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Rachel Corbett

You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin Hardcover – Deckle Edge, September 6, 2016

by Rachel Corbett (Author)

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The extraordinary story of one of the most fruitful friendships in modern arts and letters.

Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet is one of the most beloved books of the twentieth century. It has sold millions of copies and inspired generations with its galvanizing wisdom on how to lead an artistic life. In You Must Change Your Life, debut author Rachel Corbett tells the remarkable, long-buried story of where Rilke’s ideas originated.

In 1902, Rilke, broke and suffering from writer’s block, accepted a commission to go to Paris to research and write a short book about the sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two were almost polar opposites: Rodin in his sixties, notoriously carnal, revered; Rilke in his twenties, delicate, unknown. Nonetheless, they fell into an instantaneous friendship and would work closely together as master and disciple for the next few years, as Rodin showed Rilke how to become the writer he wished to be.

With verve and great insight, Corbett transports readers to turn-of-the-twentieth-century Paris to explore this surprising friendship and the development of their influential ideas about art and creativity. She captures the dawn of modernism with appearances by such charismatic figures as Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Isadora Duncan, George Bernard Shaw, and Jean Cocteau, as well as the rise of the concept of “empathy” amid the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Georg Simmel. Corbett also introduces the women in these men’s lives, many of them esteemed writers and artists in their own right: Rodin’s muse Camille Claudel, Rilke’s wife and fellow artist Clara Westhoff, and the remarkable Lou Andreas-Salome, who was Nietzsche’s lover and Rilke’s lifelong friend.

You Must Change Your Life is a vibrant portrait of Rilke and Rodin’s singular friendship, heartbreaking rift, and moving reconciliation, and it is a testament to the ways their work continues to reverberate to this day.

16 illustrations

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

September 6, 2016
Dimensions

6.6 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

0393245055
ISBN-13

978-0393245059
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This empathetic and imaginative biography, deeply researched, is anchored by the friendship between [Rilke and Rodin]."
― The New Yorker

"Rachel Corbett, as any fine artist, has produced a work of great effect, and leaves a lasting and indelible mark on the reader."
― NPR

"In honeyed, knowing prose, Rachel Corbett twines two great serpents of art: the suppleness of Rodin’s malleable flesh and eroticism and Rilke’s endless lyrical rivers. New portals of aesthetic intonations open; invisible elements come into sight."
― Jerry Saltz, senoir art critic, New York Magazine

"Spectacular. . . . A layered and lyrical inquiry into the personal, interpersonal, and cultural forces behind and around Rainer Maria Rilke’s iconic Letters to a Young Poet."
― Maria Popova, brainpickings

"Takes readers deep into the literary and art worlds of the beginning of the 20th century. . . . A must-read."
― Alanna Martinez, Observer

"Much more than the story of Rilke as a young man serving as the personal secretary and confidante to Rodin. Laced with first-and second-hand accounts of the artists and their milieu, You Must Change Your Life is an examination of the gritty how and why of artistic creation, as well as an acknowledgement of the costs of such a life."
― Sarah Roffino, Brooklyn Rail

"A riveting narrative. . . . Corbett writes sharp prose that gets to the point."
― Daniel Larkin, Hyperallergic

"Charming and funny, Rachel Corbett renders turn-of-the-twentieth-century Paris in all its gritty glory, illustrating how the same place that saw ‘Baudelaire charge through the streets waving a gun and Balzac nearly starve to death’ could foster a magical artistic relationship like this one."
― Ada Calhoun. author of St. Marks Is Dead

About the Author

Rachel Corbett is the editor in chief of Modern Painters. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Art Newspaper, New York magazine, and others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (September 6, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393245055
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393245059
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.13 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.6 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #786,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #310 in German Poetry (Books)
- #328 in Sculpture Appreciation
- #455 in German Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
133 ratings

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Rachel Corbett
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Rachel Corbett is the author of You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin, which won the 2016 Marfield Prize, the National Award for Arts Writing. Her journalism has appeared in the The New Yorker, the New York Times, The Art Newspaper, New York magazine, and others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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Interesting for its personal and professional comparisons of Rilke and Rodin

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018

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You Must Change Your Life is about German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who went to Paris in 1902, at the age of 26, to write a book about the sculptor Auguste Rodin (who sculpted The Thinker and The Kiss).

When they met, young Rilke (1875-1926) was a loner and a poor, unknown poet, whereas Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), in his 60s, was revered, outgoing, and famous. The two polar opposites in status and personalities developed a deep friendship.

