History Creator / RainerMariaRilke

Rainer Maria Rilke (full name: [[OverlyLongName Rene Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke]]) (December 4, 1875 - December 29, 1926) was an Austrian poet and novelist, and one of the most famous writers of German poetry (though he also wrote a good deal in French.)

From 1900 to 1902, Rilke lived in Worpswede, an arists' colony in eastern Germany, where he met Clara Westhoff, a sculptor. They married in 1901, and had a daughter, Ruth, who was born later that year. The couple lived apart most of the time, although they maintained a cordial relationship. Rilke relocated to Paris in 1902 to write about the {{sculptor|s}} Creator/AugusteRodin (and Clara, who studied with Rodin, joined him there). However, Rilke had conflicted feelings for Paris, and recounted some of these in the form of the novel ''The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge'', which he published in 1910.

From 1900 to 1902, Rilke lived in Worpswede, an arists' colony in eastern Germany, where he met Clara Westhoff, a sculptor. They married in 1901, and had a daughter, Ruth, who was born later that year. The couple lived apart most of the time, although they maintained a cordial relationship. Rilke relocated to Paris in 1902 to write about the sculptor Auguste Rodin (and Clara, who studied with Rodin, joined him there). However, Rilke had conflicted feelings for Paris, and recounted some of these in the form of the novel ''The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge'', which he published in 1910.

-> ''Every angel is terrifying. And yet, alas''\\
''I sing to you, almost fatal birds of the soul,'' \\
''knowing what you are.''

->''Art too is just a way of living.''
-->--''Letters to a Young Poet''

Rainer Maria Rilke (full name: [[OverlyLongName Rene Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke]]) (December 4, 1875 - December 29, 1926) was an Austrian poet, and one of the most famous writers of German poetry (though he also wrote a good deal in French.) He's also famous for a short collection of letters between him and a young poet who wrote to him for guidance (called ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Letters to a Young Poet]]'' that contains many meditations of poetry and the nature of poetry.

A prolific letter writer, many of his letters have been collected in several volumes.

'''Significant Works'''
* ''The Book of Hours'' (1899-1903)

* ''Letters to a Young Poet'' (1934)

* LostInTranslation: Can occur with Rilke's poems. There are many translations of his poems, especially of ''Duino Elegies'' and ''Sonnets to Orpheus,'' and the way the poems vary from translator to translator can make you wonder how much of Rilke's original intent is getting through.

* ReclusiveArtist: Was a big fan of having his own space. Not to the extent of other artists (like [[Literature/ToKillAMockingbird Harper Lee]] or J.D. Salinger) as he did exchange a lot (a lot) of correspondence with readers and contemporary artists.

* TakeThatCritics: Says in ''Letters to a Young Poet'':

* ReclusiveArtist: Was a big fan of having his own space. Not to the extent of other artists (like HarperLee or J.D. Salinger) as he did exchange a lot (a lot) of correspondence with readers and contemporary artists.

--->Read as little as possible of literary criticism - such things are either partisan opinions, which have become petrified and meaningless, hardened and empty of life, or else they are just clever word-games, in which one view wins today, and tomorrow the opposite view. Works of art are of an infinite solitude, and no means of approach is so useless as criticism.

* EmbarrassingMiddleName: ''Maria''
** That’s more of a ValuesDissonance case, as giving the middle name ‘Maria’ to boys is common practice in many Catholic countries.

Rainer Maria Rilke (full name: [[OverlyLongName Rene Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke]]) (1875 - 1926) was an Austrian poet, and one of the most famous writers of German poetry (though he also wrote a good deal in French.) He's also famous for a short collection of letters between him and a young poet who wrote to him for guidance (called ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Letters to a Young Poet]]'' that contains many meditations of poetry and the nature of poetry.

'''Rainer Maria Rilke''' (full name: [[OverlyLongName Rene Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke]]) (1875 - 1926) was an Austrian poet, and one of the most famous writers of German poetry (though he also wrote a good deal in French.) He's also famous for a short collection of letters between him and a young poet who wrote to him for guidance (called ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Letters to a Young Poet]]'' that contains many meditations of poetry and the nature of poetry.

Every angel is terrifying. And yet, alas\\
I sing to you, almost fatal birds of the soul, \\
knowing what you are.''

->''Every angel is terrifying. And yet, alas\\

Rainer Maria Rilke (full name: [[OverlyLongName Rene Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke]]) (1875 - 1926) was an Austrian poet, and one of the most famous writers of German poetry (though he also wrote a good deal in French.) He's also famous for a short collection of letters between him and a young poet who wrote to him for guidance (called ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Letters to a Young Poet]]'' that contains many meditations of poetry and the nature of poetry.

* ClassicalMythology: A lot of characters from Greek myth (Orpheus, Apollo, Hermes) wander through Rilke's poems.

--->Read as little as possible of literary criticism - such things are either partisan opinions, which have become petrified and menaingless, hardened and empty of life, or else they are just clever word-games, in which one view wins today, and tomorrow the opposite view. Works of art are of an infinite solitude, and no means of approach is so useless as criticism.

--> -Letters to a Young Poet