Every page is stamped with Rilke's characteristic grace, and the book is free of the breathless effect that occasionally mars his poetry. His ideas on gender and the role of the artist are also surprisingly prescient. And even his retrograde comment on the "beauty of the virgin" (which the poet derives from the fact that she "has not yet achieved anything") is counterbalanced by his perception that "the sexes are more related than we think." Those looking for an alluring image of the solitary artist--and for an astonishing quotient of wisdom--will find both in Letters to a Young Poet.
Letters to a Young Poet
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 61 people found the following review helpful
By Lewis Hyde
Format: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."
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."
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
-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.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Ben
Format:Kindle Edition
This is probably my favorite book (or whatever you'd like to call it - thing between two covers) of all time. I can't recommend it enough.
That said, the Kindle version is indefensibly poorly-done. There are paragraph breaks, and that's the extent of its formatting. The book should be outstandingly simple to format correctly. It's an introduction followed by ten letters. However, this version simply runs together, making it difficult to read and parse through. Purchase the physical version. You'll be glad you did.
That said, the Kindle version is indefensibly poorly-done. There are paragraph breaks, and that's the extent of its formatting. The book should be outstandingly simple to format correctly. It's an introduction followed by ten letters. However, this version simply runs together, making it difficult to read and parse through. Purchase the physical version. You'll be glad you did.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Book of Poetry
You have to be careful when buying a book of poetry to read, and I am so glad I bought this one. I like this book and will definitely re-read it.
Published 1 month ago by chemsafety51
2.0 out of 5 stars
The book is good, but the formatting is definitely not.
I read some of the other reviews that mentioned the formatting, but decided to get the Kindle version anyway, mostly due to convenience. But I did not expect it to be that bad. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Espen Arntzen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
A truly inspirational book. It starts a little slow but soon picks up to teach and advise in ways that are still applicable in today's society.
Published 1 month ago by Christopher A. Grant
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best translation
I bought this for the convenience of getting immediately on my kindle/computer. For this convenience I must recommend it, also the price is less than buying a book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms Muffintop
4.0 out of 5 stars
I rather enjoyed Rilke's letters!
I chose only four stars because i feel like some of the other writers' letters should have been included. Read more
Published 2 months ago by taylor stryker
1.0 out of 5 stars
Horrible ebook conversion
This is a horrible ebook conversion. The book is amazing, but the conversion made me buy another version. Many paragraphs are cut off and much of the text is missing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chris O'Byrne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book!
Loved loved loved it! Rainer Maria Rilke inspired me throughout the book and actually had me thinking, I kinda wish I had someone write me advice through letters, some of the best... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Nathaly Bernard
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short but Sweet
Really enjoyed this short read. I'm a bit older now but would say this would be a better book for a 20 something person than later in life. Read more
Published 9 months ago by N. M.
1.0 out of 5 stars
no table of contents
really, why does amazon sell titles with no table of contents? it's electronic. i can't 'page through' it the way i would a normal book. Very frustrating!! Read more
Published 15 months ago by Matthew Gordon Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars
Soulful Reading
I am no intellectual, and stumbled upon this book through a ladies' magazine article asking celebs what they were reading. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Allison Majure
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