I read letters to a young poet after finding your talk on him .. it’s a book for everyone to read - You have amassed a huge body literature Of which I have become your student I am so grateful to have stumbled upon your channel .. Really good work emmie.
I first found Rilke, funny enough, in the caption of an instagram post. His words resonated and his ideas were fascinating, especially, like you said, the syntax and the imagery. Thank you for producing this video. I have been meaning to get into Rilke for a long time and unsure of where to begin. He, just like he is for you, is one of my favorite poets.
First time I heard about Rainer Maria Rilke was on a French-German TV chanbel Arte with a documentary on his life and poetry He encourages me to leatn mire German Great video ❤
A great achievement, Emmie: congratulations! To summarise such a body of work, in such a concise way, really compels one’s admiration. I first discovered Rilke maybe 20 years ago, and was very drawn to his work. But, at the same time, it was like opening a furnace door which, in the end, I had to close. His intensity almost seemed to blot out any and all other poetry. Now, an older self, I can look back and see the experience in context. I was brought to your video recently by a number of You Tube treatments of a few single poems. I no longer feel the heat of the furnace, but am one with it.
Never have before known the name, came across 'letters to a young poet' in a shabby local thift shop. Rows upon rows of books collected dust for nobody, because nobody wanted these books but yet it took me minutes to come across a book printed in 1953 with the roughest of edges. It wouldn't have mattered which page I read, because each one, much like the whole of the letters were too priceless to ever put back down. To think I only paid 50 cents for a book 15 years ago that I read to my daughter at bedtime today. Will she ever see these words like I do?? I cannot say...we will all live, one day, into all of life's answers.
i was reading the time travlers wife and there was a quote from the duino elegies that really stuck with me so i bought the full translation as long as sonnets to orpheus, im currently reading letters to a young poet and rilkes been with me ever since
There's a film called 'Salome'. I saw it, because I have an interest in the time period and the Philosophical works of that time. He plays a part in it. I know German, so I will give him a chance now.
I found Rilke in a poem called "a mountain dew commercial disguised as a love poem" on the Ours poetica UA-cam channel. It made me curious and here I am!
Emma, In you, Rilke lives. If he had known that almost one hundred years after his death someone would speak about his words and letters and poems with such sincerity and devotion, any doubts he may have had about being remembered, would have disappeared for him.
I first encountered Rilke in the film Jojo Rabbit. It ends with the quotation "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final." From then, i became interested to his poetry. But the problem is i don't even know where to start, so thank you so much for this.
Thank you for that incredible quote. I've just sent it to my girlfriend who I've fallen out with. If that doesn't work nothing will. And I'll throw in the towel and move on....
I was introduced to Rilke by a poet who was a painful experience in my life. Yet, being introduced to him was the best thing ever happened to me. I was preparing for medical school test back then, and reading Rilke and trying to write like him was my guilty pleasure. I had caged myself in loneliness, and succumbed to depression that gets the best of isolation. Yet, in his poetry, what resonated to me the most was the way he cajoles this loneliness and then tames it, as if petting it, wiping the tears, and telling a sweet joke to make the person smile. It was beautiful. I felt like I had a companion. I started feeling passionately for his idea of life, how it was so important for me to imbibe. I changed drastically. I opted for Literature later (intentionally failed my medical school tests) and this year I submitted the thesis titled: Solitude and Self-discovery in the Selected Works of Rainer Maria Rilke: Reenvision of Gen Z's Emotional Needs. I recognized myself as someone inclined to write about loss, suffering, and loneliness in a way that was pessimistic. How would that ever resonate with a reader who is depressed! And so, I changed the way I wrote about loss, suffering, and loneliness. I wish there was a Rilke fan's club, because those who have read him deeply know how special he was. It almost makes me cry :')
Since I live in Germany the first time I read Rilke was in school. I haven't read any of his works afterwards but now would like to rediscover him. So this video is really helpful even though I plan on reading his works in german.
Please do try. Somebody once defined poetry as that which is lost in translation. There are many good renderings of Poems by Rilke, but there is something that cannot be translated because it doesn’t exist in the English language - and that is “der hohe Ton”, a particularly elevated and solemn register and vocabulary that is the reserve of ‘hohe Dichtung’. I have translated prose text from and to English/ German and am very aware of the fact, that each translation is an interpretation. But when it is encounter between you and the original you meet the whole range of possible interpretations.
I love hearing you talk about Rilke. I haven’t read any of his work yet, but because of you I am planning to have an all Rilke readathon this summer. I would love if you would do individual videos talking more in depth (reading passages/quotes, talking through annotations, etc...) you are so passionate about his work and I know you would have some amazing insights that I would LOVE to hear. I know you love talking about him so hopefully this will be something you want to do!! Thank you for all your amazing content.
Most of my life I thought Edgar Allan Poe's poetry was the the most sublime in all of the arts, then, I've read Fernando Pessoa and my mind has been changed, but few months ago, I stumbled upon the Duino Elegies and I can't explain what has happened to me. I am still under such strong influence for which I can't find words to explain. His elegies are beyond anything I've ever had the chance to read. I can't wait to get my hands on his other works. Thank you for this absolutely delightful video. It was such a pleasure listening to you speak about him, your history with his works and his works.
Even just daily life! Every time I read the Letters I find something new! I have given this book away more times than I can count to people I find languishing with life.
Thank you, I really loved this video! As an Austrian, I feel particularly strongly about him, and I first encountered one of his poems in a German class in high school. However, I only came to love him a little later when my English professor, who I think liked me for my love of literature and my interest in everything literary, gifted me with a book of Rilke's poetry. In it my professor had put a note saying that Rilke was his favourite poet and that he wanted to pass that book on to me so that I too could discover his words. Which I did, and I fell head over heels in love. :)
i literally love his poetry especially the ones about death. his poetry helped me a lot about the thing i’m not open :) and i really want to learn german for reading his poems in his own language. btw thank you for the video 🥺🖤
I would really appreciate that you make a video on introduction (?) to poetry cuz I really wanna start reading poetry but don't know where to start??? n I love ur content so much!!💜
i was first exposed to Rilke when i watched Wim Wenders' german movie "Wings of Desire" (much better by its German title, "the sky over Berlin" or "der Himmel über Berlin"
Omg I need this. I’m German and I’ve never really read Rilke because he is so over referenced here that it’s almost annoying (at least that’s my impression). But you’ve convinced me that I should take a closer look! Looking forward to learning where I will start.
Actually, you introduced me to Rilke. And for that ill be forever thankful. You mentioned it in one of your videos and I was interested enough to go look him up. and I stumbled upon one of his random pieces of poetry and I was like wow, it really did me bring to tears didn't it?
I'm from Germany and spent my early childhood in a street named after Rilke so I was introduced to him at a very young age. A little later I found a few of his books lying around at my dad's place and I remember being so excited about it and reading poems by him, not understanding a word but finding them so beautiful. I haven't read anything by him in years now but the way you always talk about him made me want to change that so I was overflowed with excitement when I saw the title of this video. I often find myself gravitating towards your channel when in search of comfort or a reminder of the beauty in every day things so thank you so much Emma♡^^
I discovered Rilke because of lady gaga and I am not even joking... especially in the beginning of her career she would always talk about him (she actually still does) and about how much he inspired her to write her songs.. since I am inspired by gaga herself I obviously wanted to know who were the people she was inspired by.
