Literature / Poets Datebook: December 4
Brief biography and work of Rainer Maria Rilke, Czech-Austrian poet, novelist and writer, famous for Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Elegies.
Rainer Maria Rilke was an outstanding lyric poet, one of the most important figures in modern German literature. He belonged to the Symbolist movement, who used images to represent what a person felt or thought.
Early Life of Rainer Maria Rilke
Rilke was born on December 4, 1875, in Prague, at that time a part of the Austrian Empire, and now the capital of Czech Republic. He was sent to a military academy, but this was apparently not his interest. He left to study art history in Germany. He was rather shy, and did not make friends easily, not a sociable young man, and in times of social difficulties his response was to stay away.
The Wanderer: European Travels
Rilke became a constant wanderer through Europe. He made two journeys to Russia, where he met Leo Tolstoy and was deeply impressed by what he learned of Russian religion. However, he settled in Paris where he became secretary to the sculptor Auguste Rodin, and in 1901 he married one of the pupils of Rodin.
Writing Style
Rilke's work was highly influenced by his education and classic authors. Ancient gods Apollo, Hermes and Orpheus are found in his poems according to his lyrical interpretations. He also represented his work with metaphors.
Below, Rilke's 'On the Beauty and Difficulty of Solitude'. YouTube, uploaded by That you are here now. Accessed December 4, 2022. Solitude is a painful and beautiful thing. Rainer Maria Rilke thought so. In his 'Letters To A Young Poet', Rilke speaks of the beauty and difficulty of solitude - and its necessity in our lives.
Prose and Poetry
Rilke consecrated his life to poetry. His first book of poems, Life and Songs, was published when he was 19. His earliest poems were about nature and traditional religion. Later, these simple themes were left behind as his poems became increasingly mystical, and poems became things to him, particularly the sacred ones. Between the ages of 30 and 40 he produced some of his finest poetry and the important prose, The Tale of the Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke. He also wrote the book Journal of My other Self, which is the story of an imaginary poet. Rilke's two masterpieces are verse sequences, Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Elegies, written shortly before his premature death from blood poisoning. He died on December 29, 1926 at the age of 51, in Montreux, Switzerland.
Rainer Maria Rilke's influence has been far and wide – often quoted and celebrated by literary greats, quoted in music, television, and films.
He chose his own epitaph:
"Rose, oh the pure contradiction, delight, of being no-one's sleep under so many lids."
Works by Rainer Maria Rilke
Life and Songs, 1894
Stories of God, 1900
The Book of Hours, 1905
The Tale of the Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke, 1905
New Poems, 1907
The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge, 1910
Journal of My Other Self, 1910
Sonnets to Orpheus, 1923
Duino Elegies, 1923
Where Silence Reigns, 1978 (Published after his death)
Resources:
1. Illustrated Biographical Dictionary edited by John Clark. London: Chancellor Press, 1994
2. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una Mcgovern, Chambers Harrap, Edinburgh, 2002
3. Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring. Larousse, 1994
4. The A-Z of Great Writers, by Tom Payne. Carlton Book, 1997
(c) December 2008. Updated December 4, 2022. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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