Rilke's timeless letters about poetry, sensitive observation, and the complicated workings of the human heart.
His powerful, moving poetry and prose speak straight from the heart and is always imbued with wisdom. This single volume includes two books of his work, The Possibility of Being and Letters to a Young Poet.
The Possibility of Being is a collection of poems chosen from several of Rilke's books. Philosophical in tone, these classic works appeal to both the serious student of literature and the general reader. This German poet's rigorous, exacting sense of formal beauty demands admiration and inspires awe. In these finely chiseled and insightful poems, Rilke shares his meditations on life, love and death.
Letters to a Young Poet collects Rilke's missives to a young man who sought literary advice from the poet. In these warm, tender letters, Rilke imparts not only writerly wisdom, but also powerful life lessons. Rilke explains that no critic can help the young man decide if he should be a writer and that only by going deep within himself can he come to know if writing is his true vocation.
The two books contained within this single volume complement each other perfectly. In the letters, Rilke clearly and movingly states his views on art and life. In the poems we experience Rilke's worldview transformed into art–pure poetry that cannot be reduced or translated to any other form.
