The Anglo-Ethiopian Society
Lecture - Impersonating Rimbaud
Paul Strathern
Friday 11th September 2015
6:15pm - 7:15pm, St Pancras Room, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
Part of the Kings Place Festival 2015, running from Fri 11 - Sun 13 September.
Arthur Rimbaud, the French poet and enfant terrible of French literature, has fascinated other artists, writers and film makers. This special event will feature Paul Strathern, the distinguished Faber & Faber writer, talking about his book A Season in Abyssinia. This celebrated novel imagines Rimbaud's life and relationships in the period after he gave up poetry and became an adventurer and trader in Africa, going off to explore the interior of what is now Ethiopia and settling in the 'forbidden' city of Harar. Based on his own travels and research, Strathern has produced a funny and moving adventure story, and provided a fascinating addition to the literature about this famous French poet. Extracts from the novel will be read by the author.
Curated by the Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation.
Paul Strathern was born in London in 1940 and studied philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, after which he joined the Merchant Navy and travelled widely. A Season in Abyssinia, his second novel, was first published in 1972 and won a Somerset Maugham Award. He has written several other novels, together with several non-fiction works. His most recent book, entitled The Spirit of Venice: From Marco Polo to Casanova, was published in 2012.
Tickets cost £6.50 if booked online via the Kings Place website otherwise tickets cost £8.50. Box office 020 7520 1490.