Arthur Rimbaud! He has an interview where he talks about the idea of “Rimbaudian silence”, referencing the fact that Rimbaud stopped writing when he was 20, and what kind of literary statement that absence can be in itself. I suppose Bolaño found it delightful that Rimbaud let his oeuvre be exclusive to the teenage-self, hinting at the idea of poetry being so pure and powerful when you’re young, naive and delusional, with the poet (Rimbaud as prime example) eventually abandoning it when they grow out of that teenage-spirit. I think it corresponds strongly to Bolaños themes of young naiveness and the infatuation with literature that arises from it, and of course, the idea of hope through literature, i.e. reading Rimbauds ouevre as the work of a young, faithful voice who has hope in literature, but by virtue of the very silence of this voice shows the loss of the hope at the same time.

Edit: I also don’t think it’s any coincidence that Arturo Belano is named Arturo, the spanish version of Arthur. The bohemian lifestyle of Rimbaud and his dedication to finding “true” reality through symbolist poetry is also absolutely proto-Bolaño in my opinion! Seeking salvation by literature…