In 1903, a young soldier and aspiring poet wrote to Rainer Maria Rilke asking for his opinion of some poems the young man had written. Rilke responded with a kindness and sympathy that sparked a five-year correspondence. Between 1903 and 1908, Rilke wrote ten letters to the young man, giving guidance and advice about life, love, and poetry. My edition also contains a short biographical sketch of Rilke’s life, which shows Rilke’s personal struggles and occupations at the time he was writing the letters.

Honestly, I wasn’t terribly impressed by these letters. Rilke writes beautifully, no question; there are some lovely turns of phrase and ideas to be found in the book. At the same time, though, I don’t think he actually says very much. There are only ten letters in all, and he mostly returns to the same few themes over and over again: the importance of solitude for an artist, the goodness of the difficult path, the return to nature. In my opinion, his style is too poetic and artsy; I didn’t know what he was talking about half the time, and frankly I’m not sure that he did either. Maybe it’s because I’ve never read anything else by Rilke, so I couldn’t put his letters into the context of his poetry and other work. Maybe I was reading it so quickly that I didn’t take enough time to appreciate it. Maybe I just didn’t get it! Whatever the reason, Letters to a Young Poet just wasn’t my cup of tea.

It's amazing that someone can write letters on the fly (were they edited at all?) and have them be an almost flawless mixture of essays and poetry, philosophy and personal experience. I can only wish it was longer. ( )

Ten letters written between 1903 and 1908 to Franz Xaver Kappus, an aspiring poet writing to Rilke for advice. Rilke wrote the letters from Paris, Viareggio (near Pisa, Italy, and near where Shelley drowned), Rome, and Sweden. Much if not all of the collected letters discuss the creative process and the writing life. They were written (as the editor's supplementary biographical "chronicle" illustrates) during a time when Rilke was reflecting on his own unproductive spells. Rilke arguably wrote the letters more to himself and to the eternity of future writers as a kind of "credo" than to his particular correspondent, so for those seeking to understand Rilke the exclusion of Kappus' letters is probably inconsequential. Topics include: the creative process, irony, the poet's proper indifference to criticism and even feedback, sex (and its closeness to artistic experience), solitude, God, difficulty ("we must always hold to the difficult"), love (loving rightly and wrongly), the difference between the sexes, the future, convention and the poet's anti-conventionalism, repetition, emotions and doubt.

"This, above all, ask yourself in the stillest hour of the night: must I write? Delve deep into yourself. And if this should be affirmative, if you may meet this question witha strong and simple 'I must' then build your lfie according to this necessity; your life even into its most indifferent and slightest hour must be a sign of this urge and a testimony to it."

The book can be read in a day, and should be read by every aspiring writer in a very quiet place, in solitude. Very German. ( )

Beautiful, poignant prose and advice. "Heavy" and "depressing" at times. I would have liked to see Mr. Kappus' letters to Rilke included in the collection, but, nevertheless, it has some great advice for all types of writers. ( )

Rilke gives practical advice and hard-won lessons to a young acolyte. A great gift for young or aspiring writers... ( )