds that may be lost or imagined." The idea of ​​the "voyant" (seer)—a concept Rimbaud himself pursued through the "dérèglement de tous les sens" (disruption of all the senses)—becomes central for Léo. He believes that his own blindness enables him to "see" the world in a deeper, invisible way and to bring the past to life. The doctor, Dr. Lalumière indirectly confirms the possibility of a “hysterical blindness” caused by the unwillingness to see the world, and Printz reinforces Léo’s view that his blindness enables him to see better, beyond time and space.

Leo's process of imagination and identification

Léo delves into Rimbaud's life and work, reading the Œuvre vie by Alain Borer, which chronologically unites Rimbaud's work and life. This intertextual link allows Léo to imagine detailed scenes unfolding in his apartment or on the streets of Paris. He "sees" Rimbaud's arrival in Paris, the first meeting with Verlaine and Mathilde in the apartment, their shared days and nights, and especially the sexual encounters between the two poets. These imaginings are so vivid for Léo that they seem more real than his present reality.

A crucial aspect of their identification is their shared ability of synesthesia. Léo feels a deep kinship with Rimbaud, as he, like Rimbaud, sees colors associated with vowels: A is black, E is white, U is green, I is yellow, and O is brown. This corresponds to Rimbaud's famous sonnet "Voyelles." For Léo, this is not a matter of belief, but rather an obvious fact that connects them and makes other professors who fail to see it seem "blinder than he is."

Léo also identifies physically with Rimbaud. He notices similarities in her age, her disheveled hair, and her blue eyes. He even begins to imitate Rimbaud's behavior, such as removing his clothing in public, which he interprets as the "erotic euphoria of the exhibition of the blind." The desire to have "Rimb" (Rimbaud's nickname) tattooed under his eye is a direct act of identification and self-expression, a "ritual sacrifice" and "offrande" that symbolizes his enduring connection to the poet. The healing of the wound transforms the tattoo into a "mark in the red-hot iron," which Léo imagines as a sign of the survivors defying the apocalypse.

Rimbaud also becomes a source of Léo's own poetic energy. Léo begins to write poems, initially in classical alexandrines, then in free verse and prose, inspired by Rimbaud's development. He sends his poems to Alain Borer, a Rimbaud specialist, hoping for recognition, much like Rimbaud sent his works to Verlaine.

Rimbaud's character traits in Léo's fiction

Léo often portrays Rimbaud as the "petit démon sans père" (little demon without a father), a "voyou" (brawler), and the "diable" (devil), who impresses with his wild energy, his provocations, and his disregard for bourgeois conventions. Léo admires Rimbaud's "bravour" in his escapes, thefts, and his resistance to suffering.

Despite the "diabolical" traits, Léo also emphasizes the depth and tenderness visible in Rimbaud's eyes. He imagines Rimbaud's vulnerability, particularly in the context of his difficult relationship with his mother and the absence of his father. For Léo, Verlaine's love for Rimbaud is intensified by an "élan de compassion" (impulse of compassion) for this vulnerable side.

The portrayal of Rimbaud's sexual freedom and bisexuality is also central. Léo imagines Rimbaud's experimental nature, whether in his relationship with Verlaine or in his experiences at the Château-Rouge with prostitutes of both sexes. This influences Léo's own sexual exploration and his openness to same-sex relationships, which he sees as part of his Rimbaud experience, moving "in Rimbaud's footsteps."

Literature in Rimbaud and Intertextuality

Alain Blottière's novel is intertextually linked to Rimbaud on several levels:

Biographical References

The novel is heavily based on biographical details of Rimbaud's life. Léo's apartment on the Rue Nicolet, the detailed descriptions of Rimbaud's arrival in Paris, his stays with Verlaine, Charles Cros, Théodore de Banville, and with Forain on the Rue Campagne-Première are precise biographical reconstructions that Léo brings vividly to life in his imagination. Events such as the dinner of the "Vilains Bonshommes" and the incident with Carjat are also recounted in great detail.

Literary intertextuality

Rimbaud's work and his literary concepts permeate Léo's perception: Rimbaud's sonnet "Voyelles" is the central text for Léo's identification through synesthesia. Léo sees the colors of the vowels similarly to Rimbaud, which for him is an "Évidence" (obviousness) that connects him to the poet. Léo's blindness is directly linked to Rimbaud's concept of the "Voyant," who, through the "distortion of all the senses" ("dérèglement de tous les sens"), is supposed to attain a higher, invisible truth. Léo sees his blindness not as a deficiency, but as a gateway to visionary experiences.

Léo's own development as a poet mirrors Rimbaud's path. He begins with classical alexandrines and then switches to free verse and prose, analogous to Rimbaud's departure from traditional forms. Alain Borer's critique of Léo's "Parnassian" rhymes as "dated" and "marked 1860," and the description of Rimbaud's development as a departure from traditional forms, underscore this literary-historical dimension.