I found Rilke when researching before my interview for oxford university in England. I first found out about his poetry after watching the film “wings of desire” which I highly recommend as the director uses the theme of angels explored in Rilke’s Duino Elegies. It’s a real beautiful film set in West Berlin and it shines a light on the beauty of the everyday and makes me feel at peace and content with my life. Anyway thanks for the video I really enjoyed it! Also you remind me of the American version of ruby granger
I learned of Rilke through your videos. However, I watched JoJo Rabbit for the first time at the weekend and right at the end, his quote “Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” came up on the screen and I resonated with it so much. So a few days ago, I ordered Letters To A Young Poet because I honestly just felt like it was a sign and that I needed to learn more about him/his work. And now you have made this video, it feels like even more of a sign. I’m just at the very beginning of my journey with Rilke, but thank you Emma for your videos because I wouldn’t have discovered him without you and your videos.
6:53 this is a really old video and you might not even see this comment, I too discovered Rilke through the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I was 11 at the time and was a kid who was more into prose than poetry, Rilke to this day is the only poet that I never get tired of. His works make me want to learn German because I always wonder how much more nuanced his pieces might be in their original form.
Thanks so much for this. I am drawn to Rilke but when I try to read him it is so challenging! I am a pretty non-fiction guy so the abstraction of his writing is almost too much.
Great video! I've been reading Rilke for over twenty years now. I'd say he's most probably the greatest poet of the twentieth century. The only thing I haven't read from beginning to end is 'The Book of Hours', only because I've not gotten on with the translations I've looked at so far... but there's a newer Susan Ranson translation I'd like to get my hands on. It's hard to think of a favourite book, or collection... the letters are great, and the notebooks, 'Duino Elegies, Sonnets to Orpheus' (the last two obviously fairly predictable recommendations! but I didn't look into the translation you're referring to at the end of this video. I'll probably get my hands on that). I first read Rilke while travelling in India in 1999, and if I remember correctly, I bought an English paperback of the 'Selected Poems' in the Mitchell translation. I remember juggling Patrick Olivelle's translation of 'The Upanisads' and that Mitchell translation while I was travelling, so Rilke has a weirdly oriental mood to him in my earliest memory of reading him (I have a picture of me reading Rilke next to the Ganges somewhere). My reading kind of had two distinct phases, since I simply spent years reading and re-reading the Mitchell 'Selected...', 'The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge' and 'Letters to a Young Poet'. Everything moved up a gear when I discovered the Edward Snow translations (I think I first heard of them through Denise Levertov's prose; another Rilkophile!) As for recommended books of Rilke's own poetry in English I'd emphasize certain translations, it's all in the person translating, so: 1/'The Poetry of Rilke' translated by Edward Snow (incl. all the 'greatest hits') 2/'Uncollected Poems' translated by Edward Snow (some of them are as good, or even better, than his more well known poems) 3/'Selected Poetry' translated by Susan Ranson (the biggest draw for me was a wonderful translation of a poem Rilke wrote after visiting the monuments at Karnak, Egypt not available in other selections... BUT it is also probably a more compact intro for all the phases of Rilke than the Snow translation). ...but I'd agree with you. The prose is a good intro; either 'Letters to a Young Poet' or the two volumes published in Norton. I think the 'The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge' is great, but yes, not a good intro maybe. Those who like the letters will also enjoy 'Letters Summer 1926', a compilation of a three way communication between Rilke, Tsvetaeva and Pasternak. But there ARE connections to other poets, in terms of style or tone... not least Wallace Stevens! Those who've read and enjoyed Rilke without dipping into Stevens have also got a whole other new world of inspiration available to them hehe. Also - going back in time - there's Holderlin (who Rilke himself loved). In Rilke's own time (late 19th century/early twentieth century) you also have the Irish mystic poet A.E/George William Russell, the Italian poet Dino Campana, and the Belgian poet Emile Verhaeren. Pasternak's 'My Sister - Life' and certain books by Marina Tsvetaeva could be termed as 'in the shadow of Rilke'. Hart Crane also, but less so... (although Crane is still of the late-romantic school, in some fashion). And later on, Denise Levertov is also in the school of Rilke, to some degree (particularly her late poems written 80s - 90s). For biography, I've read a few but Prater's 'A Ringing Glass' is perhaps a pretty good way to start reading about his life. Oh, and if you like Rilke you will most probably like the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, particularly 'Mirror' and 'Nostalgia' (his father, the Russian poet Arseny Tarkovsky, wrote in a not un-Rilkean vein, and the father's poetry is used in some of those films).
I'm German, so I first encountered Rilke in school. I still don't understand Rilke at all and I've struggled with poetry my whole life. But recently a friend of mine has begun shareing her poetry with me and I have begun to feel and write poetry. Still I do not understand most poems and especially Rilke is quite enigmatic to me, but I'm so very glad that translators worked very hard to bring different people, more poetic then me, Rilkes words.
I learned of Rilke through you and your videos, Emma. 😊 I came across your channel a few months ago. I took your suggestion and picked up a copy of "Letters to a Young Poet". I really enjoyed it and look forward to diving deeper into his works. Thank you for making your content... and thank you for being you.
I believe the duino elegies were mainly inspired by the late string quartets of Beethoven. The final five. Especially the 15th quartet in A minor, opus 132, and the monumental, sublime beyond description, third movement andante, "heliger dankgesang" (holy thanksgiving) It has been described as the most heartbreakingly beautiful piece of music ever written. The most sublime. Do have a listen. Mindblowing, to say the least. At times, it is very difficult to believe what one is hearing. As it is so otherworldly and perfect.......life changing, in fact....
There's a quote of Rilke, just before the credits of Jojo Rabbit. It struck me as profound and meaningful. I became immediately interested in Rilke, did a bit of research on him and ended up finding this (very good and useful) video. You've definitely made me even more excited and interested in his work! So I texted my uncle, fortunately he has some of his books, Letters to a Young Poet included. Went to his house , picked it up, and now its here with me! Just started reading it and I can already feel its going to be a favorite. All of this happened today. Thanks for the help Emma :)
It's so interesting to know that Rilke's works also translate well into english and how they're translated (altho I guess if we can translate Shakespeare into German why wouldn't we able to translate german poems into english). I haven't really read much of Rilke aside from what I had to read in school (I'm from Austria) but I've been playing with picking up some of his collections that my mom owns for a while (she studied german literature so she has a lot). Honestly, aside from school one of the ways I mostly got in contact with him was via my interest of Lou Andreas Salome who also is such an interesting character and writer living at that time.