Rilke and Rodin – their friendship, their rupture, the reversal and renewal, their marriages, and then Rilke ‘no longer a sapling cowering beneath the shade of Rodin.’ World War I followed, and both left Paris, but by then Rodin’s ideas about art and creativity had already influenced Rilke’s work.

This is interesting account of two artistic men in Paris over a period of 15 years, and their interconnectedness, personally and professionally. It’s an enjoyable read.

14 people found this helpful

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AmazonCustomer1111

Mixed bag

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2020

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I am a huge fan of both Rodin and Rilke. I commend the author's choice of topic, but the execution leaves much to be desired. There is some interesting information in this book, but the author's tone (and general approach to biography) is unbearable. Often she imputes feelings to the characters involved without any factual basis (this is how X must have felt, she thinks, but this is often pure conjecture), and she writes in a way that is often condescending to and shows lack of deeper understanding of, these artists. Despite wanting to learn more (and there are, interspersed between the overly sentimental conjectures, some interesting facts in there), I couldn't stand her attributing her own sentiments to the characters and that awful tone.

7 people found this helpful

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Richard Porricelli

interesting read

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019

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Not a bad read on two interesting artists there lives and associations..It was not a very flattering portrayal of Rodin in his declining years but a nice one on Rilke at the height of his creativity..He(Rilke) was restless and always in search of something, and his work was reflective of that struggle for truth and purity in the creative process. Unfortunately he( in this depiction) also struck me as being selfish and often thoughtless , but such is the life of so many creative types who worked on such a high level..
Same can be said of Rodin. He was difficult to those he claimed to love. He objectified woman and was incapable of seeing them as intellectual equals. His frailties troubled Rilke , but he learned valuable lessons while in the shadow of Rodin's world.I think it was a critical affiliation for him and to his development as a writer..

6 people found this helpful

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BG

A very engaging book!

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2016

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An amazing book! It is incredibly interesting, adding depth and dimension to two well known artists in a way that creates a deeper awareness of not only their relationship, but the relationship of art in ones life. Because of this, it is a very engaging read no matter your interest in Rodin and in Rilke. Great insights are to be made of their lives through other relationships, particularly with their female muses. A very engaging book!

12 people found this helpful

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blanca

Enchanting juxtaposition

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2017

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To be honest, I didn’t know about the relationship between Rodin and Rilke before this book. The author, Rachel Corbett illustrates the life of these two dazzling artists vividly and lucidly. Every moments around them were not amicable but the vicissitude of that is woven into more understandable and approachable view for us in terms of real life. If you want the deeper biography about the poet and the sculptor respectively, you can feel a bit disappointed but you can enjoy such a interesting territory through this juxtaposition of this unexpected encounter. Sometimes, the both experienced discord with each other, but eventually they’ve helped reach incredible achievement which we enjoy now. If you start this book, you must be enchanted by this amazing packet of anecdotes.

5 people found this helpful

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Mao Dom

Lovely book...

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2017

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This biography is less about either artist than it is about the relationships, Rodin and Rilke, Epson and Claudel, Rilke and Andreas-Salome, Rilke and Westhoff, Rilke and Becker.... All these artists feeding off each other make this a much richer story than a standard biography would be. Highly recommended.

6 people found this helpful

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D. pollex

If you love Rilke, you will love how his mentor saw ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2017

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If you love Rilke, you will love how his mentor saw the world, and how he had to incorporate and then let go of his master's knowing. But Rodin's way of seeing became Rilke way of poetry, and we are the better for it.

3 people found this helpful

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Don Riggs

The book is in mint condition and is a delight to read.

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019

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I am just two chapters into this account of the mentor-disciple relationship between Rodin and Rilke in the very first years of the twentieth century, and so far it is most illuminating. I have not yet gotten to the part where they meet, but so far so good.

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Sinead Kavanagh

Stunning

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2017

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Lyrical and expansive, this book tells an extraordinary story in a thoroughly captivating way. The depth of research and insight is breath-taking, it is a true achievement. I was sorry to come to the end of this stunning book.

4 people found this helpful

Caroline

Great!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2017

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Well-written, extremely interesting, and follows a good pace. All in all, I would definitely recommend it !

2 people found this helpful

Mr. S.

Lou von Salome anyone?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2018

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Started yesterday and hooked

2 people found this helpful

Guy Millar

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2017

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A well written and fascinating read

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Great book, arrived on time

Reviewed in Germany on October 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

Light, good for carrying in beg. Ihave not finished reading yet, but something Rilke's fans should not miss. Fully recommended.

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