French Literature Reviews - 2026

Va-et-vient: Hugo, Rimbaud, Claudel
Poetry and Poetics

Pierre Brunel, Va-et-vient: Hugo, Rimbaud, Claudel, Klincksieck, 222 pages, 17.00

Abstract
Va-et-vient (Back and Forth): much like the advancing wave that curls to embrace three figures holding hands in Camille Claudel's brilliant sculpture, this book explores three powerful milestones of poetic modernity: Hugo, Rimbaud, and Claudel. It also looks backward to examine how these three writers echo and succeed one another. Despite the distances separating them, they join hands. Rimbaud remained deeply marked by Les Misérables, the "fire-thief" influenced by the story of the "bread-thief"; as early as 1886, and up until his death in 1955, Claudel frequently spoke of the "seminal influence" Rimbaud had exercised upon him. Rather than depicting these three poets as exiled angels, Pierre Brunel portrays them as carried forward by the waves of enthusiasm, even as a critical spirit occasionally triggers moments of ebb and reflux.

The volume positions itself within the broader tradition of French literary history and comparative poetics, engaging with the study of poetic lineages and aesthetic transmission. By tracing the connections that unite Hugo, Rimbaud, and Claudel, the study examines how major figures interact across generational divides. The text highlights specific points of contact and reception among these writers, notably Rimbaud's engagement with Hugo and Claudel's acknowledgment of Rimbaud's impact on his development.

Readers interested in nineteenth- and twentieth-century French poetry may find this exploration of literary succession and poetic influence relevant. The book frames the relationship between these authors through the metaphor of tidal movement, suggesting a dynamic interplay of enthusiasm and critical distance rather than a static canon. The discussion remains focused on the textual echoes and historical links connecting the three poets.