In 2011 I traveled to a small village in southern England called Bruton where I helped a woman renovate her kitchen. I stayed in a shed in her backyard that she had converted to a cozy little hut. She was a bit of a mystic; scatterbrained and cosmic. I stayed there for about a week and on my departure she handed me a book. Of course at the time I thought 'yeah like I'm gonna read some random book I've never heard of.' Luckily I kept it with me on my way through many other countries and it eventually landed on my shelf at home. It wasn't until about 3 years later that I picked the book up out of curiosity. And to my amazement I was captured by it. I'd never heard anyone pour over the warm mysterious beauty of life the way Rilke does. Especially with such gentle fatalism. It's like he is writing in angst with how alive he feels. His sentences are deeply visceral, like he has laid his body out and let his soul permeate the entire horizon; to count and measure it and then let go. Just as you said here Emma, for me as well, there is a stark contrast to the person I was before I read Rilke and the person I am today with Rilke in my life. While I'm here I have to mention Stephen Mitchell. Have you read his Rilke translations? If you haven't, you must! I promise you will leave all the others behind. Thank you for the video Emma. All your shared thoughts and feelings are much appreciated.
oh, wow! fancy coming across your comment. how Rilke happened to me is different - over the last few years, i am discovering my writing is where i am my most authentic self, that is where i have the most to offer. i was asking the Universe for guidance if writing is, indeed my path. happened to come across Rilke's writing for the first time just a couple weeks ago on Goodreads quotes. i couldn't stop myself once i felt his words resonate somewhere within me i'd only felt in the deepest stillness. his words in "letters to a young poet" - not just his words, but the heart they flowed from, the loneliness they talk of - i swear they flowed from my own heart, from my own solitude. stephen mitchell - he is an institution unto himself. Tao te Ching - his is the only version, and i've read it over and over innumerable times. letters to a young poet, too, stephen mitchell's is the one. you don't come away from Rilke's words without some of him in your soul. i know i don't.
I first read Rilke in high school. I went to an arts school for high school and took a class called Art in Society, and we had a whole unit on Letters to a Young Poet. We studied different poems of his, and I remember printing out about 50 pages of poems by him to take to class because I loved them so much. That love has not faded! I'm reading Letters a Young Poet again and it's so so wonderful.
You talk about Rilke so beautifully that I feel like I've fallen in love with him without even reading any of his works...I really really wanna get into his writing now ♥
i discovered Rilke today from an Insta story Namjoon of BTS shared of the book "Letters to a young poet". I am almost finished with the book and cannot wait to read more of his works!
I found myself in Carson McCuller's writing in a way I think you did Rilke, about eight years ago. I just finished her complete works yesterday, and feel a bit sad. I'd suggest you take your time with his work, or put just one of Rilke's books aside until you're much older, as once you finish all of his work you'll never be able to see it all 'anew', with 'fresh eyes', again! I've ordered Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus last week to pick up at my library tomorrow, after I read Letters to a Young Poet last year for inspiration in trying to make poetry. Did you ever read Just Kids by Patti Smith - I'd highly recommend it because I think it kicks in quite the same way as does Letters to a Young Poet.
I heard about Rilke through the singer Warren Zevon. The doctors gave him only a few months to live after he was diagnosed with cancer and in his final days he once said that he recites the poem "Autumn day" whenever he felt sorry for himself
Oh this is such a beautiful poem, a good one to start with. Other poems for Rilke beginners are “ Die Blätter fallen... “Der Panther “ and the Collection “Das Stundenbuch” early poems not quite at the height of Poems to Orpheus or the unsurpassed “ Duino Elegies”
this couldn't have come at a better time! just when i was wondering where to start and just having ordered letters to a young poet! thank you for this and for all your other recommendations the way you talk about these books make me want to read them so badly
God speaks to each of us, then walks with us silently out of the night. These are the words we dimly hear: You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me. Flare up like a flame and make big shadows I can move in. Let everything happened to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don’t let yourself lose me. Nearby is the country they call life. You will know it by its seriousness. Give me your hand. Rilke - Book of Hours, 1 59 This verse was my first visit with Rilke. I often go on retreat in North Wales, UK to a Jesuit spirituality centre called, St Beuno’s. It’s the most beautiful place. This is the verse inside the little welcome card placed in every bedroom. Beauty within beauty, surrounded by silence and prayer. Perfect! ❤ Thank you, Emma x Sharon xx UK
Rilke is very special. Hmm....he follows along well with the transcendentalists of the 19th century (H.D. Thoreau and R.W. Emerson) I first initially discovered Rainer Maria Rilke looking up quotes about dragons and soon discovered the masterpiece 'letters to a young poet', where I felt... humbled for the first time in ages. This brilliant man from the turn of the century was giving me a talking-to in a way that reached me. I 'felt' him through his words, and immediately understood that he knew. Rilke understood. He is the poet's poet. The wandering muse to ignite the vestiges of fire within!
Growing up in Germany with a poetryloving mum, I have loved the poem "Herbsttag" my whole life. Today, while thrifting, I came across a book with his poems and brought it home. Thank you for this video, it was a pleasure to watch! So much knowledge and such devotion...! Out of impulse I looked up a few English translations of Herbsttag and found them disappointing. All seemed to be lacking the striking beauty of the original. Maybe a reason to learn German for Rilke lovers :-)
Emma- simply amazing. Your passion transcends and I find myself immensely inspired as the day I discovered Rainer for myself. I was bartending in Washing ton DC in my early 20's. I met a show girl...lol..I met an actress staring in a a famous Broadway musical during a sold our run at Fords Theater. Yes THE Fords Theater where Lincoln was assassinated. In fact the bar I worked out was next door to the house where Lincoln died. My bar was a boarding house in lat 1870's- the gentleman that scribed the final scene lived in the room where the bar was located. This is the same room I met my friend who would one day tell me to read "Love and other Difficulties". She went on to become Andrew Lloyd Webber's choreographer for Whistle Down The Wind which premiered at the National Theatre in DC. My friend secured 2 seats for me on opening night. Strangely, the seat next to us was empty. Halfway through the first act an older gentlemen sat in the empty seat adjacent to me and my friend. In less than 10 minutes he was gone. It was ALW. Later that nigh at a cast party, I told my friend I was moving to Boulder but had major reservations. She handed me Rainer's book and said "go find your solitude". 25 years later I'm still too young to completely understand but welcome every day to try and learn... But I like you who still have more of his works to explore, I wait patiently to love and savor the next unread page, unread line, and unread word yet to be uncovered and experienced. " You who never arrived in my arms, Beloved, who were lost from the start, I don't even know what songs would please you."
I think the first time i read Rilke i took the duino elegies from the uni library almost exclusively because the cover was pretty. I started reading it at night expecting very little and the first four verses were so beautiful they completely changed my life and the chemistry of my brain. Years later I feel that he started in me a change that I could have never done by myself but needed, and I am such a better, happier person for it. My entire understanding of God, beauty, gender and art rest on the ideas that he made me find in myself. I actually came to Austria in erasmus to read him in german! Love Rilke. And love your videos!!
I recorded a video in which I read my favourite letter written by Rilke on my channel, you might want to check it out 🌻 I will add your video to my watch list to take my time to listen to it! But you seem soo captivated and fascinated by his words and that is beautiful to see!
