Rimbaud, aged 16, by ?tienne Carjat, probably taken in December 1870. Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (October 20, 1854 - November 10, 1891) was a French poet. He influenced modern literature and arts, inspired various musicians, and prefigured surrealism. He started writing poems at a very young age, while still in primary school, and stopped completely before he turned 21. He was mostly creative in his teens (17-20). He was known to have been a libertine and a restless soul. He traveled extensively on three continents before his death from cancer in 1891 just after his 37th birthday.