Description

Book Synopsis
Rainer Maria Rilke’s powerfully touching letters to an aspiring young poet.
  
At the start of the twentieth century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, advising him on writing, love, sex, suffering, and the nature of advice itself. These profound and lyrical letters have since become hugely influential for generations of writers and artists of all kinds, including Lady Gaga and Patti Smith. With honesty, elegance, and a deep understanding of the loneliness that often comes with being an artist, Rilke’s letters are an endless source of inspiration and comfort. Lewis Hyde’s new introduction explores the context in which these letters were written and how the author embraced his isolation as a creative force. This edition also includes Rilke’s later work The Letter from the Young Worker. 

For more than 80 years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature

Trade Review
...I cannot think of a better book to put into the hands of any young would-be poet, as an inspirational guide to poetry and to surviving as a poet in a hostile world. -- Harry Fainlight * The Times *

Letters to a Young Poet Rainer Maria Rilke

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    A Paperback / softback by Charlie Louth, Rainer Maria Rilke, Charlie Louth

    £8.54

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    RRP £8.99 – you save £0.45 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 31 Aug 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Penguin Random House Group
      Imprint Penguin Classics
      Published 5 April 2012
      ISBN-13 9780141192321
      978-0141192321
      ISBN-10 0141192321
      Also in:
      Fiction Poetry Non Fiction ELT & Literary Studies Literary studies: poetry and poets Rainer Maria Rilke Books by Rainer Maria Rilke

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Rainer Maria Rilke’s powerfully touching letters to an aspiring young poet.
              
      At the start of the twentieth century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, advising him on writing, love, sex, suffering, and the nature of advice itself. These profound and lyrical letters have since become hugely influential for generations of writers and artists of all kinds, including Lady Gaga and Patti Smith. With honesty, elegance, and a deep understanding of the loneliness that often comes with being an artist, Rilke’s letters are an endless source of inspiration and comfort. Lewis Hyde’s new introduction explores the context in which these letters were written and how the author embraced his isolation as a creative force. This edition also includes Rilke’s later work The Letter from the Young Worker. 

      For more than 80 years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature

      Trade Review
      ...I cannot think of a better book to put into the hands of any young would-be poet, as an inspirational guide to poetry and to surviving as a poet in a hostile world. -- Harry Fainlight * The Times *

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