Letters to a Young Poet [Paperback]

Rainer Maria Rilke (Author), Reginald Snell (Translator), Franz Xaver Kappus (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2002

In 1903, Rilke replied in a series of 10 letters to a student who had submitted some verses to the well-known Austrian poet for an assessment. Written during an important stage in Rilke's artistic development, these letters contain many of the themes that later appeared in his best works. Essential reading for scholars, poetry lovers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (May 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486422453
• ISBN-13: 978-0486422459
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Letters & Correspondence
  • #78 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > European

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Background on This Translation, September 18, 2010

By 

Lewis Hyde (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters to a Young Poet (Paperback)

Rilke's letters to Franz Kappus were written between 1903 and 1908. They were first published in German in 1929. In 1934 H. D. Herter Norton produced the first English translation (revised by her in 1954). The second English translation that I know of was done by Reginald Snell in 1945 and published in London by Sidgwick and Jackson. The edition being offered here is the Snell translation--only his name and the original publication data have been stripped from the book. (Other than that, the book is essentially a photocopy of the 1945 edition.)

The publisher here is "BN Publishing" which I assume means "Barnes & Noble" (although the "about us" link on their website says almost nothing about them!).

The Snell translation seems to me quite adequate. Here is a sample of one sentence done by three translators:

"And this more human love...will resemble that which we are preparing with struggle and toil, the love that consists in this, that two solitudes protect and border and salute each other." -- H. D. Herter Norton (1934)

"And this more human love...will be something like that which we are preparing with struggle and toil, the love which consists in the mutual guarding, bordering and saluting of two solitudes." -- Reginald Snell (1945)

"And this more human love... will resemble what we are now preparing painfully and with great struggle: the love that consists in this: that two solitudes protect and border and greet each other." -- Stephen Mitchell (1984)

Of these three, the Norton seems to me to have the best cadence, but beyond that Rilke's sense is present in all.

One does wonder, however, why BN Publishing felt free to erase this book's origins.

One other oddity to note: If you click on "see inside this book," Amazon shows you the Stephen Mitchell edition, not the Snell edition, giving this rather confusing explanation: "This view is of the Mass Market Paperback edition (1986) from Vintage. The Paperback edition (2009) from BN Publishing that you originally viewed is the one you'll receive if you click the Add to Cart button at left."

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whenever I am not myself., July 19, 2007

By 

Kimarie Torre - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters to a Young Poet (Paperback)

-Whenever I feel the weight of the world upon my shoulders...
-Whenever I'm overwhelmed by the noise, violence and sorrows of the world...
-Whenever I am deceiving my true nature...
-Whenever I lose touch with my artistic spirit...

I reach for this book and it helps me find my way back to that quiet place inside, reminding me that 'feeling' alone is not the same as 'being' alone and that our solitude is a gift.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for anyone, anytime., February 7, 2010

By 

Ximena Garcia (Mexico City, Mexico) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Letters to a Young Poet (Paperback)

It seems to me a bit awkward and out of place to either rate this book or review it. There is no such thing as "a ranking" over such work. RMR has a talent some will see and others will not. His talent is to plainly materialize into words the deepest questions and interests one may manifest over existence. The ideas and principles he expresses in these 10 letters to Mr. Kappus (the "young poet") may serve as a reference for anyone who has ever thought why we are here and what is there to do because of it. Again, some will see the point, others will find it void. What I like about RMR is that -as a writer- he touches philosophy, psychology, literature, and poetry without any particular body of study, except his own intuition and inner voice. If we could all be in contact with our inner self to that extent, we may even decide according to our best.