Letters to a Young Poet (Dover Literature: Poetry)

So beautiful. Great for any art-creatrix to enjoy!

This collection of letters written by Rainer Rilke should be given to young students in every educational institute in the world as material to help shape their own consciousness. It is a short (around 43 pages long), yet extremely meaningful and enlightening piece of work that features nearly no filler material due to its length. As the these were originally letters written by Rilke in response to a friend, Franz Kappus, who was on the road to a life in the military, they are direct in subject matter and act as if Rilke is speaking directly to you, rather than Kappus. The beauty of this is that the letters were written over 110 years ago, yet when you read them now they are written in such a timeless way that they could have been written at any point in history.The letters struck a cord in me quite promptly as I started reading them, and effectively finished the book in one sitting - fully engrossed in Rilke's writing. Rilke discusses many matters with Kappus, firstly stating how, when creating art, it needs to come from your innermost being: "go into yourself and see how deep the place is which your life flows; at its source you will find the answer to the question of whether or not you must create"Rilke continues to discuss love, how meaningless criticism is from outside sources are on art you have put your soul into to create, the importance of solitude, and how important it is to not get involved in questioning life constantly, as it will always answer your question in time. I'll end this review with a quote from the book that is conclusive and leaves you with an incentive to read this wonderful work!"I want to add just one more bit of advice: to keep growing, silently and earnestly, through your whole development; you couldn't disturb it any more violently than by looking outside and waiting for outside answers to questions that only your innermost feeling, in your quietest hour, can perhaps answer."

This is a short collection of inspiring letters from the poet Rainer Maria Rilke to a young fan and aspiring poet. The letters were written between February 1903 and December 1908, as Rilke moved around Europe. The advice and Rilke gives the young man is inspiring in itself, but what is most moving is the passion with which Rilke writes. This book should be required reading for anyone entering any creative field, writing or otherwise, because Rilke's greatest piece of advice--to create something that comes from inside you and is for you, not something you think someone else will like or will want to buy--is the best artistic advice one can give.

It seems to me a bit awkward and out of place to either rate this book or review it. There is no such thing as "a ranking" over such work. RMR has a talent some will see and others will not. His talent is to plainly materialize into words the deepest questions and interests one may manifest over existence. The ideas and principles he expresses in these 10 letters to Mr. Kappus (the "young poet") may serve as a reference for anyone who has ever thought why we are here and what is there to do because of it. Again, some will see the point, others will find it void. What I like about RMR is that -as a writer- he touches philosophy, psychology, literature, and poetry without any particular body of study, except his own intuition and inner voice. If we could all be in contact with our inner self to that extent, we may even decide according to our best.

Insightful, deep, and powerful. I have returned to it again and again, and depending upon where I am in my life, there is always something different that resonates with me. Can't recommend it highly enough. If you're even considering the purchase of this book and you've somehow made your way to reviews of it, you should absolutely get it. This is a book that I've probably given out a dozen copies of. If cost is a factor, I believe there is a Kindle version for 99 cents, and although there are a couple of typos in it, it's mostly on the mark. If you really love it, you can look into the Stephen Mitchell translation and see what he did with it. Certain phrasings in the different versions feel 'more perfect' to me. I'd give it a million stars if I could.

I got this book for my niece who is in college, it has a great perspective on how to consider life options .

Tbh i bought because a celebrity said i should but i wasnt let down. I loved it

I am no intellectual, and stumbled upon this book through a ladies' magazine article asking celebs what they were reading. Elizabeth Shue, whose talent I really enjoy, mentioned Letters to a Young Poet. The book is for the open-minded and the big- hearted, teachable few that possess the intellectual chops to parse and absorb the beauty of Rilke's words and insight. It is both a comfort and an inspiration. I LOVE this book. Buy it, and share some time with it, and yourself.