Thank you for this video!! Years ago I was captivated by a series of quotes on Tumblr that turned out to be my first introduction to Rilke. I am first reading Letters to a Young Poet now and it's astounding. I only wish I read it earlier in life. I'll definitely have to purchase more of his works soon.
I've just discovered your channel and am really excited to watch this vid, but need to write out this comment while it's on my mind! Have you come across William H. Gass' writings on Rilke? He provides so many insights into what made Rilke the poet he became: for example, his time spent in Paris with Rodin. Rodin's shimmering, broken-surfaced sculptures, where every inch reflected light and seemed alive, inspired a similar animism in Rilke's works. Just as every inch of Rodin's sculptures seemed living, Rilke wanted every word in his lines to have seemingly _chosen_ , like a living thing, to inhabit the textual land he was creating. There's an interview in a podcast I think you'd enjoy, KCRW's Bookworm, where Gass elaborates on this point and more about Rilke. I know that as an unknown UA-cam commenter, it's kind of presumptuous of me to recommend you something. But as a co-English major (now graduated) and lover of Rilke, I can't help it! Haha.
The poet and friend of the family Cor Jellema translated Rilke into Dutch. He was a university lecturer in German. As a dealer in art & manuscripts, I sold a handwritten French poem by Rilke and several of his letters. The poem was actually written in muzot, which made the item extra special…
There is a lesser known part about Rilke: He was, at least for a certain time, in favour of fascism. In the 1920s, he wrote letters to A. G. Scotti, advocating in favour of Mussolini and Italian fascism and even proposing that liberty should be taken away temporarily, that dictatorship can be better than democracy. I am still fond of his poetry. It comes down to the question whether art can be separated from the artist. With someone who has been dead so long, it might work. However, we must be aware what might have seeped into his works. Greetings
I just loved this video. We can understand your passion and how deep this author thouches you. I am deeply interested in reading his works. Would love more in depth videos about your favorite authors your passion is just so contagious 💜
Sorry to hear of his "philosophy that rejected Christian precepts", and push back against the idea that Christianity does not satisfyingly "reconcile beauty and suffering, life and death". Nothing personal, but ironically for me it is the monistic (&/or pantheistic) view you seem to be articulating - about the melted coin - that holds no true comfort, hope, or meaning. You call it beautiful, but why should we even desire beauty ... when it and ugliness are essentially united in The One? I think that's false -- which is not part of the same melted pool as truth. :)
For many years I collected Rilke books. I have a rare book of letters to princess Maria. The notebooks of Malti Reading that is like a paragraph is a lifetime... It's the most challenging book to try to focus and not let your mind wander... Rilke will take you to these places...
I just finished watching Jojo Rabbit, it ended with : "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final". Later on I decided to look him up on Good Reads, You Tube, etc. And apparently one of his poems was in The Awakening which I watched yesterday. I'm taking this as a sign to start reading him, thank you for this video
I am German and read Rilke for the first time in 4th grade, where we covered "the panther" in school. It had such a big influence on me at that time that I could never forget about him
Well Emmie...having just listened to your explanation of Rilke...I have just ordered Letters to a Young Poet. I am Irish but I speak fluent German...I will start with this and then maybe move to German...He was always on my list but you have just moved him to the top...Take care...John
I read Rilke during my Master's as part of my Modernist Poetry class. Have carried him with me in my heart since then. Ibwas over the moon when I found that Rilke stayed in Locarno, Switzerland for a while, because I was born there. But yes. Rilke is one of my favourite poets. And I don't see that ever changing. :) ❤️
Loving your videos , Emma.I am a huge Rilke fan as well and I have read "letters to a young poet" ," the dark interval" and the "book of hours"before.All were excellent reads.I want to purchase more of his books and would like to know whether I should read "stories of god" or "book of images" next and why?What subjects does Rilke adress in the book of images?Wishing you all the best for the future.
I first heard about Rilke through the book Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel. It's a great book about the women of the NYC art scene of the 1940s and 1950s.
The first time i ever heard of Rilke was by Stefan Sweig in his memoir ''The World of Yesterday'' wich is an incredible book and he quickly became my favorite author
I first encountered Rilke with the line "Strange, though, alas! are the streets of the city of pain," from the Duino Elegies, which was used as a chapter epigraph in one of the books of David Zindell (either Neverness or one of the Requiem for Homo Sapiens books).
I don’t know when I got it but I have a book of his selected poems with german script. I first began reading it in snippets a year ago. I’ve fallen in love with his words, his emotions. His work is bittersweet to me; it makes me so sad in the best way. Thank you for making this video, ive purchased more of his work since then.
I am 58. When I was about 28, I came across a copy of Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" after which, I read everything I could get my hands on. Still do.
I don't remember why, but I first read rilke letters right after reading Hermann Hesse Demian, and they both had a huge impact on me. They became very close to my heart. Thank you for this awesome video!
Rilke was recommended by a theologian I admire, Richard Rohr. After read a couple of his popular poems, I immediately ordered three of his books. Very much looking forward to sinking into them this weekend! :) thank you for sharing and your passion!
Damn I also found Rilke because of the young fantasy novel "Shiver". My middle school gf was reading it, and I got the audiobook so I could talk to her about it. My favorite Rilke work is Duino Elegies.
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You should consider starting a podcast! Your voice is so soothing 🥺
i would 100% listen to her podcasts
yes!
she should make audiobooks hahah, i'd love listening to them
I was just about to comment this haha
I would absolutely love a podcast!
You are one of Rilke's souls!
I can't stop smiling while watching this❤️
I couldn't stop crying 🥺
I read
letters to a young poet after finding your talk on him ..
it’s a book for everyone to read -
You have amassed a huge body literature Of which I have become your student
I am so grateful to have stumbled upon your channel ..
Really good work emmie.
I first found Rilke, funny enough, in the caption of an instagram post. His words resonated and his ideas were fascinating, especially, like you said, the syntax and the imagery.
Thank you for producing this video. I have been meaning to get into Rilke for a long time and unsure of where to begin. He, just like he is for you, is one of my favorite poets.
First time I heard about Rainer Maria Rilke was on a French-German TV chanbel Arte with a documentary on his life and poetry
He encourages me to leatn mire German
Great video ❤
A great achievement, Emmie: congratulations! To summarise such a body of work, in such a concise way, really compels one’s admiration. I first discovered Rilke maybe 20 years ago, and was very drawn to his work. But, at the same time, it was like opening a furnace door which, in the end, I had to close. His intensity almost seemed to blot out any and all other poetry. Now, an older self, I can look back and see the experience in context. I was brought to your video recently by a number of You Tube treatments of a few single poems. I no longer feel the heat of the furnace, but am one with it.
