CAMERON, Norman (1905–1953); RIMBAUD, Arthur (1854–1891)

Manuscript translation of Rimbaud’s ‘Le Bateau ivre’ [‘Drunken Boat’]

[Unpublished], circa 1938

Four lined foolscap sheets, 13 x 8in, written on rectos only; [together with:] gelatin silver print photograph of Cameron, 5 x 3.5in; [together with:] first edition of the 1942 Hogarth edition of Cameron’s translation

A manuscript of Norman Cameron’s important translation of Rimbaud’s ‘Drunken Boat’, which was published both in New Verse and in the 1942 Hogarth Press edition of Rimbaud.

From internal evidence we can show that this was composed after his 1936 New Verse version, but prior to the 1942 edition of his collected Rimbaud verse translations: the draft retains much of the 1936 original, but includes lines and phrases new to the 1942 translation. The text is identical to neither version, however, so here we have a unique glimpse of the translation process itself.

Norman Cameron (1905–1953) was a Scottish poet, translator, and man of letters whose work was admired by contemporaries such as W.H. Auden, Robert Graves and Dylan Thomas. He was described by Martin Seymour-Smith as ‘one of […] the most rewarding and pure poets of his generation’.

Cameron was born in Bombay and educated in Edinburgh and at Oriel College, Oxford. He published a relatively small body of original poetry, and was also an accomplished translator of French literature. His Collected Poems appeared in 1990, and a biography was published in 2000.

Very good condition: minor spotting to first two leaves; photograph with a damaged section (2cm) to upper right-hand corner; book in very good condition, jacket spotted

Provenance: collection of manuscript and book collector Jonathan Gili (1943–2004).