The Book of Images
ByPublisher Description
Now substantially revised by Edward Snow, whom Denise Levertov once called "far and away Rilke's best translator," this bilingual edition of The Book of Images contains a number of the great poet's previously untranslated pieces. Also included are several of Rilke's best-loved lyrics, such as "Autumn," "Childhood," "Lament," "Evening," and "Entrance."
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities44 Reviews
shelf.seeker
Created 17 days ago
“Finishing this book of poetry was by no means an end to reading it. I will undoubtedly be picking this back up and reading it here and there in the future.
Rilke’s language is hypnotic and virtuosic in its imagery and figurative implements. He brings forth images that open up to emotion, and importantly links the often melancholy nature of humanity to daily observation.
Moment to moment, the natural world is never still, and we are never stagnant in our emotions. His ability to interpret and express these complex emotions is truly sublime.
This edition has the German on the left side of the page and the English on the right which was interesting, though I cannot read German, to see how his language rhymes in places where the English does not, and how certain words are used prismatically to represent many ideas or concepts.
Stylistically, I think Gass pulls the most from him, though the beauty and seamless integration of nature with reality is present in Cărtărescu. I believe that Pound utilizes some aspects of what Rilke did though with somewhat less emotionality, particularly in his “Cathay” and his later more narrative poems (perhaps with his societal visions). Despite that I feel that Rilke and Pound could not be more different in their philosophy of life and political leanings (all I'll say).”Swade
Created about 2 months ago
Mary Beth Revesz
Created 5 months agoVivienne Pryce
Created 6 months agoAbout Rainer Maria Rilke
Edward Snow has received the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award and the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation for his many renderings of Rilke. The author of A Study of Vermeer and Inside Breughel, he teaches at Rice University.
Other books by Rainer Maria Rilke
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