Thank you so much for this video! Can't wait to grab Letters to a young poet from my local library ❤️
Never have before known the name, came across 'letters to a young poet' in a shabby local thift shop. Rows upon rows of books collected dust for nobody, because nobody wanted these books but yet it took me minutes to come across a book printed in 1953 with the roughest of edges. It wouldn't have mattered which page I read, because each one, much like the whole of the letters were too priceless to ever put back down. To think I only paid 50 cents for a book 15 years ago that I read to my daughter at bedtime today. Will she ever see these words like I do?? I cannot say...we will all live, one day, into all of life's answers.
i was reading the time travlers wife and there was a quote from the duino elegies that really stuck with me so i bought the full translation as long as sonnets to orpheus, im currently reading letters to a young poet and rilkes been with me ever since
There's a film called 'Salome'. I saw it, because I have an interest in the time period and the Philosophical works of that time. He plays a part in it. I know German, so I will give him a chance now.
I found Rilke in a poem called "a mountain dew commercial disguised as a love poem" on the Ours poetica UA-cam channel. It made me curious and here I am!
I thought it was about the emo band
Emma, In you, Rilke lives. If he had known that almost one hundred years after his death someone would speak about his words and letters and poems with such sincerity and devotion, any doubts he may have had about being remembered, would have disappeared for him.
🥲🥲🥲
“The work of the eyes is done. Go now and do the heart-work on the images imprisoned within you.” - Rilke
Unbelievable, isn't it. Mind blowing. Couldn't possibly go any deeper. Thank you for the quote
In my everyday life, people don't talk about books it's not common at all
Finding this channel was like finding a missing part 😭💖
I hope you stay here life long so that yr heart never miss the missing piece of yr comfort🌹
I feel you! Watching booktube is like having so many bookish friends 😍
@@Viralsbookreviews thank you for your kind words, I hope that too 💖
@@sukki6052 yes TOTALLY, I think this is the best thing about UA-cam
i dont have lots of irls who love books as much as i do either! so booktube is such a great community
I first encountered Rilke in the film Jojo Rabbit. It ends with the quotation "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final."
From then, i became interested to his poetry. But the problem is i don't even know where to start, so thank you so much for this.
Thank you for that incredible quote. I've just sent it to my girlfriend who I've fallen out with. If that doesn't work nothing will. And I'll throw in the towel and move on....
I was about to comment the same thing! I can't wait to read his work.
@@nadeshkaholmes9511 me three
I was introduced to Rilke by a poet who was a painful experience in my life. Yet, being introduced to him was the best thing ever happened to me. I was preparing for medical school test back then, and reading Rilke and trying to write like him was my guilty pleasure. I had caged myself in loneliness, and succumbed to depression that gets the best of isolation. Yet, in his poetry, what resonated to me the most was the way he cajoles this loneliness and then tames it, as if petting it, wiping the tears, and telling a sweet joke to make the person smile. It was beautiful. I felt like I had a companion. I started feeling passionately for his idea of life, how it was so important for me to imbibe. I changed drastically. I opted for Literature later (intentionally failed my medical school tests) and this year I submitted the thesis titled: Solitude and Self-discovery in the Selected Works of Rainer Maria Rilke: Reenvision of Gen Z's Emotional Needs. I recognized myself as someone inclined to write about loss, suffering, and loneliness in a way that was pessimistic. How would that ever resonate with a reader who is depressed! And so, I changed the way I wrote about loss, suffering, and loneliness. I wish there was a Rilke fan's club, because those who have read him deeply know how special he was. It almost makes me cry :')
Since I live in Germany the first time I read Rilke was in school. I haven't read any of his works afterwards but now would like to rediscover him. So this video is really helpful even though I plan on reading his works in german.
Please do try. Somebody once defined poetry as that which is lost in translation. There are many good renderings
of Poems by Rilke, but there is something that cannot be translated because it doesn’t exist in the English language - and that is “der hohe Ton”, a particularly elevated and solemn register and vocabulary that is the reserve of ‘hohe Dichtung’. I have translated prose text from and to English/
German and am very aware of the fact, that each translation is an interpretation. But when it is encounter between you and the original you meet the whole range of possible interpretations.
I love hearing you talk about Rilke. I haven’t read any of his work yet, but because of you I am planning to have an all Rilke readathon this summer. I would love if you would do individual videos talking more in depth (reading passages/quotes, talking through annotations, etc...) you are so passionate about his work and I know you would have some amazing insights that I would LOVE to hear. I know you love talking about him so hopefully this will be something you want to do!! Thank you for all your amazing content.
Most of my life I thought Edgar Allan Poe's poetry was the the most sublime in all of the arts, then, I've read Fernando Pessoa and my mind has been changed, but few months ago, I stumbled upon the Duino Elegies and I can't explain what has happened to me. I am still under such strong influence for which I can't find words to explain. His elegies are beyond anything I've ever had the chance to read.
I can't wait to get my hands on his other works. Thank you for this absolutely delightful video. It was such a pleasure listening to you speak about him, your history with his works and his works.
I read Letters to a Young Poet on a recommendation from my acting teacher.
Hands down some of the best advice for any artists struggling out there.
Even just daily life! Every time I read the Letters I find something new! I have given this book away more times than I can count to people I find languishing with life.
Thank you, I really loved this video! As an Austrian, I feel particularly strongly about him, and I first encountered one of his poems in a German class in high school. However, I only came to love him a little later when my English professor, who I think liked me for my love of literature and my interest in everything literary, gifted me with a book of Rilke's poetry. In it my professor had put a note saying that Rilke was his favourite poet and that he wanted to pass that book on to me so that I too could discover his words. Which I did, and I fell head over heels in love. :)
thank you for making me cry reading this
I agree that it's extremely hard to explain why we love the things we love so thanks for doing this video!
Learned about him through the film “Only You” with Robert Downey Jr. and he has become my all time favorite.
i literally love his poetry especially the ones about death. his poetry helped me a lot about the thing i’m not open :) and i really want to learn german for reading his poems in his own language. btw thank you for the video 🥺🖤
After this video I ordered letters to a young poet and I just read the first letter and wow...thank you for introducing me to this man’s writing
I would really appreciate that you make a video on introduction (?) to poetry cuz I really wanna start reading poetry but don't know where to start??? n I love ur content so much!!💜
i was first exposed to Rilke when i watched Wim Wenders' german movie "Wings of Desire" (much better by its German title, "the sky over Berlin" or "der Himmel über Berlin"
Omg I need this. I’m German and I’ve never really read Rilke because he is so over referenced here that it’s almost annoying (at least that’s my impression). But you’ve convinced me that I should take a closer look! Looking forward to learning where I will start.
Actually, you introduced me to Rilke. And for that ill be forever thankful. You mentioned it in one of your videos and I was interested enough to go look him up. and I stumbled upon one of his random pieces of poetry and I was like wow, it really did me bring to tears didn't it?
Bless you for making this. I talked about Rilke with my students today. ❤️
I'm from Germany and spent my early childhood in a street named after Rilke so I was introduced to him at a very young age. A little later I found a few of his books lying around at my dad's place and I remember being so excited about it and reading poems by him, not understanding a word but finding them so beautiful. I haven't read anything by him in years now but the way you always talk about him made me want to change that so I was overflowed with excitement when I saw the title of this video. I often find myself gravitating towards your channel when in search of comfort or a reminder of the beauty in every day things so thank you so much Emma♡^^
I discovered Rilke because of lady gaga and I am not even joking... especially in the beginning of her career she would always talk about him (she actually still does) and about how much he inspired her to write her songs.. since I am inspired by gaga herself I obviously wanted to know who were the people she was inspired by.
