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Letters to a Young Poet Paperback – August 1, 1993

by Rainer Maria Rilke (Author), M.D. Herter Norton (Translator)

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Rilke's timeless letters about poetry, sensitive observation, and the complicated workings of the human heart.

Born in 1875, the great German lyric poet Rainer Maria Rilke published his first collection of poems in 1898 and went on to become renowned for his delicate depiction of the workings of the human heart. Drawn by some sympathetic note in his poems, young people often wrote to Rilke with their problems and hopes. From 1903 to 1908 Rilke wrote a series of remarkable responses to a young, would-be poet on poetry and on surviving as a sensitive observer in a harsh world. Those letters, still a fresh source of inspiration and insight, are accompanied here by a chronicle of Rilke's life that shows what he was experiencing in his own relationship to life and work when he wrote them.

Letters to a Young Poet

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It would take a deeply cynical heart not to fall in love with Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet. At the end of this millennium, his slender book holds everything a student of the century could want: the unedited thoughts of (arguably) the most important European poet of the modern age. Rilke wrote these 10 sweepingly emotional letters in 1903, addressing a former student of one of his own teachers. The recipient was wise enough to omit his own inquiries from the finished product, which means that we get a marvelously undiluted dose of Rilkean aesthetics and exhortation.

The poet prefaced each letter with an evocative notation of the city in which he wrote, including Paris, Rome, and the outskirts of Pisa. Yet he spends most of the time encouraging the student in his own work, delivering a sublime, one-on-one equivalent of the modern writing workshop:

Go into yourself and test the deeps in which your life takes rise; at its source you will find the answer to the question whether you must create. Accept it, just as it sounds, without inquiring into it. Perhaps it will turn out that you are called to be an artist. Then take that destiny upon yourself and bear it, its burden and its greatness, without ever asking what recompense might come from outside.

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. --Jennifer Buckendorff

Review

"...I cannot think of a better book to put into the hands of any young would-be poet, as an inspirational guide to poetry and to surviving as a poet in a hostile world." Harry Fainlight, The Times

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Product details

Paperback: 123 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Revised edition (August 1, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393310396
ISBN-13: 978-0393310399
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.4 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (330 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > German
- #24 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Essays & Correspondence > Letters
- #32 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > European > German

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Customer Reviews

330

4.5 out of 5 stars

5 star		74%
4 star		14%
3 star		5%
2 star		3%
1 star		4%

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Background on This Translation

ByLewis Hydeon September 18, 2010

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."

11 comment 77 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Mitchell's translation of Rilke

ByNeil W. Smithon March 19, 2006

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I find Stephen Mitchell's translation far superior to that if The New World Library. Compare this passage:

"Perhaps all dragons in our lives are really princesses just waiting to see us just once being beautiful and courageous."(NWL)

"Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are really princesses waiting for us to act, just once, with beauty and courage."(SM)

I only wish Miller's were as beautifully hard bound as NWL's.

0Comment 90 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

One of the most important books I've ever read

ByJ from NYVINE VOICEon July 12, 2004

Format: Paperback

I have read, re-read and generally mutilated my copy of Rainier Maria Rilke's "Letters To A Young Poet". Rarely does a day go by without me thinking of Rilke's Nietzschean, no-holds-barred philosophy of the real poet. For him, a poet is no simply one who writes verses or rhymes words: it is a different kind of human being who embraces not only beauty and happinesss but suffering and misfortune. His thoughts on solitude are absolutely indispensable. Any artist or aspiring artist who has ever been in a fruitless relationship ("loss of the self" is a theme he explores almost obsessively) will realize that Rilke is writing through experience on the necessity of a good amount of solitude, both spiritual and physical, to create art. He is achingly honest to the poet with whom he is conversing, and passionately sincere. He knows that not every poet is a poet, and that some will find the Promethean task far too exhausting to actually go through with it: the real artist is the one who has no choice in the matter. His inner demons or angels will not ALLOW him to stop writing. Bukowski's thoughts on the matter are similar, as are most major writers and artist. This is a demanding, unforgiving collection of letters. Rilke has no patience for weakness or dilly dallying. But it is more inspiring than any self-help book on the shelf. This should be nationally distributed, not only for artists but for human beings as a whole.

22 comments 68 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

For the Artist

ByA customeron October 24, 1998

Format: Hardcover

This book first came to my attention when a good friend of mine sent me a quote from it, which has since become my life quote ("Be patient toward everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves..Do not search for the answers which could not be given to you now because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything...Live the questions now")
Since I heard this quote, I tracked down a copy of the book after searching a half dozen bookstores and libraries, and it was worth every minute of work to find it. This book has been put on the highest level of appreciation in my mind, up there with Richard Bach's 'Illusion' and 'One'; my two other favorite books. Rilke's book was written for the artist; the person who wants to live life to its fullest and explore both the inner and outer world and their connections.
Although, as another reviewer said, this book will not be fully appreciated by all readers, it is a must read for everyone, especially those who appreciate spirituality, art and living.

11 comment 44 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A must-read classic

ByAmazon Customeron October 30, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If you've never read this book, I recommend it for the experience. It's a quick read that gives you a glimpse into Rilke's perspective of life. It gives generally gives good life advice to the young poet writing him that I value today. For instance, Rilke tells the writer not to be too concerned with how others perceive him or whether they find his material worthy of accolades. I think today it's so easy to get caught up in being accepted and finding our worth from the eyes of others, but it's a dangerous trap. You'll live your life on a hamster wheel if you're constantly seeking approval of others without the self-confidence to take your own path. It's a great read and one that I'd return to periodically. A perfect gift for young people, especially. I think I'll get one for a cousin who's graduating high school soon.

0Comment 8 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

A True Source for Any Artist

Whatever kind of writer or creative artist you are, Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet is a voice worth listening to.Read more

Published 1 day ago by Paula Cappa Reviews

Four Stars

help friend to buy it,...

Published 14 days ago by xiaowenwang

Do not order this edition

This book should have no stars. It appears to be a counterfeit publication. The publishing date printed in the back of this book was the date on which I placed the order.Read more

Published 17 days ago by J. P. Smith

Letter to a young poet

A book everyone must read again and again. A lifelong endeavor providing a humanistic approach at life to those striving and struggling.

Published 19 days ago by C

Five Stars

book was not that great seller was

Published 20 days ago by Britt Johnson

Four Stars

It is a very good book help me with my critical writing and reading classes.

Published 25 days ago by Sabi

An amazing book!

It took a bit to find my way through the long sentences and paragraphs, but once I had found the rhythm I was amazed.Read more

Published 1 month ago by Douglas Booth

A great read!

Learned about this book from Sister Act 2. A great read for any person aspiring to be anything! Lol

Published 1 month ago by COH9279

oh well...

Just an unattractive copy of the book - the image online here does not represent well how cheap the book actually looks. Oh well, at least the content is good!

Published 2 months ago by Christian Butler

people who love Rilke will love this

This is a lovely memoir/ biography/how-to-grow-as-a-writer book...people who love Rilke will love this ...others will get a (beginning) taste of his immense talent!

Published 2 months ago by Margaret T. Duval

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