A Season in Hell with Rimbaud

by Dustin Pearson

In pursuit of his brother, a man traverses the fantastical and grotesque landscape of Hell, pondering their now fractured relationship.

The poems in Dustin Pearson’s A Season in Hell with Rimbaud form an allegorical travelogue that chronicles two brothers’ mutual descent into hell. When the older brother runs off by himself, the younger brother begins roaming Hell’s different landscapes in search of him. As he searches, the younger brother ruminates on their now fractured relationship: what brought them here? Can they find each other? Will their bonds ever be repaired?

In the tradition of Virgil, Dante, Milton, Swift, Shelley, Joyce, Sarte, and especially Arthur Rimbaud, Pearson leads his speakers on a speculative, epistolary journey through the nether realm inspired by Christian beliefs and tradition. Drawing on the works of French Symbolists and the literary traditions of the American South, A Season in Hell with Rimbaud guides readers through an intimate rendering of one brother’s journey to find his lost and estranged brother, perhaps recovering a part of himself in the process.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2022

About the author

Dustin Pearson is the author of A Season in Hell with Rimbaud (BOA Editions, 2022), Millennial Roost (C&R Press, 2018), and A Family Is a House (C&R Press, 2019). In 2019, The Root named Dustin one of nine black poets working in “academic, cultural and government institutions committed to elevating and preserving the poetry artform.” The recipient of fellowships from Cave Canem, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, and The Anderson Center at Tower View, Pearson has served as the editor of Hayden’s Ferry Review and a Director of the Clemson Literary Festival. The recipient of the Katherine C. Turner and John Mackay Shaw Academy of American Poets Awards and a 2021 Pushcart Prize, his work also appears in The Nation, Poetry Northwest, Blackbird, The Boiler, Bennington Review, TriQuarterly, The Literary Review, The Cortland Review, Poetry Daily, and elsewhere.

Reviews

[Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first started reading this on a day when I was incredibly tired, practically falling asleep on my bed, and somehow that made it better.

The poems are captivating and truly pull you into the narrative. I haven’t read many things about sibling relationships, and this collection articulated the exact nature of sibling relationships where are the two haven’t been the closest. If you’ve ever had a strained relationship with a sibling, you’ll get it.

I finished this collection on a day when I was a little more awake, reading the last few poems in the hot summer sun. I also recommend that if you can as it really puts you into the mindset of hell.