Oddly enough I was introduced to Rilke by Adam Savage - the MythBuster 🙂
I found Rilke when researching before my interview for oxford university in England. I first found out about his poetry after watching the film “wings of desire” which I highly recommend as the director uses the theme of angels explored in Rilke’s Duino Elegies. It’s a real beautiful film set in West Berlin and it shines a light on the beauty of the everyday and makes me feel at peace and content with my life. Anyway thanks for the video I really enjoyed it! Also you remind me of the American version of ruby granger
Wings of Desire is exceptional.
I learned of Rilke through your videos. However, I watched JoJo Rabbit for the first time at the weekend and right at the end, his quote “Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” came up on the screen and I resonated with it so much. So a few days ago, I ordered Letters To A Young Poet because I honestly just felt like it was a sign and that I needed to learn more about him/his work. And now you have made this video, it feels like even more of a sign. I’m just at the very beginning of my journey with Rilke, but thank you Emma for your videos because I wouldn’t have discovered him without you and your videos.
6:53 this is a really old video and you might not even see this comment, I too discovered Rilke through the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I was 11 at the time and was a kid who was more into prose than poetry, Rilke to this day is the only poet that I never get tired of. His works make me want to learn German because I always wonder how much more nuanced his pieces might be in their original form.
Thank you for this ! I learned of Rilke from you and so grateful for you. Which translation of letters of a young poet would you recommend? Thank you!
a most enjoyable 35 minutes and 10 seconds...such a pleasure an evenness the world is in need of.
Thanks so much for this. I am drawn to Rilke but when I try to read him it is so challenging! I am a pretty non-fiction guy so the abstraction of his writing is almost too much.
very nice video Have you read the soul of Rumi by coleman barks
IM GOING TO LOOK THEESE UP
"You Who Never Arrived
" is the poem I love the most. I am just glad you love his poetry!
Great video! I've been reading Rilke for over twenty years now. I'd say he's most probably the greatest poet of the twentieth century. The only thing I haven't read from beginning to end is 'The Book of Hours', only because I've not gotten on with the translations I've looked at so far... but there's a newer Susan Ranson translation I'd like to get my hands on. It's hard to think of a favourite book, or collection... the letters are great, and the notebooks, 'Duino Elegies, Sonnets to Orpheus' (the last two obviously fairly predictable recommendations! but I didn't look into the translation you're referring to at the end of this video. I'll probably get my hands on that).
I first read Rilke while travelling in India in 1999, and if I remember correctly, I bought an English paperback of the 'Selected Poems' in the Mitchell translation. I remember juggling Patrick Olivelle's translation of 'The Upanisads' and that Mitchell translation while I was travelling, so Rilke has a weirdly oriental mood to him in my earliest memory of reading him (I have a picture of me reading Rilke next to the Ganges somewhere). My reading kind of had two distinct phases, since I simply spent years reading and re-reading the Mitchell 'Selected...', 'The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge' and 'Letters to a Young Poet'. Everything moved up a gear when I discovered the Edward Snow translations (I think I first heard of them through Denise Levertov's prose; another Rilkophile!)
As for recommended books of Rilke's own poetry in English I'd emphasize certain translations, it's all in the person translating, so:
1/'The Poetry of Rilke' translated by Edward Snow (incl. all the 'greatest hits')
2/'Uncollected Poems' translated by Edward Snow (some of them are as good, or even better, than his more well known poems)
3/'Selected Poetry' translated by Susan Ranson (the biggest draw for me was a wonderful translation of a poem Rilke wrote after visiting the monuments at Karnak, Egypt not available in other selections... BUT it is also probably a more compact intro for all the phases of Rilke than the Snow translation).
...but I'd agree with you. The prose is a good intro; either 'Letters to a Young Poet' or the two volumes published in Norton. I think the 'The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge' is great, but yes, not a good intro maybe. Those who like the letters will also enjoy 'Letters Summer 1926', a compilation of a three way communication between Rilke, Tsvetaeva and Pasternak.
But there ARE connections to other poets, in terms of style or tone... not least Wallace Stevens! Those who've read and enjoyed Rilke without dipping into Stevens have also got a whole other new world of inspiration available to them hehe.
Also - going back in time - there's Holderlin (who Rilke himself loved). In Rilke's own time (late 19th century/early twentieth century) you also have the Irish mystic poet A.E/George William Russell, the Italian poet Dino Campana, and the Belgian poet Emile Verhaeren. Pasternak's 'My Sister - Life' and certain books by Marina Tsvetaeva could be termed as 'in the shadow of Rilke'. Hart Crane also, but less so... (although Crane is still of the late-romantic school, in some fashion). And later on, Denise Levertov is also in the school of Rilke, to some degree (particularly her late poems written 80s - 90s).
For biography, I've read a few but Prater's 'A Ringing Glass' is perhaps a pretty good way to start reading about his life. Oh, and if you like Rilke you will most probably like the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, particularly 'Mirror' and 'Nostalgia' (his father, the Russian poet Arseny Tarkovsky, wrote in a not un-Rilkean vein, and the father's poetry is used in some of those films).
I'm German, so I first encountered Rilke in school. I still don't understand Rilke at all and I've struggled with poetry my whole life. But recently a friend of mine has begun shareing her poetry with me and I have begun to feel and write poetry. Still I do not understand most poems and especially Rilke is quite enigmatic to me, but I'm so very glad that translators worked very hard to bring different people, more poetic then me, Rilkes words.
I learned of Rilke through you and your videos, Emma. 😊 I came across your channel a few months ago. I took your suggestion and picked up a copy of "Letters to a Young Poet". I really enjoyed it and look forward to diving deeper into his works. Thank you for making your content... and thank you for being you.
I am so thrilled to see someone as young as you so taken with Rilke. I believe he is the greatest poet of all time.
I'm here early! I was binging your videos and came across this
I believe the duino elegies were mainly inspired by the late string quartets of Beethoven. The final five. Especially the 15th quartet in A minor, opus 132, and the monumental, sublime beyond description, third movement andante, "heliger dankgesang" (holy thanksgiving) It has been described as the most heartbreakingly beautiful piece of music ever written. The most sublime. Do have a listen. Mindblowing, to say the least. At times, it is very difficult to believe what one is hearing. As it is so otherworldly and perfect.......life changing, in fact....
Lady gaga has a quote from letters to a young poet tattooed on her arm. That's why I know him :)
There's a quote of Rilke, just before the credits of Jojo Rabbit. It struck me as profound and meaningful. I became immediately interested in Rilke, did a bit of research on him and ended up finding this (very good and useful) video. You've definitely made me even more excited and interested in his work! So I texted my uncle, fortunately he has some of his books, Letters to a Young Poet included. Went to his house , picked it up, and now its here with me! Just started reading it and I can already feel its going to be a favorite.
