French Ardennes honours Rimbaud, and hosts puppets

The French Ardennes is surely the destination of choice for anyone who lives to travel,
likes France and loves poetry.
Next year - 2016 - will mark the 125 th anniversary of the death of one of the worlds
most influential poets, Arthur Rimbaud.
But The Rimbaud Museum itself will be re-opening its doors to the public from the
summer of 2015, following a major refurbishment, to pay tribute to one of Frances most
famous and charismatic artists, who was born and lived in Charleville-Mzires in The
French Ardennes.
The Museum is housed within a striking building on a small island on the River Meuse.
It will now not simply tell the story of the life and times of Arthur Rimbaud, but will also
feature an island garden where visitors can soak up a reflective atmosphere.
In the past, The New York Times has noted that The hallucinatory prose-poems of
Arthur Rimbaud rank among the glories of 19 th century French literature.
Anyone wanting further evidence that the poet, who is remembered as much for his
volatile personality and tumultuous life as much as he is for his poetry (almost all of
which he produced before the age of 21) can either view a YouTube video narrated by
Joan Baez; or read an article in The Guardian from last year written by the Hungarianborn British poet, George Szirtes.
Or, visit The French Ardennes itself - which draws most of its fame in France for its
association with the enigmatic poet, and is the place where it is now possible to follow
in his footsteps in many different ways, from staying hotels that are named in honour of
him (Hotel Dormeur du Val in Charleville), to driving through the surrounding
countryside on a well-marked car trail (La Route Rimbaud-Verlaine).
Rimbaud - One of the greatest poets who ever lived, according to some commentators
- is also a feature of the new, French Ardennes Discovery Guide for 2015 which can
also now be viewed online here.
Essential for discovering the French Ardennes, the Discovery Guide is joined in a new
family of literature for The French Ardennes by Walking and Cycling in the Ardennes
and a new Tourist Map of the Ardennes.
Home to one of the newest Regional Nature Parks in France, the region will once again
host The World Puppet Festival from September 18 th to 27th in 2015, attracting an
audience in excess of 150,000 people.
Ends
For press information, contact:
Djamila Daoud
T: +33 3 24 56 67 77
E: daoud@ardennes.com