Named in memory of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891) on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of his death. At the age of 17 he was already known for his Dormeur du Val and Le Bateau ivre, the latter, together with Voyelles, probably being his most famous work. In 1872 he traveled with Paul Verlaine {see planet  (6871)} to England and Belgium, their friendship ending with two gunshots fired by Verlaine at Rimbaud. In 1873 Rimbaud published Une Saison en Enfer, an autobiographical and psychological work. After Les Illuminations, written at the age of 19 and issued by Verlaine only in 1886, nothing remains of the work of this great poet. As a precursor of symbolism Rimbaud enormously influenced Verlaine and the following generation. (M 18645) _ _.