All of this happened today. Thanks for the help Emma :)
gaslight gatekeep rilke
I found Rilke through the music of Anton Webern; his music also introduced me to Georg Trakl and Stefan George :)
I finished reading Letters to a young poet like a week ago and I LOVED IT (it was my first Rilke) i am so exited to watch this video
also, YOU were the one who introduced him to me
It's so interesting to know that Rilke's works also translate well into english and how they're translated (altho I guess if we can translate Shakespeare into German why wouldn't we able to translate german poems into english). I haven't really read much of Rilke aside from what I had to read in school (I'm from Austria) but I've been playing with picking up some of his collections that my mom owns for a while (she studied german literature so she has a lot). Honestly, aside from school one of the ways I mostly got in contact with him was via my interest of Lou Andreas Salome who also is such an interesting character and writer living at that time.
Jojo Rabbit - this is the movie when I was introduced to him
In 2011 I traveled to a small village in southern England called Bruton where I helped a woman renovate her kitchen. I stayed in a shed in her backyard that she had converted to a cozy little hut. She was a bit of a mystic; scatterbrained and cosmic. I stayed there for about a week and on my departure she handed me a book. Of course at the time I thought 'yeah like I'm gonna read some random book I've never heard of.' Luckily I kept it with me on my way through many other countries and it eventually landed on my shelf at home. It wasn't until about 3 years later that I picked the book up out of curiosity. And to my amazement I was captured by it. I'd never heard anyone pour over the warm mysterious beauty of life the way Rilke does. Especially with such gentle fatalism. It's like he is writing in angst with how alive he feels. His sentences are deeply visceral, like he has laid his body out and let his soul permeate the entire horizon; to count and measure it and then let go.
Just as you said here Emma, for me as well, there is a stark contrast to the person I was before I read Rilke and the person I am today with Rilke in my life.
While I'm here I have to mention Stephen Mitchell. Have you read his Rilke translations? If you haven't, you must! I promise you will leave all the others behind.
Thank you for the video Emma. All your shared thoughts and feelings are much appreciated.
oh, wow! fancy coming across your comment.
how Rilke happened to me is different - over the last few years, i am discovering my writing is where i am my most authentic self, that is where i have the most to offer. i was asking the Universe for guidance if writing is, indeed my path.
happened to come across Rilke's writing for the first time just a couple weeks ago on Goodreads quotes. i couldn't stop myself once i felt his words resonate somewhere within me i'd only felt in the deepest stillness. his words in "letters to a young poet" - not just his words, but the heart they flowed from, the loneliness they talk of - i swear they flowed from my own heart, from my own solitude.
stephen mitchell - he is an institution unto himself. Tao te Ching - his is the only version, and i've read it over and over innumerable times. letters to a young poet, too, stephen mitchell's is the one.
you don't come away from Rilke's words without some of him in your soul. i know i don't.
I first read Rilke in high school. I went to an arts school for high school and took a class called Art in Society, and we had a whole unit on Letters to a Young Poet. We studied different poems of his, and I remember printing out about 50 pages of poems by him to take to class because I loved them so much. That love has not faded! I'm reading Letters a Young Poet again and it's so so wonderful.
You talk about Rilke so beautifully that I feel like I've fallen in love with him without even reading any of his works...I really really wanna get into his writing now ♥
i discovered Rilke today from an Insta story Namjoon of BTS shared of the book "Letters to a young poet". I am almost finished with the book and cannot wait to read more of his works!
I found myself in Carson McCuller's writing in a way I think you did Rilke, about eight years ago. I just finished her complete works yesterday, and feel a bit sad. I'd suggest you take your time with his work, or put just one of Rilke's books aside until you're much older, as once you finish all of his work you'll never be able to see it all 'anew', with 'fresh eyes', again! I've ordered Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus last week to pick up at my library tomorrow, after I read Letters to a Young Poet last year for inspiration in trying to make poetry. Did you ever read Just Kids by Patti Smith - I'd highly recommend it because I think it kicks in quite the same way as does Letters to a Young Poet.
I heard about Rilke through the singer Warren Zevon. The doctors gave him only a few months to live after he was diagnosed with cancer and in his final days he once said that he recites the poem "Autumn day" whenever he felt sorry for himself
Oh this is such a beautiful poem, a good one to start with. Other poems for Rilke beginners are “ Die Blätter fallen... “Der Panther “ and the Collection “Das Stundenbuch” early poems not quite at the height of Poems to Orpheus or the unsurpassed “ Duino Elegies”
ChatGPT recommended Rilke to me
Rilke got me thru a really bad break up😊
this couldn't have come at a better time! just when i was wondering where to start and just having ordered letters to a young poet! thank you for this and for all your other recommendations the way you talk about these books make me want to read them so badly
Could you please do the challenge “if i could only keep 30 books...” ?? Would love to know which books you would keep of your marvelous bookshelf!😍
I never clicked this fast
God speaks to each of us, then walks with us silently out of the night.
These are the words we dimly hear:
You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me.
Flare up like a flame and make big shadows I can move in.
Let everything happened to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going.
No feeling is final. Don’t let yourself lose me.
Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.
Give me your hand.
Rilke - Book of Hours, 1 59
This verse was my first visit with Rilke.
I often go on retreat in North Wales, UK to a Jesuit spirituality centre called, St Beuno’s. It’s the most beautiful place. This is the verse inside the little welcome card placed in every bedroom.
Beauty within beauty, surrounded by silence and prayer. Perfect! ❤
Thank you, Emma x
Sharon xx UK
Rilke is very special. Hmm....he follows along well with the transcendentalists of the 19th century (H.D. Thoreau and R.W. Emerson)
I first initially discovered Rainer Maria Rilke looking up quotes about dragons and soon discovered the masterpiece 'letters to a young poet', where I felt... humbled for the first time in ages. This brilliant man from the turn of the century was giving me a talking-to in a way that reached me. I 'felt' him through his words, and immediately understood that he knew.
Rilke understood. He is the poet's poet. The wandering muse to ignite the vestiges of fire within!
Every Angel Is Terrifying
Growing up in Germany with a poetryloving mum, I have loved the poem "Herbsttag" my whole life. Today, while thrifting, I came across a book with his poems and brought it home. Thank you for this video, it was a pleasure to watch! So much knowledge and such devotion...! Out of impulse I looked up a few English translations of Herbsttag and found them disappointing. All seemed to be lacking the striking beauty of the original. Maybe a reason to learn German for Rilke lovers :-)
Emma- simply amazing. Your passion transcends and I find myself immensely inspired as the day I discovered Rainer for myself. I was bartending in Washing ton DC in my early 20's. I met a show girl...lol..I met an actress staring in a a famous Broadway musical during a sold our run at Fords Theater. Yes THE Fords Theater where Lincoln was assassinated. In fact the bar I worked out was next door to the house where Lincoln died. My bar was a boarding house in lat 1870's- the gentleman that scribed the final scene lived in the room where the bar was located. This is the same room I met my friend who would one day tell me to read "Love and other Difficulties". She went on to become Andrew Lloyd Webber's choreographer for Whistle Down The Wind which premiered at the National Theatre in DC. My friend secured 2 seats for me on opening night. Strangely, the seat next to us was empty. Halfway through the first act an older gentlemen sat in the empty seat adjacent to me and my friend. In less than 10 minutes he was gone. It was ALW. Later that nigh at a cast party, I told my friend I was moving to Boulder but had major reservations. She handed me Rainer's book and said "go find your solitude". 25 years later I'm still too young to completely understand but welcome every day to try and learn... But I like you who still have more of his works to explore, I wait patiently to love and savor the next unread page, unread line, and unread word yet to be uncovered and experienced.
