Briefe an einen jungen Dichter

A young man in a military academy sends his verses to the poet he admires and receives, in return, a series of long and unusual replies. Rilke's ten letters to Franz Xaver Kappus, written between 1903 and 1908, tell him to stop worrying about publication and to dig into his own solitude. They speak about love as two solitudes that protect and greet each other, about the necessity of sadness, and about God as something that is still being made. Kappus published them in 1929, three years after Rilke died.

It suits readers who want a reflective, quietly personal book on creativity and inner life. It is brief enough to keep on a bedside table and open at random.

Deep, inward-looking and contemplative; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?