3.5 

Rilke on Love

By Rainer Maria Rilke & Ulrich Baer &
Rilke on Love by Rainer Maria Rilke & Ulrich Baer &  digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry and letters have inspired countless readers around the world with their wisdom and insight into how we can be more than ourselves without recourse to religion, politics, or ideology: through the experiences of art and love. Gathered here for the first time in original translations are Rilke’s candid, piercing, and lyrical reflections on love—the experience he considered paramount for human existence but also, with the exception of death, the event for which we are least prepared. Selected from Rilke’s poetry and his vast correspondence, these passages present Rilke’s contemplations on falling in love, being in love, losing love, and the mystical ways in which love endures.

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Rilke on Love Reviews

3.5
“There were definitely some interesting parts in this! In general, some of his prose pieces were heady, and I’m not sure I fully agreed with everything that he said. His statements that love was hard work but the only work that matters really resonated with me. I appreciate how seriously he took the matter of love. However, he’s also a big advocate for like solitude, even (especially?) in love. While I agree to a point, I think there should also be like . . . communication between the couple? I’m not sure if that was what he was actually advocating because, to be fair, at some points I could hardly understand what he was talking about. But overall, this was an interesting and thought-provoking read.”

About Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) was born in Prague into a German-speaking family. While based in Paris, he traveled broadly until finally settling in Switzerland. Rilke's verse deeply influenced subsequent poets and writers. His Duino Elegies and Sonnets to Orpheus count among the great achievements in world literature. Some of Rilke's letters are available in English as Letters to a Young Poet, Letters on Life, and The Dark Interval.

Ulrich Baer

Ulrich Baer holds a BA from Harvard and a PhD from Yale. He is University Professor at New York University, where he teaches literature and photography. He has been awarded Guggenheim, Getty, and Alexander von Humboldt fellowships. A widely recognized expert on poetry and translator, among his books are Rainer Maria Rilke's The Dark Interval, Letters on Life, and Letters to a Young Poet. Other books include Spectral Evidence: The Photography of Trauma, What Snowflakes Get Right: Free Speech, Truth, and Equality on Campus, and other books in the Contemplations series: Nietzsche on Love and Dickinson on Love.

Other books by Ulrich Baer

Ulrich Baer

Ulrich Baer holds a BA from Harvard and a PhD from Yale. He is University Professor at New York University, where he teaches literature and photography. He has been awarded Guggenheim, Getty, and Alexander von Humboldt fellowships. A widely recognized expert on poetry and translator, among his books are Rainer Maria Rilke's The Dark Interval, Letters on Life, and Letters to a Young Poet. Other books include Spectral Evidence: The Photography of Trauma, What Snowflakes Get Right: Free Speech, Truth, and Equality on Campus, and other books in the Contemplations series: Nietzsche on Love and Dickinson on Love.

Other books by Ulrich Baer

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