Briefe an einen jungen Dichter

About “Briefe an einen jungen Dichter”

Letters to a Young Poet is a collection of ten letters written by Rainer Maria Rilke to Franz Xaver Kappus between 1903 and 1908. Kappus, a 19-year-old officer cadet, sought Rilke’s advice on his poetry and his decision between a literary career and a military one. Rilke, who had attended the same military academy as a boy in the 1890s, responded to Kappus’s letters with guidance and reflection. Kappus later compiled and published the letters in 1929, three years after Rilke’s death from leukemia. The work offers insights into Rilke’s thoughts on poetry, life, and artistic dedication. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)