In 1902, a nineteen-year-old aspiring poet named
Franz Kappus wrote to Rilke, then twenty-six, seeking
advice on his poetry. Kappus, a student at a military
academy in Vienna similar to the one Rilke had attended,
was about to embark on a career as an officer, for which
he had little inclination. Touched by the innocence and
forthrightness of the student, Rilke responded to
Kappus' letter and began an intermittent correspondence
that would last until 1908. Letters to a Young Poet
collects the ten letters that Rilke wrote to Kappus. A
book often encountered in adolescence, it speaks
directly to the young. Rilke offers unguarded thoughts
on such diverse subjects as creativity, solitude,
self-reliance, living with uncertainty, the shallowness
of irony, the uselessness of criticism, career choices,
sex, love, God, and art. Letters to a Young Poet is,
finally, a life manual. Art, Rilke tells the young poet
in his final letter to him, is only another way of
living. With the same artistry that marks his widely
acclaimed translations of Kafka's The Castle and
Amerika: The Missing Person, Mark Harman captures the
lyrical and spiritual dimensions of Rilke's prose. In
his introduction, he provides biographical contexts for
the reader and discusses the challenges of translating
Rilke. This lovely hardcover edition makes a perfect
gift for any young person starting out in life or for
those interested in finding a clear articulation of
Rilke's thoughts on life and art.
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