Borer's use of the philosophical term "noème" for Léo's poetry, which denotes a specific, profound "meaning" of poetry beyond form, is the highest praise and an encouragement for Léo to continue writing, with the message "Pas de Harar pour vous!" (No Harar for you!). This refers to Rimbaud's later, non-poetic merchant activities in Harar and implies that Léo's poetic calling should remain alive.

Rimbaud's revolutionary language, which Verlaine found "too harsh," but also his "violent splendor" and his "patriarchal demon," are presented as the source of his misunderstood energy and genius. The episode at the dinner of the "Vilains Bonshommes," where Rimbaud comments on the other poets' stiff verses with "merde!" and wounds Carjat with a rapier, demonstrates his contempt for the literary establishment and his radical stance. Léo identifies with this rage and the rejection of the "little Paris of literature."

Rimbaud's and Leo's sexuality

The sexual relationship between Rimbaud and Verlaine is an explicit and central theme in Léo's Rimbaud fiction. Léo imagines in detail the intimate moments of the two poets, especially their first sexual encounter in his own apartment. This imagined relationship is not merely a historical reconstruction for Léo, but a mirror and catalyst for his own sexual development.

Léo's own sexual experiences are closely linked to his Rimbaud-inspired visions. He reflects on his sexual inexperience and the expectations he has of "love." His encounters with Julie, a considerably older woman, are described as his first "true" sexual experiences, which Léo perceives as a kind of "maneuver" or "manipulation," but one that makes him proud and simultaneously demonstrates his willingness to engage in unconventional relationships.

The imagined relationship between Rimbaud and Verlaine, including the explicit depiction of their tenderness and sexual acts, opens Léo to the possibility of same-sex relationships. When his teacher Bennati makes advances toward him, Léo is initially surprised, but "already ready to try what he hadn't truly desired" and sees this as "in the footsteps of Rimbaud," who was "open to all winds of all seas, to all detours, to all disturbances as initiations and adventures." The risks Bennati takes ("he risked greatly making love to him") and the memory of Verlaine's imprisonment after shooting Rimbaud demonstrate that the topic of homosexuality can still be fraught with danger and social condemnation, even a century or more later.

The idea of ​​the "Rimb" tattoo, inspired by the rapper XXXTentacion, whose "Numb" tattoo and open-minded attitude are described as "gay-friendly," reinforces the connection between Léo's identification with Rimbaud and the acceptance and celebration of non-heteronormative sexuality. The depiction of homosexuality is thus not merely a biographical detail, but an integral part of Léo's self-discovery, his sexual liberation, and his rebellion against societal norms, which he—guided by Rimbaud—breaks through.

Towards the black azure

The novel ends with Léo's final walk through a doomed Paris and his ultimate immersion in the "Rimbaudian fiction," culminating in the title motif of the "Azur noir." This term, appearing in the novel's title, encapsulates Léo's paradoxical visual experience. The "Azur" represents the clear, pure sky of Rimbaud's time, a symbol of purity and beauty. The "noir" (black) represents Léo's blindness and the apocalyptic reality of the "fin du monde." It is a vision of beauty born from darkness, an inner, luminous world nourished by external destruction.

Léo leaves his mobile phone and keys behind, taking only an old audio player with music by XXXTentacion (especially "Train Food") and Tunisian dates. This act of renunciation mirrors Rimbaud's restless wanderings and his rejection of material possessions. Léo embarks on Rimbaud's journey from the day of his arrival in Paris in reverse, but not into a flourishing Paris, rather into a deserted, dying city shrouded in a yellow dust storm.

Leo encounters a naked, emaciated homeless man who asks him for water, claiming it is "the last day" and that Leo is "Jesus." This encounter powerfully symbolizes the universal human suffering during the apocalypse and the desperate search for connection and compassion. The homeless man's words, that one "must kiss everyone one meets," underscore the existential urgency of affection in the face of the end.

Léo “sees” Rimbaud’s historic departure from the Gare de l’Est. But instead of letting go of this vision, Léo continues on his own path, “toujours aveugle sur la voie du dernier train, marchait vers l’azur noir.” This means that he fully immerses himself in his inner, Rimbaud-inspired world. His blindness here is not the end, but the ultimate form of seeing, a shield against the burning world. Léo himself becomes a “voyant,” whose inner light pierces the outer darkness.

The novel does not end in despair, but in transformation. Léo becomes a living monument to Rimbaud, overcoming the violence and suffering of the present through his imagined connection to the poet. The Azur Noir is thus the destination of his journey—a place where his inner vision replaces the outer chaos and he lives on in a unique form of existence. The novel concludes with a melancholic yet hopeful note, suggesting that in this new, inner reality, the legacy of genius lives on, even as the world is ablaze.