" You who never arrived
in my arms, Beloved, who were lost
from the start,
I don't even know what songs
would please you."
I think the first time i read Rilke i took the duino elegies from the uni library almost exclusively because the cover was pretty. I started reading it at night expecting very little and the first four verses were so beautiful they completely changed my life and the chemistry of my brain. Years later I feel that he started in me a change that I could have never done by myself but needed, and I am such a better, happier person for it. My entire understanding of God, beauty, gender and art rest on the ideas that he made me find in myself. I actually came to Austria in erasmus to read him in german! Love Rilke. And love your videos!!
Your authenticity and enthusiasm entices me to hear what you have to say.
I recorded a video in which I read my favourite letter written by Rilke on my channel, you might want to check it out 🌻
I will add your video to my watch list to take my time to listen to it! But you seem soo captivated and fascinated by his words and that is beautiful to see!
Thank you for this video!! Years ago I was captivated by a series of quotes on Tumblr that turned out to be my first introduction to Rilke. I am first reading Letters to a Young Poet now and it's astounding. I only wish I read it earlier in life. I'll definitely have to purchase more of his works soon.
I once had a freisan cow named rilke. She was so big I needed step ladders to milker. Please forgive me. Couldn't resist.
I've just discovered your channel and am really excited to watch this vid, but need to write out this comment while it's on my mind! Have you come across William H. Gass' writings on Rilke? He provides so many insights into what made Rilke the poet he became: for example, his time spent in Paris with Rodin. Rodin's shimmering, broken-surfaced sculptures, where every inch reflected light and seemed alive, inspired a similar animism in Rilke's works. Just as every inch of Rodin's sculptures seemed living, Rilke wanted every word in his lines to have seemingly _chosen_ , like a living thing, to inhabit the textual land he was creating.
There's an interview in a podcast I think you'd enjoy, KCRW's Bookworm, where Gass elaborates on this point and more about Rilke. I know that as an unknown UA-cam commenter, it's kind of presumptuous of me to recommend you something. But as a co-English major (now graduated) and lover of Rilke, I can't help it! Haha.
The poet and friend of the family Cor Jellema translated Rilke into Dutch. He was a university lecturer in German. As a dealer in art & manuscripts, I sold a handwritten French poem by Rilke and several of his letters. The poem was actually written in muzot, which made the item extra special…
There is a lesser known part about Rilke: He was, at least for a certain time, in favour of fascism. In the 1920s, he wrote letters to A. G. Scotti, advocating in favour of Mussolini and Italian fascism and even proposing that liberty should be taken away temporarily, that dictatorship can be better than democracy.
I am still fond of his poetry. It comes down to the question whether art can be separated from the artist. With someone who has been dead so long, it might work. However, we must be aware what might have seeped into his works.
Greetings
You have no idea what your talks on Rilke have done to my appreciation for poetry.
I just loved this video. We can understand your passion and how deep this author thouches you. I am deeply interested in reading his works. Would love more in depth videos about your favorite authors your passion is just so contagious 💜
Sorry to hear of his "philosophy that rejected Christian precepts", and push back against the idea that Christianity does not satisfyingly "reconcile beauty and suffering, life and death". Nothing personal, but ironically for me it is the monistic (&/or pantheistic) view you seem to be articulating - about the melted coin - that holds no true comfort, hope, or meaning. You call it beautiful, but why should we even desire beauty ... when it and ugliness are essentially united in The One? I think that's false -- which is not part of the same melted pool as truth. :)
For many years I collected Rilke books. I have a rare book of letters to princess Maria.
The notebooks of Malti Reading that is like a paragraph is a lifetime...
It's the most challenging book to try to focus and not let your mind wander... Rilke will take you to these places...
I just finished watching Jojo Rabbit, it ended with : "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final". Later on I decided to look him up on Good Reads, You Tube, etc. And apparently one of his poems was in The Awakening which I watched yesterday.
I'm taking this as a sign to start reading him, thank you for this video
I am German and read Rilke for the first time in 4th grade, where we covered "the panther" in school. It had such a big influence on me at that time that I could never forget about him
Well Emmie...having just listened to your explanation of Rilke...I have just ordered Letters to a Young Poet. I am Irish but I speak fluent German...I will start with this and then maybe move to German...He was always on my list but you have just moved him to the top...Take care...John
I read Rilke during my Master's as part of my Modernist Poetry class. Have carried him with me in my heart since then. Ibwas over the moon when I found that Rilke stayed in Locarno, Switzerland for a while, because I was born there. But yes. Rilke is one of my favourite poets. And I don't see that ever changing. :) ❤️
Loving your videos , Emma.I am a huge Rilke fan as well and I have read "letters to a young poet" ," the dark interval" and the "book of hours"before.All were excellent reads.I want to purchase more of his books and would like to know whether I should read "stories of god" or "book of images" next and why?What subjects does Rilke adress in the book of images?Wishing you all the best for the future.
Watching you become world is a true pleasure.
Which translation did she recommend? I remember she mentioned it during the video but I can't find it again!
I first heard about Rilke through the book Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel. It's a great book about the women of the NYC art scene of the 1940s and 1950s.
The first time i ever heard of Rilke was by Stefan Sweig in his memoir ''The World of Yesterday'' wich is an incredible book and he quickly became my favorite author
I first encountered Rilke with the line "Strange, though, alas! are the streets of the city of pain," from the Duino Elegies, which was used as a chapter epigraph in one of the books of David Zindell (either Neverness or one of the Requiem for Homo Sapiens books).
I don’t know when I got it but I have a book of his selected poems with german script. I first began reading it in snippets a year ago. I’ve fallen in love with his words, his emotions. His work is bittersweet to me; it makes me so sad in the best way. Thank you for making this video, ive purchased more of his work since then.
I am 58. When I was about 28, I came across a copy of Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" after which, I read everything I could get my hands on. Still do.
I don't remember why, but I first read rilke letters right after reading Hermann Hesse Demian, and they both had a huge impact on me. They became very close to my heart. Thank you for this awesome video!
I am confused by the pronunciation of his last name. I have heard "Row-ka," "Ril-key," and "Row-key."
Rilke was recommended by a theologian I admire, Richard Rohr. After read a couple of his popular poems, I immediately ordered three of his books. Very much looking forward to sinking into them this weekend! :) thank you for sharing and your passion!
Damn I also found Rilke because of the young fantasy novel "Shiver". My middle school gf was reading it, and I got the audiobook so I could talk to her about it.
My favorite Rilke work is Duino Elegies.