Autobiographical in nature, but reading more like works of fiction, written in that rare, ephemeral, and nuanced style that the poet is famous for in his early poetry, these two works by Paul Verlaine are a first-ever English translation of My Hospitals, from 1891, and My Prisons, from 1893. Enthusiasts of the Paris Commune and the Belle Epoque will be enthralled by these eye-witness accounts of events before, during, and after, - with brief cameos by Arthur Rimbaud, Victor Hugo, Léon Bloy, Rodolphe Salis, Leconte de Lisle.
My Prisons provides important details surrounding the infamous shooting of friend and poet Arthur Rimbaud in Brussels, which landed Verlaine in Mons prison for a year and a half, where he subsequently converted to Catholicism and wrote many of the poems that were later included in Sagesse, Jadis & Naguère, and Parallèlement. In short, two documents of utmost importance and interest in the life and times of this "Prince of Poets."
